Grand River Highballer Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Grand River Brewing
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Cambridge, Canada

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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UPDATED: OCT 29, 2008 Cask sample at C’est What - poured a lightly hazed apricot with a billowy white head that lasted a long time. Enticing soft spice in the aroma - cinnamon, nutmeg, some clove, a bit of ginger, but fruity overall. As others have noted, peachy even. Flavour more of the same, but not overpowering like some pumpkin ales - well-integrated spice and soft in the mouth, lending to an overall package that could be enjoyed over a session, and wouldn’t restrict itself to one pint. Quite lovely actually. I’d like to try the regular (uncasked) version of this, but have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to prefer the cask. Update - Tried the bottled version from the brewery, and it was slightly inferior to the cask. Head retention was lower and the overall package was a bit less ’’’’put-together’’’’ still good though. I averaged the two scores, but the (rare) cask is preferable.

500ml bottle
5.2% ABV
Bottled On: September 30, 2011
So, according to the bottle, this beer was 5 days old when I bought it, and 6 days old when I drank it.....FRESH! I tried this beer on October 6, 2011 after purchasing from the Queen’s Quay LCBO in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The beer poured a translucent golden orange with a thin off-white head. Pumpkin and spices dominated the aroma with not much else. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium-high carbonation. The flavour is malt, grains, and pumpkin. Not as pumpkin-pie-y as some American offerings, but a good beer nonetheless.

Bottle, pours a nice amber, smell is up there with the best of the pumpkin beers, very nice an lively smell, the taste is a bit faint for my liking, it was spicy but it needed a bit more flavour. good offering

500 mL bottle from the LCBO, served in a stem glass. Pours hazy orange amber with a small off-white head. The head fades to a thin cover and leaves a small amount of fine lace. On the nose, there are big notes of pumpkin and vanilla, along with typical fall spices, cinnamon and nutmeg. The flavour is mildly sweet and slightly spicy with huge pumpkin and spice notes. The finish introduces subtle hops and pale malts but the overall impression is of pumpkin. On the palate, it is medium in body with a smooth, creamy texture and average carbonation. Overall, this is a decent but not great pumpkin ale. There is a slight off flavour throughout that was a little distracting. 2011-11-02

(From JB84) The look : Orange in color with a small head. The nose : E.d. Smith ready-spiced pie filling mixture. The taste : Pumpkiny and spicy, not much else to say. The mouthfeel : Very light body. Good amount of carbonation. Watery texture. The finale : Malty and short.

Bouteille de 500ml. Bière orangée. Le nez est un mélange de tarte à la citrouille avec sa muscade, sa cannelle, ses clous et piments de Jamaique. Mais pour qu’une bière de ce type elle doit avoir une charpente pour supporter le tout, ce qu’elle n’a pas. Elle est trop mince.

500mL bottle from LCBO. Pours clear orange. Smells of pumpkin and spices. Pumpkin and spice taste as well, with a full body and low carbonation. A very nice pumpkin ale - I highly recommend it.

Bottle. Consumed Oct. 4th, bottled Sep. 30. 500ml from the LCBO. Pours a beautiful amber with a disappointingly small white head that quickly dies. Minor lacing.Aroma of malt, spice clove and lots of cinnamon. I’m a big fan of the aroma.Tastes of spice, cinnamon gives it a rather dry taste, it tastes similar to the spices used in pumpkin pie but slightly off. Medium bodied. Overall not the best pumpkin ale. Respectable but won’t buy again. Maybe once a year but nothing more. $3.60/500ml at LCBO

Pale amber pour. The nose is fairly sweet and a kittle bit spicy. A touch of clove and cinnamon (more the latter). Softly sweet with a bit of lingering spice. There is a lingering touch of malt sweetness. Pretty nice.

On Tap at C’est What, Toronto 14/11/2010 Spicy aroma. Amber coloured smooth on the palate hoppy and spicy pumpkin flavour with a hint of dryness in a malt finish.

500mL bottle, gift courtesy of mds. Thanks, Mike!! Pours a reasonably dark, tarnished orange color, like a strong iced tea; mixed-bubbled light-tan head with light retention and lacing. Some overripe, candied fruits in the aroma with spice contributions from nutmeg and clove; honestly, falls on the side of an unchecked candied maltiness, though the spicing’s pretty solid. Medium mouthfeel; relaxed carbonation. Not sure whether its a point of age or the lax carbonation, but that same candied sweetness plays out hugely here: not that toasty, restrained maltiness of a crisp Oktoberfest; less restrained, more sugary sweet; again, soft nutmeg and cloves serve the dominant spicing here, but the overall beer is just overripe fruitiness and a flabby malt core; not unenjoyable, but not quite dialed in. Medium finish of candied malts, with a light toastiness.