Punk N' Fest
Half Pints Brewing Company

Punk N' FestPunk N' Fest
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From:
Half Pints Brewing Company
 
Manitoba, Canada
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
87
Avg:
3.9 | pDev: 5.38%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
10
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jun 02, 2011
Added:
Dec 29, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
Brewed annually and released near Hallowe'en. Bottles are labeled with standard Oktoberfest labels. The caps differentiate this release from the normal Oktoberfest that has golden caps.

2010 - Red caps
2009 - Pumpkin Stickers on Gold Cap
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Photo of bylerteck
Reviewed by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

3.69/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Bottle from kjyost. Thanks! From notes.

A - Poured a dark brownish colour. A film of head was there. Bright. Weak retention and no lacing.

S - Total pumpkin pie. Not just the pumpkin element but the crust and spices too. Neat. Nutmeg is clearly there. Lot's of other sweet spice and strong malt too.

T - Lot's of the same. Fairly spicy but not that peppery sort so it smooths out. Pumpkin pie elements there again but spiced more instead of pumpkiny.

M - Good carbonation and a light to medium body. Sweet finish.

O/D - This was a good suprise. Not aggressively spiced. Smooth and very different. I liked it.
Jun 02, 2011
Photo of joemcgrath27
Reviewed by joemcgrath27 from Canada (AB)

4.36/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Big ups to my advocate in crime andrenaline for the hook up
A - very bubbly bronze, generous off white head retained endlessly, leaving a new lace ring after each sip
S - roasted pumpkin, cinnamon, toasty malt, and light leafy greens
T - pumpkin comes through sweet and rich, cinnamon and nutmeg, toasty malts with a leafy hop hint
M - medium/high carbonation kick with a bready and spicy finish
D - one of the better pumpkin offerings I've had, great use of the feature ingredient with a malt and hop balance
Nov 27, 2010
Photo of kjyost
Reviewed by kjyost from Canada (MB)

3.79/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Purchased at the release party Oct 30, 2010. Poured into a large wine glass.

A: Clear amber to brown with a light head that descends to nothing much too quick. A 3.0 might be generous here, but there is nothing offensive about the appearance, I just really want a beer that laces nicely.

S: A bit of bread but it is dominated by allspice and cloves, but lighter than I expected. This is a good thing though as it smells more like a beer than I expected.

T: A nice light level of spicing which is reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but a residual sweetness plays with it well, along with a light breadiness.

M/D: Nice, good carbonation and enjoyable, though not a beer I would be reaching for regularly. I just personally prefer unspiced beers.
Nov 01, 2010
Photo of wordemupg
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)

3.73/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
341ml bottle poured into pint glass oct29 2010

A reddish copper with enough carbonation to keep me from seeing if it's clear or not, the bubbles keep the foam intact for quite some time and left lots of lace patches

S not sure if I'm smelling pumpkin but I'm getting lots of the spices associated with it, nutmeg, cinnamon, all spice among others and a hint of vanilla

T as it smells but a little over spiced if anything, I think I taste some pumpkin not much though if any mostly spice

M medium bodied very well carbonated and some flavors linger

D would be great with some.... oh... I dunno pumpkin pie maybe, decent beer but the spices run away with it just a bit

I'd drink this again so that says something but I doubt I'll ever get the chance, so for now I'll have to thank Erika for this chance
Oct 30, 2010
Photo of andrenaline
Reviewed by andrenaline from Canada (ON)

3.97/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Yet another offering that was featured at the Half Pints tasting at Kawa and is typically unavailable in Calgary. Thanks to Dave for leaving some bottles behind at Kawa so that we could enjoy a full bottle of it!

A - Pours a clear copper colour with a reddish hue, thin layer of head with surprisingly decent retention, but leaving no real lacing.

S - The spices dominate the scent on this one with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and vanilla all contributing. Sweet pumpkin and caramel come through on the finish. Very appetizing.

T - Again, the spices take the dominant role with a bit of a peppery/earthy cinnamon coming through, followed by nutmeg and vanilla. The pumpkin also comes through nicely on the finish, complementing the spices.

M - Lighter feel to this one with nice light bubbles on the tongue, goes down smooth and finishes only a tad dry, but by no means a turn-off.

