Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Smuttynose Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Portsmouth, New Hampshire USA

Smuttynose pumpkin ale is brewed with real pumpkin puree and spices. It is an outstanding example of the style in the fact that a really excellent pumpkin ale will actually give you plenty of real pumpkin flavor, as well as nice touches of the traditional pumpkin pie spices. This makes for a perfect cool weather beer and is literally a slice of pumpkin pie in a glass. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale pours to a deep golden to light orange color with a creamy white head and a moderate amount of carbonation. The nose is wonderful with aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, paired with just a touch of biscuit malt aroma. The palate is firm with lots of good sweet/biscuity pale malt flavors, along with a strong undertone of squashy/spicy pumpkin flavor. Pumpkin Ale finishes with more malt and pumpkin flavor up front, then ends with spicy cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes, giving this beer the liquid pumpkin pie effect. Anyone who is a fan of pumpkins and pumpkin pie can not help but love this beer. Those who aren’t too crazy about either might find the spices and pumpkin flavors to be a bit too much. Stylistically as a pumpkin ale, this is a stellar example, and I would rank it right up there with the best of them. Drink this beer with a desert of vanilla ice cream. For an extra special treat mix half pumpkin ale with half Imperial or Oatmeal Stout for a liquid slice of chocolate pumpkin cheese cake.

this beer is pretty friggin fantastic. i’ve had it twice now and had different thoughts each time, so i’m not all sure about its consistency but i enjoyed it thoroughly each time. has a little sweet taste to it, strong cinnamon flavor but lots else going on.

Hazy bronze colour a very nice off-white head. Aroma of pumpkin, spice and everything nice - The best aroma i've gotten from a pumpkin! Medium to Light-Bodied; Strong spice/pumpkiny flavour with a residual sweetness. Aftertaste shows a great malt balance and a nice level of spiceyness! Overall, a very good beer, the best i've had of the type! I bought this twelve ounce bottle at Beers of the World in Rochester, New York and sampled it on 3-October-2003.

Yellowy orange, somewhat cloudy, good carbonation bubbling, small compact ivory head, tiny spotting lace. Aroma is a well defined display of cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh pumpkin guts, and light malt. Very warm and quite appealing with a nice strength. Taste is fabulously delightful with a finely delicate array of spices over a light bready malt. Warming, soothing, and well spiced. Nothing jumps out at ya really, its a great medley of nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, and pumpkin. Lovely finish of lightly sweet malt that has a nice smooth grab and a very slight return of warming spices tingle across the palate late. Yummy fun. Smooth, clean, spicy, without all the spice grab, good malt presence, medium body, good finisher. Swell drinker too. Floats right down and keeps a nice warming tone of spice, like a freshly baked cookie. Great seasonal treat.

Lovely spiced pumpkin and nutmeg flavor with hints of clove and cinnamon. Nice orange-red autumn color. Great pumpkin pie scent.

My favorite seasonal is pumpkin ale and this one is number two between Dogfish Head at #1 and everyone else behind. Forget Buffalo Bill’s... but try Ship Yard’s. The spice was right on but have this with desert not with the entre as it will numb your mouth and kill the flavor of all but the heavyest meals.

This ale rocked, very spicy with hints of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course pumpkin. This beer even smelled like a pumpkin, and is an excellent fall beer.

Pours a hazy pale orange, with a good size white head that mostly diminishes, leaving sheets of lace. Very fine tiny bubbled carbonation in the body. Aroma is of freshly baked pumpkin pie, mostly from the cinnamon and nutmeg spices, backed with a good bit of hops. Flavor is again dominated with the cinnamon, some sweetness comes through in the middle, and the end is a mix with the spices and some hoppy bitterness in there as well. Medium-full bodied, fairly lively carbonation. A very good balance between the squash and malt sweetness, the spices, and a good level of hoppiness.