3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Pours glowing amber with very little white head. Aroma is moderate of gingerbread and pumpkin spice. The taste is similar with more of the gingerbread at first but the pumpkin really comes in as it warms. Basically it’s close to an alcoholic pumpkin bread without a lot of sugary sweetness, although it is modestly grainy. Certainly one of the best pumpkin beers, this could be sessionable.
3.6 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
12oz bottle. Pours a reddish orange with a small off-white head. Nose is of sweet spices, pumpkin, some nutmeg, caramel malt. Taste is pumpkin, sweet spices some caramel malt with some hops. Palate is a medium body with good carbonation. Finish is of sweet spices, pumpkin, some light cinnamon note with a bit of a nutty flavor and some good bitter hops ending, not overly sweet.Overall seems to be a good drinkable brew.
4.5 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 19/20
This is by far the best "pumpkin" beer out there. And I was lucky to get one in Tennessee, thanks Scott
4.6 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 19/20
Tonight’s stop on the pumpkin tour is the Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale. This is a pumpkin beer that started my love of pumpkin beers, and I’m excited to try it again this year.
Pours out a burnt orange color, on the darker side of amber. The foam is quite lively, a thick, fluffy, off-white head. The foam lasts for a relatively long time, and leaves a nice sticky lacing on the sides of the glass.
The aromas are a nice combination of pumpkin and spices. The pumpkin is not over-whelming, and neither are the spices, but it’s a nice over-all balance between the two. So far this year, this smells the most like pumpkin pie of all these brews, which is (in my opinion) what I’m looking for in a pumpkin beer.
The palate and the mouth-feel is perfectly in-sync with the aromas. There’s hefty amount of pumpkin flavors right up front, but then progresses nicely into a variety of pumpkin pie spices. It’s not super-sweet, but there’s definitely a hefty presence of malts here. As the Punkin’ Ale warms, but sweetness fades a bit, and the spices really start to come through.
Well this is definitely a treat, the Dogfish Punkin’ Ale is the best pumpkin beer I’ve had yet this year! Great amount of pumpkin flavors, as well as spices, and the two are balanced nicely. I really enjoy the Smashed Pumpkin for it’s heavy, up-front pumpkin flavors; and the Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin for it’s heavy use of pumpkin pie spices. The Dogfish Punkin’ Ale is not too intense in any direction or the other, it’s balanced just right.
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pours a dark amber. Minimal head. Aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon and spice. Tastes just like pumpkin pie. Nice spices on the finish.
4.3 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
This is the quintessential pumpkin ale that you want around halloween. It’s full of spicy flavor and a pumpkin and malt backbone. Great beer.
3.3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Reviewed from notes 2007.
A: Coppery-amber body and a quick fading bubbly white head.
S: Pumpkin and cinnamon dominate up front. Loads of spices on the surface.
T: Pumpkin flavors come in fairly early and are rounded out with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg tones... towards the end all you get is spice.
M: Solid body and fills out the mouth before fading in the finish with a lingering spice-filled aftertaste.
O: It’s a decent pumpkin ale, but I just can’t force myself to have more than one in a sitting with all the spice.
3.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Poured from a fresh bottle of the first batch of 2011 into a pint glass.
A: Slightly murky copper color with a thin, less than 1 finger, head. Lacing retains, no cling.
S: Decently strong smell, I smell this from 2-3 feet away as I type this. Pumpkin is the big smell here, with malt and cinnamon/nutmeg hints. Pleasing smell.
T: Pumpkin takes the cake here. Slight hops hit first into a mouthful of fresh pumpkins, cinnamon and nutmeg come shortly after in the finish. Malt taste throughout. Good balance, though not as balanced as last years. Leaves a slight spice aftertaste in my mouth.
M: Rather high in carbonation, a bit watery at the start, but thickens up to be a bit more creamy on the finish.
O: This as my absolute favorite beer of 2010, unfortunately it isn’t living up to memories this year. I attribute that, possibly, to the early harvesting of the pumpkins. I’ll wait a month to buy another.
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