Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Brooklyn Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Brooklyn, New York USA

Bottled. Pale yellow appearance. No significant head. Pumpkin notes are dominating the flavour. Interesting brew.

Bottled: Lys rav. Ret klar, men noget støv. Beige skum. Dør ret hurtigt, hvilket kan være sulfo. Nelliker og kraftige medicinske noter. Smagen er ret vag. Lidt sød og krydret. Har lette græskar noter, selvom det ikke er 100% indlysende. Let krop. Er maltet og frugtig i enden. Lidt kedelig øl, og ret lortet at fejre Pittsburg Steelers sejr over et tamt Seattle Seahawks med.

Pumpkin Ale has its roots in Colonial America, and was brewed by colonists as far back as the late 17th Century. When malt supplies ran short during hard times in the colonies, brewers would improvise, and use whatever adjuncts they could to brew beer. Pumpkins were native and plentiful, especially in New England. Their rich and spicy flavors worked especially well with barley malt, and were the gourd of choice for colonial brewers. Out of this tradition, modern brewers pay tribute with their versions of pumpkin ale. Most versions brewed today, go for the "liquid pumpkin pie" effect, and are heavy with spices, such as nutmeg and cinnamon. I have had a few examples though, that showcase that meaty/squashy pumpkin flavor, and are not spiced. Post Road Pumpkin ale gives the beer lover a little bit of both. This beer is indeed spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon, but it also has very apparent spicy/squashy pumpkin flavor. This beer has taken a journey over the years. It was first brewed for the Post Road Brewing Company (a contract brewery), by the now defunct Catamount Brewing Company, of White River Junction, VT. The label then was sold to the Brooklyn Brewery, of Brooklyn, NY, which has the F.X. Matt Brewery of Utica, NY contract brew this beer. The Post Road Pumpkin ale I enjoy today is the Matt brewed version, and it is quite excellent. That being said, I will never forget the Catamount brewed version of this beer, which I found to be the best example. Post Road Pumpkin Ale pours to a beautiful, bright, orange color with a nice white head, and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose is the first thing that grabs your attention. Fragrant sweet and spicy aromas of nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, and malt flood the nose. The palate is very flavorful, with accents of malt, and meaty/squashy pumpkin flavor. Post Road Pumpkin Ale finishes with more pumpkin flavor up front, then ends with nice, subtle flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon, that slightly lingers. This is a very well done pumpkin ale, with a clever use of pumpkin spices, and real pumpkin flavor. The brewers are not too heavy handed with the spices, which allows that spicy/squashy flavor of the pumpkin meat to come through. This beer is a natural with desert, and is of course, the perfect beer to have with a slice of pumpkin pie, with a dollop of fresh whip cream. It would also work well with hearty soups, pumpkin soup, or squash bisque, both being naturals as well. I enjoy this beer most, by itself. It is a great beer to have on a cool, crisp, Fall afternoon, and one to relax with on a cold Fall eve.

Pours amber-orange with a medium, short lasting and off-white head. Significant pumpkin aroma. It has a taste of pumpkin, cinnamon and cloves with notes of caramel. Watery palate. Small, discreet and bitter aftertaste. Nothing special - except the pumpkin flavour...

Had this one at the AA meeting at summits in november also. Clear orange color. Big time pumpkin aroma with some decent nutmeg hints. It tasted like water with pumpkin spice.

12 oz. bottle. Pours a slightly hazy orange with an off-white head. Pleasant aroma of cloves and cinammon. The spices also come through in the flavor, along with light pumpkin flavor and some hop bitterness. A bit watery I thought. Also, there is a waxy, almost soapy aftertaste that was very unpleasant. I sampled three different bottles to make sure it wasn’t the drinking glass - the third beer I drank straight from the bottle and it was still there. I’ll pass on this one.

I appreciate the accentuation on the spices and the clove flavor stands out. The pumpkin flavor seems buried in the aftertase. The beer is pretty light overall and a bit on the watery side but I do like the flavor.

Pours a yellow/orange color. Has a good spicy aroma, clove, cinamon. Very mellow taste, very good pumpkin beer.