Friday, August 19, 2011

Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Thanks to Jaron and Louis for giving me this beer a couple days ago. Tasted it Friday morning after a brief 11 miler with some 44th street hill repeats. Apologies for the slack on posting, but work has consumed me with 28hrs in the last 2 days...
Appearance: Bright and clear with a rich red coloring to it. Minimal head except for the off white foam ring that settles around the glass. Interspersed carbonation rises from the depths. A beautiful looking beer!
Aroma: Full of earthy squash and autumnal spices at the front. Toasted malt and ginger/cinnamon stand out.
Taste: My first impression was there was a lot more fruit flavoring in the beer than other pumpkin ales. No brown sugar. Then, as my palate adjusted, more of a gingerbread and biscuit malt barley arose to capture the malt bill. Still fruit remained prominent. Spices weren’t overly done but still a noticeable cinnamon, cardamon and ginger were present, yet perfectly incorporated to play on the initial malt sweetness. The finish is bubbly and clean without much of an aftertaste aside for an undertoned earthy sweetness from the pumpkin.
Mouthfeel: Lighter to medium body with a nice carbonation that hits the back of the throat. The texture makes for a very refreshing and crisp autumn ale.
Overall Impression: Really something to look for, or at least I will be. I think this is the perfect beer to start off the fall season due to its light balanced complexities, yet boasting the earthy pumpkin with nothing over done. Fantastic!
90/100

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