Manzanita Witch’s Hair Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Manzanita Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Santee, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Strong pumpkin pie spice aroma coming off an orange/amber body with a thin tan head. That spice hits right away with a strong and somewhat overpowering cinnamon flavor along with (I think) nutmeg and a slight vegetal component. It’s hard to get past all the cinnamon and this would be a fairly tasty pumpkin beer if not for that. I’ll be looking for this next year and hoping they back off the cinnamon.

This beer is excellent. I am usually not a fan of too many pumpkin beers but whatever this Santee brewery did really created something special. I bought a bottle on a whim and have ben back to the liquor store 4 times since and cleaned them out of this one. Grab a bottle and enjoy!

Bottle. Pours orange brown with off white head. Nose/taste of pumpkin, all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, roasted squash and cracker malt. Overly spiced with tons of all spice and nutmeg. Medium body.

The beer pours a an amber color in the glass. I can pickup a some nutmeg and cloves with a small hint of pumpkin. There is some caramel with some sweet spices and pumpkin.

On tap @ Telegraph Canyon Club: poured a dark glowing orange hue with a thin formation of foam head. The aroma smells similar to that of pumpkin pie that has a heavy base of pumpkin puree and an assortment of spices. The drink is well balanced and carries a strong backbone of malts while dashes of spice come up throughout the drink but aren’t overbearing. I really enjoy how smooth the palate is and how refined the drink goes down the hatch for being a pumpkin beer recipe. This pumpkin beer is one of the better ones on the market and delivers some serious alcohol to the bloodstream. I already know this is for sure going to give me a hangover tomorrow.

Bomber from Casa De Oro. Tart, almost vinous nose. A hint of spice as well. Quite dry and somewhat saison-like. Decent spice. Highly carbonated. 2011 edition. 8.8%. Alcohol is quite well hidden.

One of the more uninspiring seasonal offerings. The fleshy vegetable complexity of the pumpkin is downplayed in this tepid, underwhelming brew from the folks at Manzanita. Coarse spices and full bodied flavors, typical of this style of ale, are nearly absent. Not that pumpkin beers should taste of saccharine and honeycomb, but there should be a happy medium between the thick wedges of pumpkin and the light mouthfeel of a fall brew. Maybe some bolts need to be tightened for next year’s run.

Bomber from Beverages4Less in Santee, CA. Pours hazy dark amber with no head. Aroma of pumpkin pie spice, and just maybe a bit of cooked squash. Full bodied - like a barley wine. The flavor is really spice, with a touch of chocolate? The spice is pervasive, seems to be pie plus something else. It’s arguably sweet in the finish, but the spice certainly fends that off.

Tasted via bottle at Beverages for Less. 2010 bottle apparently. Pours with a small tan head over a hazed orange body. Aromas are quite pervasively spicy. Huge notes of clove, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon. Decent malt back bone. Flavors are lightly estery with pumpkin pie spices. Some rich caramel and a bit of a vegital character. Medium to light bubbles with a decently rich mouthfeel.