D - One of the better pumpkin ale offerings on the market. I really enjoyed the cinnamon and vanilla flavours on this one, and the pumpkin still had a nice presence, holding its own along-side the spices. Definitely a worthy offering to any pumpkin ale fan, and I'm very glad I was able to hoard a bottle to myself!
Oct 09, 2010
Photo of grub
Reviewed by grub from Canada (ON)

3.8/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Viggo brought this one over. thanks eric!

12oz bottle. 2009 vintage. sampled oct 2/2010.

pours crystal clear reddish orange with a big fluffy white head. the head drops fairly fast and leaves only a few spots of lace.

aroma is good. nutmeg. lighter clove and cinnamon. bit of ginger. light alcohol. whole wheat bread. touch of honey.

taste is nice. medium-low bitterness that feels more herbal and spicy than hoppy. ginger and nutmeg. lighter clove and cinnamon. slightly toasted multi-grain bread. bit of alcohol. light caramel character.

mouthfeel is good. medium body. medium carbonation level.

drinkability is pretty good. nicely balanced. spicing is prominent but not over the top. i'm not much for pumpkin ales, but this one is alright.
Oct 03, 2010
Photo of Viggo
Reviewed by Viggo from Canada (ON)

3.62/5  rDev -7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12 oz bottle, thanks to oakbluff for the hookup.

Pours a slightly cloudy dark amber/orange, soapy white head forms and settles down to a big bubbled ring around the glass, some sticky lace chunks hang around.

Smell is interesting, sweet and malting, some cinnamon and nutmeg, almost a sweet potato impression rather than pumpkin, candi sugar, a bit of ginger, caramel, a bit of biscuit, comes across very sweet.

Taste is nice, light and malty, caramel and some biscuit, brown sugar, cinnamon, candied ginger, a bit of nutmeg/allspice, a bit of clove. some honey, very interesting stuff.

Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium to high carbonation, a bit spritzy. Not bad, not a whole lot of pumpkin character besides a bit of spice. Thanks Scotty!!
Oct 03, 2010
Photo of Shadman
Reviewed by Shadman from Canada (AB)

3.96/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
Big thanks to Dave from Half-pints who smuggled me this baby during the "hat's second annual beerfest last nite.

Looks like another winner from the boys in the 'Peg. Bright amber copper gold ( i made that up), slightly hazy, with and impressive head and decent amounts of lacing.

Intial respose to the aroma was a meh(3), but as the brew warms a bit the character of the malts and sweet pumpkins spices make themselves more apparent.

Interesting. Subtle start, great rich finish. Start is quite bland, but just before you give up, the true character comes through. Toasted caramel malts and nice, but not overdone spice.

Smooth and creamy feel

Very good take on the style. Best to let this one warm for 5/8 minutes after taking it out of the fridge ( i am the worst for not doing that) as flavour and aroma improve exponentially.
Oct 03, 2010
Photo of oakbluff
Reviewed by oakbluff from Canada (MB)

4/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance- hazy chestnut brown with minimal head and lacing. Nose- nutmeg, allspice, cinammon. Taste- smooth bready/nutty malts and from the base Oktoberfest beer with a well done balance of pumpkin spicing. Level of spice is just right to come through but not become a distraction like some other pumpkin beers I've had. Body is just right and very drinkable for a spiced beer. Very well done.
Jan 03, 2010
Photo of eat
Reviewed by eat from Canada (QC)

4.04/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
I acquired this bottle as part of a lopsided trade with rudge75. I owe you one! This is a batch of the Oktoberfest brewed with pumpkin pie spices. Labeled as regular Oktoberfest and marked with a pumpkin sticker on the cap.

Pours a cloudy dark-copper with a thin covering of off-white head. Not much retention but there are some bits of lacing.

Awesome pumpkin pie smell. Lots of pumpkin, vanilla, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and whipped cream on the top. This smells like a real pumpkin pie.

The pumpkin pie spices are quite present. Obvious notes of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg deliciously match the caramel malt and a good dose of hoppy bitterness. Nice buttery pumpkin pie aftertaste. No alcohol presence. I'd like some more malt underneath to support the spices, but it's definitely tasty as is.

This one is a little thinner than I'd like. More malt along with a creamier body would really bump this one up. Medium-thin body with a low-moderate carbonation.

Very drinkable. I'd love to drink a bunch of these on a cool fall day. I haven't tried too many pumpkin beers but this my favorite so far.
Dec 29, 2009
Punk N' Fest from Half Pints Brewing Company
Beer rating: 87 out of 100 with 10 ratings