Southern Tier Oaked Pumking

Brewed by Southern Tier Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Lakewood, New York USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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On tap at Sugar Maple. Wow, so rich. Phenomenal, the best pumpkin beer out there. Sweet pastry-like pumpkin sugar tones. Lots of spice, but incorporated well. The oak adds even more vanilla, throwing it well over the top. Big and bold, but still maintains a great drinkability. Wow.

Delicious. One of the best But I can only drink a few at a time. Tastes like no other beer.

Draft from a 2010 keg at Brouwerij lane. Same incredible aroma and taste as the regular pumking but with a stronger bit of malts and hops.

Oak aging is something you tend to associate with imperial stouts, but Southern Tier has shown that can work well with other styles such as barleywines, imperials IPAs, and pumpkin ales. Their famous "Pumking" beer is one of the most highly acclaimed brews of the style, and they’ve managed to offer a new version by oak aging it in 2011 for a tap-only release. While it’s only slightly different than the original version, it’s still a fantastic beer in its own right.

I got a 16oz growler fill of a 2011keg from Westmere Beverage. I poured it into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Light orange/dark gold color. Mostly clear but with just a bit of haze. Forms a small head with a vigorous pour, which mostly evaporates but does leave some lacing on the glass.

Taste: Southern Tier Pumking has often been described as liquid pumpkin pie and I’d agree with that for sure, although it’s a beer that seems to focus more on the crust than the pie filling itself. Graham cracker crust is the most familiar taste found in the palate here. It’s a delicious combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and pureed pumpkin that dominate and drive the palate. It’s lightly bitter up front with a quick taste of cinnamon followed by pumpkin and a smooth sweetness of vanilla from the oak not found in the traditional bottle and tap versions. It finishes with the sweet and spicy mix of cinnamon and nutmeg and the graham cracker flavor. Even the aftertaste is pleasant - not crisp and clean, but not cloying or dry either. Not a trace of alcohol anywhere in the palate. Amazing and delicious.

Drinkability: I’d give Southern Tier Oak Aged Pumking a high score due to the palate alone, but it’s the smooth drinkability that clinches it for me. The mouthfeel is perfect as it’s not overly effervescent, but not thin and tepid either. There’s a slightly creamy texture despite the lack of head (in this case probably due to the oak aging). It’s actually not that big of a beer at 8.6% ABV, although it definitely has the robustness of such . A perfect beer to pair with pumpkin pie or enjoy as a dessert in a glass.

It really is pumpkin pie! Didn’t get to try this last season ,but now Im making up for it, early . What a treat .No hint of booziness, which is always the key to good beer. Enjoy this while it lasts .

Golden appearance. Nearly no head. Pumpkin and spice nose. Medium low carbonation. Pumpkin flavor. No hop presence. Long smooth finish.

On tap at Bavarian Lodge in Lisle over Memorial Day weekend. Served in a sampler glass. Pours a clear golden-orange color with a short white head. The nose carries a mild amount of oak along with some pumpkin spice and accompanying sweetness. This is quite a bit better than the standard version; the oak does a great job mellowing out the extreme sweetness with a bit of tannin and nice woodiness. Body is medium and only moderately sweet. Vastly preferable to the standard version.

Draft at prohibition with Vinny and Scott. Pours a light orange body with thin carbonated lacing. Aroma is pumpkin, spice, nutmeg and crust. Overall the oak treatment restricts the flavor, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Draft: brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and other candle aromas, taste is sweet, spices maybe a touch of oak, I like this better than the regular version

Tap flight at Bavarian Lodge. Golden color with an off white head that clings well to the glass. Heavy nutmeg aroma and flavor. The barrel aged version is definitely better than regular Pumking IMO. You can taste pumpkin and pumpkin seed praline quite predominantly. Dry finish. Good.