Cape Ann Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout

Brewed by Cape Ann Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Gloucester, Massachusetts USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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I poured a 12oz bottle into a stout glass.

Appearance: Typical stout cosmetic features of opaque black body, a large, khaki-colored frothy head which retains well but doesn’t lace.

Smell: Mild pumpkin ale aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin. Slightly sweet dairy-like scents often found in a milk stout as well.

Taste: Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout is one of those beers that walks the tightrope off being a genuine, unique brew and a novelty act. It wouldn’t seem that pumpkin and stout would work, but they definitely do in the case of this beer. But that’s not to say it’s anything spectacular.

The palate begins with two distinct stages: the first is by-the-book pumpkin ale with light spices and a gentle sweetness. It’s definitely in the pumpkin potpourri style of beer, not the liquid pumpkin pie type. The second half by-the-book stout - a milky, velvety taste and texture with a quick burst of roasted malts and bitterness. But as I drink on the two halves homogenize into one and create for a pub-style stout with subtle pumpkin potpourri flavors. Not that this is bad, but when you combine two otherwise mild palates you end up with one big mild palate. So there’s some uniqueness to it, obviously, but there’s just not enough flavor to garner anything more than a simple "pass" from me.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, tepid, soft, milky texture. Mild dry aftertaste.

Drinkability: I had no idea that Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout was 7% ABV while I was drinking it (I hate it when brewers don’t put it on the bottle). From the mild palate and complete lack of alcohol presence I assumed it was closer to 4 or 5%. So in one aspect this beer should get extra accolades from me for masking its alcohol so well. But on the other hand, with so much potential energy it doesn’t seem to capitalize on it

Bottle. Pours pure black with a cocoa colored head. The aroma is typical pumpkin beer, but the flavor is more of the roasted coffee notes of a good stout with light hints of the spice and pumpkin. Really good seasonal beer.

Bottle. Thin black pour with moderate khaki head. Aroma is predominantly pumpkin pie: notes of candied yams, nutmeg, brown sugar, some slight roasted malt. Flavor is delicious of pumpkin pie with the slightest touch of roasted coffee. Plenty of nutmeg and candied yams. Velvety palate with a moderately thin body. Tasting blind I would have thought this was a pumpkin brown ale since it is so light on the stout, but I really really like this.

dark stout appearance, pumpkin taste comes through in the aftertaste, not too strong, satisfying

Bottle, pours a nice black and a nice smell of pumpkin and roasty malts, very nice taste, a lot of stuff is going on in this beer, it has a pumpkin taste and a overall good taste.

pumpkin and roasty aroma. flavour is pretty much the same but with a really lighter mouthfeel

Finally got this in a trade from NYC. Pours dark brown with a thin tan head that slowly dissipates to a thin off-white ring. Aroma of chocolate and Hops, nutmeg, a hint of allspice and vanilla. Taste is medium bodied, with more distinct chocolate and pumpkin flavors with some biting hops and Oak. Finish is semi-sweet a light smoked background with mild pumpkin aftertaste. Very interesting, More Hops than I would expect, And not as much "Pumpkin" spice as I would have liked. But a very good Brew.

Wow this is a good beer,very thick with good pumpkin flavor and dark chocolate under tones.

12 oz bottle. Not sure what to think of this, a pumpkin stout? Sounds like a recipe for disaster. It pours a nice color, a deep black with a frothy, foamy tan head. The smell is off. There is just too much going on and no coherency. There is melon, spices, cocoa, metal, and a bit of pumpkin. The flavor is like a mix of a brown ale, a stout, and a winter warmer. It doesn’t taste like pumpkin at all, and I don’t think it is that bad. It is like a spiced porter i guess. Just a bad recipe, maybe to some people it sounds good but you also have to execute something that sounds good. It does taste good, but the smell is way off. That being said the people at southern tier shoudl take a note of this brand’s subtlety.

Aroma - Nice pumpkin spice Appearance - black as nice, nice head, Taste - Slight pumpkin taste but the stout aspect could be a little stronger. Palate - Could be a little smoother; not as much body as I would like in a typical stout. OVerall - A solid seasonal stout. Not in love but I’ll buy it again.