Ichabod Pumpkin Ale (2012)

The running joke around the brewery is as follows: During my interview I was confronted by Jason for describing Ichabod being reminiscent of acorns (see post). It wasn't disastrous, as I got the job, but throughout the brewery, I'm still asked: "When are you picking the acorns?" "You must be on the good side of someone high up to be the one to pick the acorns this year." "Tim! Where are the fucking acorns?" Etc...
Without further adieu, here is 2012 Ichabod, of which I brewed, with more pumpkin than last year, and extra acorns. Enjoy!
5.2% ABV

Appearance: The pour emitted a rich frothy looking texture to eventually produce a nice cream colored head with intermittently present soapy bubbles amongst a densely packed foam ring. Lacing is entire in places, while speckled and wet in others. The beer is ambered with a festive orange tint. Carbonation persists throughout rising in a chaotic, non-uniform manner.
Aroma: I think the increase in pumpkin did this beer a favor, from the last time I encountered it. The blend of spices are balanced, with nutmeg still coming out slightly ahead of the rest. Hints of brown sugar and a mild caramel sweetness are noticeable, while a nice woodsy character rounds out the finish, complimented by the ever prominent and evenly incorporated spice mix.
Taste: Not very much sweetness is apparent in the forefront of the beer, but instead it makes its presence near the middle on into the end. Descriptively reminiscent of brown sugar, caramel malt and even some honey (pumpkin is an obvious flavor here too) - all of which balance the spices and complexities that occur on either side. I find more cinnamon in the flavor, as opposed to the nutmeg that was more prominent in the aroma. The end of the beer is induced with a faint citrus dryness from the hops, which is nice to see against the backdrop of the medley of ingredients that made this beer. As the beer warms, some drying toasted malt emerges in the end.

Mouthfeel: Light body with a frothy smooth mouthfeel that texturizes over the palate, especially in the front of the beer, which explains why the sweetness was withheld initially in the flavor. The carbonation is high, but not separated from the beer. It froths up immediately, and persists as it goes down the throat, encouraging a refreshing bite. The finish is quite dry and crisp.
Overall Impression: Well, I cannot say how much I like this, because I do, however biased my opinion may be. It may mean very little to you, but the quality and care that went into this beer was impeccable. I know of breweries that short-step the addition of pumpkin, up the caramel/biscuit and add flavorings and spices. But to take it from me, we went all out, no matter how much of a pain the pumpkin additions were, a pumpkin beer needs its pumpkin. 
Enjoy the acorns!