Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Aroma of nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie. Tastes of the spice right up from stingy nutmeg and allspice fading into pumpkin meat and then to a bready, biscuity crusty malt flavor.

Pours entirely transparent and fairly still to a bronzy red hue. Salted pumpkin seeds and flesh, cinnamon bread, and hints of flowers on the nose; caramel and brown sugar. Starchy and rich. Taste is very dry and far from a menace of sweetness; allspice dominates in its earthy potency. Vinegar nips at the edges of the more subtle pumpkin body, with nutmeg and delicate hop petals. Nuanced. Smooth and medium bodied palate. Cinnamon dries out the finish with a definitive kick. Well-done example; reserved and balanced.

Clear copper pour with tiny head. Smells of caramel and pumpkin. Flavor is mostly caramel malt, but then fairly strong pumpkin flavor in aftertaste.

Had it on tap.. This was a very good beer. It had beautiful amber body, and was a delight to drink.

Bottle. Golden brown, light hazy color. Amazing aroma of nutmeg and brown sugar that smells like a mix of baking pumpkin pie and a hoppy ale. This one really tastes more of spices and herbs than pumpkin, which is perfect for me. I could drink this one any time of the year, not just as an October novelty brew. Delicious.

THOUGHTS: A nice beer, but one of Dogfish Head’s weaker offerings. It’s got nothing on Wyerbacher’s pumpkin ale, but is way better than most. The pumkin beers just seem to come out earlier and earlier each year. I had this one in the middle of August. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear light amber with a small to average, off-white head that mostly diminished. The aroma was moderate caramel malt along with brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. The initial flavor was lightly sweet acidic and bitter, while the finish was moderately sweet, lighlty bitter and sour with an average duration. There was lots and lots of pumkin pie spices and some brown sugar in ther flavor. The medium body was dry and syrupy with tingly carbonation and a chalky and lighlty astringent finish.

Pours a dark copper with a quick fading white head. I love the nose on this beer. Very spicy. Malt and sugar with cinnamon and just as indicated on the botte, a hint of nutmeg. Yummy. Silky smooth beer. I barely detect the pumpkin in either the nose or the flavor. Certainly an interesting beer, I just wish there was more pumpkin.

Bottled. Pours an amber orange with almost no head. Can really taste the cinnamon and nutmeg.