Fegley’s Brew Works Devious Imperial Pumpkin

Brewed by Fegley’s Brew Works
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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pours a dark amber brown. smells like thanksgiving! im surprised this beer got such low reviews. i think this beer is delicious and the flavor completely masks the 9% abv. the flavor of pumpkin is light, with a spicy after taste

Bomber with coworkers. Pours a clean brown with thick tan head. Nose is pumpkin spices - cinnamon, clove, notes of vanilla. Taste is a little bit like cola up front with pumpkin spices and slight pumpkin that recedes into a slightly bitter boozy finish.

Bottle. Brown pour with some tan lacing. Cinnamon, spices and some lighter pumpkin aromas. Cinnamon and spice with lighter pumpkin flavors, not all that much of a sweet tone.

Pours a clear dark red-brown with a short lived off-white head. Smells of pumpkin, clove, cinnamon - slightly muted smells though. Taste is sweet, pumpkin is prevalent with a strong malt character, notes of spice - clove, allspice. Hints of a pie.

Aroma, was faint, spice not overpowering, cinnamon, clove, mostly, nice medium amber hue, smooth taste, slight hop, mostly malt background, followed by the spice on the back end good balance overall, I think one of the most balanced Pumpkin beers I’ve tried

So I grabbed this little brew on a recent trip back to PA to visit my folks, the Devious Imperial Pumpkin from Fegley’s BrewWorks. The BrewWorks has a couple of brewpubs in the Allentown/Bethlehem area that I call home, so I’m looking forward to this one. Plus, I’ve got a few old friends that work there, as well as a number of family members that consider themselves regulars. So let’s see how it stacks up, shall we? Pours out a really dark shade of orange, like a dark rust or mahogany color. I think this is one of the darker pumpkin beers I’ve seen this year. The foam is really lively, with a full two-fingers of head, in a creamy, off-white color. The head retention isn’t long though, it subsides fairly quickly, leaving behind a mild lacing on the glass. The aromas are nice, but mild. There’s a little bit of pumpkin, but it’s barely noticeable. The spices stand out a little stronger, but are also not as evident as the spices in some other brews this year. Taking a sip I’m, well, disappointed a little. The spices are not as present on the palate as they were on the nose, and I’m not really getting a ton of pumpkin flavors. As the beer warms up, I’m getting a bit more pumpkin, but even less on the spice-side of things. Don’t get me wrong, the Devious Pumpkin is quite drinkable, and I’m sure many people would enjoy it. But I set my standards for pumpkin beer pretty high, and this isn’t quite hitting the same mark that’s been set this year. Now, I’ve heard a few rumors that maybe I’ve got a bottle from last year’s batch. There’s no "best by" or "bottled on" date anywhere on the bottle, so I can’t quite be sure. And I picked this bottle up at a Wegman’s the latter part of August. Due to the kinda flat flavors, I’m hoping this is a leftover from last year. But for the sake of Wegman’s stocking practices, I hope they didn’t put last year’s Devious Pumpkin out on the shelf at the same time as this year’s Pumking, that’s just bad karma. I’ve also had several of my old friends tell me that the Devious Pumpkin is significantly better on tap. Unfortunately, I probably won’t make it back to PA while they’re still serving it, so my comparison will probably have to wait till next year.

Pours a semi hazy copper orange with frothy tan head. Aroma is a mix of strong nutmeg, pumpkin puree, clove, pepper and herb. Flavor is a mix of nutmeg, pumpkin pie, almond, cinnamon. body is light yet creamy with perfect carbonation. Frankly, I really enjoy this pumpkin ale. It is a great pumpkin spice flavor and NOT syrupy which is key for me.

THOUGHTS: Nice flavors, but a little cloying. Hid alcohol very well, though. Great pumpkin beer, but only a decent imperial pumpkin beer. There really needs to be a separate category for imperial pumpkin beers. TECHNICAL: Bottle. Poured a clear, medium, orangey amber with an average, creamy, off-white head that mostly diminished. The aroma had moderate to heavy caramel; a little sour pumpkin; pumpkin pie spices and actual pumpkin. The initial flavor was moderate to heavily sweet and slightly sour; while the finish was heavily sweet, lightly bitter and light to moderately sweet. There was caramel, a little vanilla, pumpkin pie spices, a little actual pumpkin, slight roasted malt and sour pumpkin. The medium to full body was a little oily and then dry with fizzy carbonation and a dry and ever so slightly alcoholic finish.

At GABF. Pours clear amber. Aroma is cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Medium-full palate is spicy and nutty with some fruitcake flavors. Very balanced and tasty, a fantastic fall beer.

12oz bottle. Poured fiery reddish-orange with a short-lived beige head.. great color. The aroma picked up warm pumpkin meat, bready notes, and alcohol-fueled spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla).. balance was good. The flavor found bready notes, caramel, and a fairly heavy does of mead-y honey at the core.. not much pumpkin, but there were a lot of spices from the nose around.. tacky on the finish with a mess of spices and alcohol warmth.. didn’t hold up all that well after the initial smell. Heavier-bodied with low carbonation on the palate.. too much honey and cheaper sugars evident.. needed more fresh pumpkin.