Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Bottle in NYC. Hazy gold. Abit spicy, a bit fruity, rather thin. Pepper and cinnamon over a fruity beer. I have problems with a few beer styles - kölsch, mild and, now, pumpkin ale. They don’t thrill me at all. True to style for all I know, and unlikely to harm anyone if consumed in moderation.

Draft at Blind Tiger, with Reuben & Jen, as part of their pumpkin Promo. 15 lines i believe. All sampled as 5oz pours. Squash, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Decent.

Bright orange. Thick creamy off-white head. Medium-spiced, coppery malts, fairly strong pure pumpkin aroma. Good carbonation level, soft, gentle and nice. Medium body, not too spiced and not too vegetal. Good dose of hops to balance the squash sugars. Nice, mellow, and balanced.

Bottle. Pours a cloudy orange amber with a thick, creamy, long lasting off-white head that never went away. Nose is primarily caramel malt with an undertone of grassy hops, with just a bit of pumpkin in there, but not much. Taste is caramel malt up front with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon, with caramel sweetness emerging as the carbonation pushes past, only to quickly move to a combination of grassy hops, cinnamon and nutmeg, and a definite vegetal pumpkin note. Medium body, with medium carbonation.

12 oz. bottle from Wine Warehouse in Charlottesville. Best before March 09. Reddish-auburn pour with a medium head, good retention and nice lacing. Aroma is your typical spices, but not over the top, subtle pumpkin and noble hops. Taste is very much the same, though the spices take over quite a bit... clove, cinnamon... and lend a spiciness to the beer. A bit too much I’m afraid. Medium bodied and moderate carbonation.

On tap in New York City. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a amber colored lager ale with a small white head. The flavor is traditional with sweet malts and just enough pumkin spice hint to know that it is there. This is the first Pumpkin Ale I have ever tried, and was surprised at how much I liked it.

Thanks to Cheryl for buying this one. Not normally a big fan of pumpkin beers, but enjoyed this one. Some in the style just reek of pumpkin and brown sugary spices - there’s nothing subtle to them. This one was delicious, though. Balanced the maltiness with the pumpkin spice. Very pleasant on the palate - I had two. Will always remember this one fondly (which may have something to do with the fact that I was holding my 2-week old niece the whole time I drank the beers!)

12oz bottle from the grocery store across the street. This is the best Pumpkin Ale that I have tried for one reason: It tastes like pumpkins. The nutmeg and cinnamon flavors are present, but not overwhelming like most of the half-ass attempts at this style. Smuttynose rarely disappointments me. The finish has a hint of pecans and cinnamon. I’m gonna try one at cellar temp because I have seen it on cask recently. If you try one pumpkin ale this fall, try this one... unless you can prove me wrong.