Pumpkin Ale

Thanks to Joshua Schipp for saving me one of these beers the other night and bringing it back to the house. I remember the first time I tried this beer was back in the summer of 2010 when I was working for the Cleaning crew at Augustana and I found a whole six pack left over in the fridge in one of the houses. Unfortunately I never got around to reviewing it. Luckily now, I have the chance.

Appearance: Coppered gold with a oranged hue...really looking like a true pumpkin ale! There isn't very much of a head aside for a minor accumulation of bubbles on one side of the glass. I'm guessing this is because of the natural oils in the pumpkin. Carbonation seems to be very strong with persistently rising bubbles.
Aroma: Earthy and choked full of pumpkin that even borders on a cucumber/squash-like scent. Herbal, complemented with notes of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste: More on the gourd side of a pumpkin beer. It leaves out a lot of the sweetness that I normally would like to see in these beers, especially the brown sugar complement. The spices revolve around nutmeg and ginger (the cinnamon seems to be absent in the taste). A bit of a peppery taste rounds out the finish. Otherwise, there really isn't much complexity to this beer.
Mouthfeel: Very light feeling, with a bot of an oily feel on the lips. High carbonation spikes the entire tongue on its way down. Palate is left dry.
Overall Impression: Flavor is a bit unimpressive. It tastes like I'm drinking a gourd smoothy (though without the body and debris). Spiced finish, but luckily not overdone.


70/100