Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale
Anheuser-Busch

Jack's Pumpkin Spice AleJack's Pumpkin Spice Ale
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From:
Anheuser-Busch
 
Missouri, United States
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
ABV:
5.5%
Score:
72
Avg:
3.1 | pDev: 18.06%
Reviews:
334
Ratings:
417
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 05, 2017
Added:
Oct 07, 2005
Wants:
  3
Gots:
  10
No description / notes.
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Ratings by BuckeyeNation:
Photo of BuckeyeNation
Reviewed by BuckeyeNation from Iowa

3.48/5  rDev +12.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Polished pumpkin with multiple bubbles streams leading up to a soft cap of lightly yellowed ivory. I've never been impressed with the heads on A-B beer. While this one is much better than their usual, it's nothing to write home about. A decent amount of smeary lace helps a little.

I was more impressed with the nose immediately after popping the cap than I am now that I'm actually smelling the beer in the glass. Where the hell did the spiced pumpkin go? While I could easily guess 'pumpkin ale' if blinded, there so little power that it's hard to identify any of the added spices on an individual basis. Note: warming opens things up a bit.

Jack's is much better on the palate. This isn't so much a pumpkin beer as a beer that happens to taste a little like pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. The underlying ale is the centerpiece and the added flavors are merely accoutrements. I prefer the wall-to-wall pumpkinness of a well-brewed pumpkin beer, but this is as valid a take on the style as any other.

I keep expecting gourd and spice to flood my mouth with each sip, but they prefer to flit around the periphery. To be fair, there's much more traditional pumpkin beer flavor on the finish. The base ale is a caramel malty affair that helps itself by not being overly sweet. The spice bill consists of nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and clove. Cinnamon and nutmeg might lead the way, although it's a fairly balanced mix overall.

The body/mouthfeel is on the light side of medium and would benefit from more malt. That said, it is modestly creamy and fills the mouth more than any A-B beer that I can remember, including Bare Knuckle Stout. The carbonation could be throttled back a tad, although it doesn't negatively impact the mouthfeel. Not much anyway.

Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale is far from the best pumpkin beer that I've ever had, but it is, by far, the best Anheuser-Busch beer that I've ever had. My previous 'favorite' from these guys was the aforementioned Bare Knuckle Stout. I'll probably never drink it again, but this is better than decent beer and is, I hope, a sign of better things to come from the macro of all macros.
Oct 25, 2006
More User Ratings:
Photo of rodbeermunch
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada

3.08/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3
Ah the ol' Jack's series of beers. They always used to show up at the shitty dive bar named Jack's. I wonder if this one is a fall season away from coming back as Shocktop Pumpkin or something similar. Anyways, golden pour, small white head that gets its ass beat and goes home. Aroma of pumpkin kind of.

The taste definitely drops those pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon feels on you. It definitely went for the pumpkin pie vibe. The mouth feel though makes it more challenging, instead of a lower amount of carbonation, this one goes to 11. Too spritzy, should have been significantly less in the carbonation department on this one. The pumpkin extract is probably the best thing about this beer. The base is underhopped and instead drops something excessively alpha acidicc, then the base of the beer is or might as well just be Bud Light wits excessive carbonation.

They tried.
Nov 05, 2017
Photo of poisoneddwarf
Reviewed by poisoneddwarf from Idaho

3.44/5  rDev +11%
look: 2.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.25
2009 backlog. 12 oz bottle. I’m comparing this to Blue Moon’s Harvest Pumpkin Ale, which I just drank. Here’s AB’s answer to that beer. Aroma is much better, more pumpkin pie-ish than Blue Moon’s. Appearance is much worse. It doesn’t have that nice amber hue that Blue Moon had. Also, very little head, and not as good lacing. Flavor is more like pumpkin pie, so it gets the upper hand there. Still a little watery. Overall, it surpasses Blue Moon’s, surprisingly. I wasn’t expecting that.
Jun 14, 2017
 
Rated: 2.67 by Beardo from Washington

May 02, 2015
Photo of ALC82
Rated by ALC82 from Iowa

2/5  rDev -35.5%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2
Remember as being very average
Apr 03, 2015
 
Rated: 2.88 by drbenderdo from Michigan

Feb 12, 2015
 
Rated: 2.32 by misternebbie from Pennsylvania

Nov 13, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by StrayteEDGE from Massachusetts

Sep 25, 2014
 
Rated: 2.52 by shoegueuze from California

Sep 24, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by Hellpop65 from Kansas

Aug 30, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Robyn from South Carolina

Aug 04, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Jack_Frost79 from Maryland

Jul 31, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by cmbeddoe7997 from Texas

Jun 04, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by wrightst from Maryland

Jun 02, 2014
 
Rated: 2.75 by Latarnik from New Jersey

May 25, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ShepardCommander from Virginia

Feb 01, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by LXIXME from New Mexico

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by spence524 from Texas

Nov 28, 2013
 
Rated: 2 by brandonld23 from Massachusetts

Nov 16, 2013
Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale from Anheuser-Busch
Beer rating: 72 out of 100 with 417 ratings