Pike Harlot’s Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Pike Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Seattle, Washington USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Dark brown pour, moderate head, aroma of malt and maybe touch of spice. Flavor is a confusing combination of malt, spices and hop bitterness from what I can tell. It’s hard for me to really describe this because it’s somehow weird. I don’t know that I would guess pumpkin or pumpkin pie if I didn’t know what I was drinking, but it’s better than some of the beer in this class, which by and large are disappointing to me, and this one is no exception. I won’t be coming back to this one.

August melanoidin red-amber body with creamy browned head. Splendid wafts of amber malt, brown sugar and subtle cinnamon and allspice enchant the nose and tempt the palate. Candi malt, some pumpkin tannin and spices. A bit green or tannic. Perhaps its the allspice--or the molasses? Unfortunately, I get more rough bitterness than spice flavors. Each sip begins favorably enough with a mild pumpkin sweetness, but then the off-tannic flavors cling to the back of the palate. Perhaps the molasses needs an extra year or two of aging?

Draft at the pike. Pours an opaque very dark brown with a loose tan ring. Sweet and spicy nose, heavy on the pie spice blend. Creamy medium body, carb is a little flabby. Toasty nutty pie like mid palate showing tons of pie flavors, very sweet. Maybe a bit cloying. Long sweet finish.

22 oz bottle from Chuck’s 85th. Pours dark reddish amber with a thin head. Aroma is sweet and tart cinnamon and nutmeg. Nice rich dark roasty malts followed by sweet pumpkin pie notes. Just a slight sour hint on the finish. One of the darker, more ’winter beer - like’ of the pumpkin beers I’ve had. Great pumpkin pie flavor without being cloyingly sweet or syrupy.

Sample at the brewpub. Clear brownish pour with some orange around the edges and a medium foamy light beige head that recedes slowly. Sticky partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of pumpkin spices and malt. Medium body with flavors of pumpkin, ginger and cinnamon plus some sweet malt in the background. The finish is sweet with a pumpkin aftertaste. Above average overall.

UPDATED: JAN 19, 2013 Cask - Smells like pumpkin pie, rich spices and sweet malts. Hazy amber with light thin head. Tastes very rich, heavily spices with the malts and pumpkin perfectly balanced. The cask conditioning of this makes it one of the best pumpkin ales I have every had. Picked up a bottle, hopefully it is just as good. Bottle - Not nearly as good as the cask, but I am not surprised. Toasty alt nose, Pretty sweet and a slight taste of medicine. Pumpkin is there, just a bit in the background. In the bottle this would be a 3.0.

Pours a cloudy brown with medium tan head. Aroma of mild pumpk, in spice, malty ale, and light booze. Flavor is quite similar, but with the spices a bit more forward. Alcohol burn on the finish. Definitely not a sweet desert pie style, more of a strong winter ale with a light touch of spices.