Ithaca Country Pumpkin

Brewed by Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Ithaca, New York USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Good aroma of pumpkin and spice. Amber pour with a small head. Pretty good beer for happy hour.

If pumpkin beers tend to be either liquid pumpkin pie or liquid potpourri, surely there has to be a few that blur the line, right? I’d submit Ithaca Country Pumpkin as an example of a line-blurrer, as it has plenty of spicy bite, but is well balanced by sweet pie-like flavors.

I poured a 12oz bottle into an official Ithaca pint glass.

Appearance: Dark copper with brownish/orange hues. Hazy but translucent. Forms a small, off white, sudsy head which fizzles away rather quickly and leaves only minimal lacing on the glass.

Smell: All the classic pumpkin beer aromas of potpourri spice and dessert sweetness.

Taste: If you’re a pumpkin beer fan you’re probably going to enjoy Ithaca Country Pumpkin, even though it doesn’t offer anything particularly new. It begins with a sweet burst of cinnamon and graham cracker/pie crust tastes, followed by pureed pumpkin. The finish ends each time with a sharp bite of ginger and nutmeg. It almost creates for a minty flavor, but is balanced out quite well by the residual cinnamon sweetness.

It’s not a particularly bitter brew, as this only uses one hop variety. The malts are mild and lightly sweet with a very subtle honey character. While there is a rustic spiciness, the palate is balanced and delectable overall. Not the best tasting pumpkin beer on the market (it could probably use a little less ginger), but it’s still better than average.

Drinkability: The first thing I noticed about Ithaca Country Pumpkin wasn’t so much the flavor as it was the smoothness and high drinkability. The body isn’t spastic and effervescent - the mouthfeel is fairly soft which enables it to go down smoothly. It’s a bit refreshing while in the mouth and the aftertaste is fairly clean. The 6.3% ABV seems a bit high to me, but I wouldn’t consider that a flaw. A versatile brew - drink it with a meal or as a dessert.

Hazy amber very thin head; aroma is nutmeggy cinnamony; flava is same plus pumpkin and raisin; feels medium yet foamy; crisp finsh, almost apple cidery(real cider), nutmeg/clove is long time

Bottle. Pours a slightly hazy amber with a light-medium head. Very spice-heavy aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, and ginger. The flavor is similar - the spices (I get ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, roughly in that order) come through more strongly than the pumpkin. Nice finish and aftertaste. One of the better pumpkin beers I’ve had.

Bottle. I believe this is a 2012 new release. Pours clear copper with a big white head, a bit of lacing, and active carbonation. Aroma is really nice. There is all kinds of spice.. nutmeg.. cinnamon.. cardamon.. pumpkin.. really nice. Taste is pretty spicy with some cinnamon, nutmeg, a little pumpkin.. but not sweet. One of the better pumpkin styles of the year imo.

Pours light amber/orange with a thin creamy head. Aroma of nutmeg and pumpkin. Sweet malt flavor with underlying spices and a late hop bitterness. Medium bodied pumpkin ale. Clean finish.

Pours a clear deep golden color. Aroma is of pumpkin, some pumpkin spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Flavor is the same. Medium/Light bodied. Leaves a pumpkin and clove finish. A decent pumpkin brew. What seems to be the "norm" in the pumpkin beers now with the cinnamon and nutmeg is nicely toned down here with the cloves and gourd. It stays true to the pumpkin flavor which can’t be said for some of the more popular ones out there now.

Draft served in a pint glass at The Nines in Ithaca. Pours a deep orange color, just a little cloudy, with a tiny off-white head that doesn’t last at all. The aroma needs a little warming to emerge and when it does it brings nutmeg, brown sugar, graham crackers, and cinnamon. The flavor hits the same not with only a slight hint of anything vegetal. Light-bodied, with a sweet, malty mouthfeel with mellow spice and moderate carbonation. Solid pumpkin ale. Nice to try it fresh and local.

Location: 12 oz bottle from Half Time, 10/23/12

Aroma: The nose has some nutmeg, pumpkin, clove, allspice, toast, and a little bit of hop
Appearance: It pours a caramel-orange color with a small beige head and light lace
Flavor: The taste is a little bit sweet, has a medium spice component, and a light bitterness
Palate: The body is light-medium, it feels a little bit tingly, and drinks pretty nicely
Overall Impression: Nice job here by I thought that this was a really solid pumpkin/spice beer. It may not be an absolutely top of style example, but it works pretty well.

Bottle:   Reddish side of amber, faint haze, small sudsy white head, little lacing.   Spicy nose, cinnamon, nutmeg, lots of allspice.   Similar tongue, just the right amount of spiciness IMO.   Body and mouthfeel are moderate.   Clean finish, lingering spices.   This is a nice straight forward example of the style!