The Great’ER Pumpkin
Heavy Seas Beer

The Great’ER PumpkinThe Great’ER Pumpkin
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From:
Heavy Seas Beer
 
Maryland, United States
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
Ranked #65
ABV:
10%
Score:
88
Ranked #15,028
Avg:
3.91 | pDev: 12.79%
Reviews:
264
Ratings:
838
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 20, 2023
Added:
Jul 28, 2010
Wants:
  75
Gots:
  133
In the most worthy of pumpkin patches and during the silence of the midnight hour, the Greater Pumpkin raises up and pours a rich deep and burnished orange color. Heady aromas of bourbon, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and clove linger seductively over the thick white head of this tremendous brew. Its love at first sip as the full malt body, dominated by British crystal malt, brown sugar and pumpkin, slowly washes over your tongue. Bourbon barrel aging rounds out the flavors with notes of oak, vanilla, and bourbon. Pairs well with crisp autumn weather, crunchy fallen leaves, and the knowledge that your kids will be asleep soon so you can raid their Halloween candy bags.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by oline73:
Photo of oline73
Reviewed by oline73 from Maryland

2.92/5  rDev -25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Poured from a bottle into a goblet.

Appearance: Pours a clear orangish amber with a half finger of off white head and decent retention.

Smell: Pumpkin pie, spices and sweet malt with some brown sugar. Definitely the best part of this beer.

Taste: It kind of follows from the smell, but doesn't live up to it. There is pumpkin and pie spice, but it gets overshadowed by the bourbon and a huge anise presence. There is some bitterness, but the spice in the finish crushed everything.

Mouthfeel: Medium body and a bit syrupy. Tingly carbonation with a slick finish.

Overall: The aftertaste just killed this beer for me. It smells wonderful, but I found myself enjoying each sip a bit less than the last. Probably won't do this one again.
Sep 12, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of fuzzywarren
Reviewed by fuzzywarren from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +5.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Never been in love with the smell of pumpkin beers, a little too earthy but it tracks what it should be. Aroma changed as it warms, eventually reaches the bourbon. Taste is the best part - earthly pumpkin, smooth bourbon well spiced. Very enjoyable. One of the only pumpkin ales I like. And I really like it.
Dec 20, 2023
Photo of milkshakebeersucks
Reviewed by milkshakebeersucks from Maryland

4.09/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Translucent, deep amber body with an average size beige head and spotty lacing. Aroma of seasonal spices and bourbon. When I think of the smell of pumpkin, an earthy, spicy, slightly sweet scent comes to mind and that elevates the experience here. The taste develops along a more boozy level with the accompanying notes of oak and vanilla. Brown sugar is more assertive in the aftertaste. Bourbon makes a strong impression in the finish. Moderately carbonated, full bodied mouthfeel. Might not pair well with spaghetti but it does with turkey.
Nov 06, 2023
 
Rated: 3.99 by QuintusHorace from California

Oct 25, 2023
Photo of Nass
Reviewed by Nass from Florida

3.81/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
The pour is rust colored. The taste is bourbon, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, & ginger. The 10% abv is not as overpowering as I thought it would be, it drinks like a 7% beer. Overall, the barrel presence is definitely there but the beer could use some more pumpkin. Cheers! B
Oct 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by tpeters from Maryland

Oct 01, 2023
 
Rated: 4.08 by generalraider from New Jersey

Sep 20, 2023
Photo of EVH5150
Reviewed by EVH5150

3.54/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
This is an interesting one to me. Great nose but looks and mouthfeel are lacking a bit. The pumpkin, spices, cloves etc. are all here in spades but it has a strong alcohol taste on the finish that turned me off a bit. The barrel aging isnt super obvious to me either and the lingering alcohol overpowers the casks. Just an ok pumpkin ale for me. Not bad but not great.
Sep 18, 2023
 
Rated: 4.09 by Gmartin75 from Pennsylvania

Aug 07, 2023
Photo of Darkmagus82
Reviewed by Darkmagus82 from Texas

3.97/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a can into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a hazed dark orange color with a small head of white foam. The head fades rather fast, leaving a touch of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is strong of a roasted pumpkin smell mixed with nice notes of bourbon and wood. Along with these smells comes some burnt sugar and brown sugar as well as notes of a bready and doughy malt. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove are all there as well, with other woody aromas.
Taste – The taste begins with a heavy roasted pumpkin flavor with a decent showing of cinnamon and nutmeg, as well as a bit of clove. Some caramel, brown sugar, and light vanilla, along with some light woody and doughy flavors. As the taste advances some light bourbon hits the tongue, along with the development of a pumpkin seed flavor. THE booziness gets more pronounced toward the end, leaving one with a nice warming and moderately sweet and more heavily spiced pumpkin taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is slightly thicker and heavier, with a carbonation level that is rather average to lower. For the pumpkin and booziness the feel is great and makes for a nice slow sipper.
Overall – A rather nice pumpkin brew. A bit heavy on the spice, but overall rather flavorful.
Aug 04, 2023
Photo of GeorgianBayPackr
Reviewed by GeorgianBayPackr from Pennsylvania

3.01/5  rDev -23%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75
The taste is of burnt sugar, dry grass, and rubbing alcohol. I like pumpkin beers, this is not one of them. I tried to get through a six-pack over two or three sessions, but the last two from the pack were poured down the drain
Jun 08, 2023
Photo of dacrza1
Reviewed by dacrza1 from New Jersey

4.05/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
DATE: December 18, 2022... OCCASION: a whirlwind weekend of basketball, baking, cooking, shopping, and football watching ends with the last of the "Thanksgiving" haul... GLASSWARE: nondescript snifter... fizzes out of the bottle, devouring its own head to a flat surface and a white halo atop a copper amber body that is very much alive for a 10% ABV... intense aroma of cinnamon, cardamom, oregano, cherry, and boozy bourbon hints... sweet sugars and clove swirl in a worthwhile draw... its mouthfeel is dry, cider-like and warming... its finish is thicker, coating with a syrupy drip that stays long after its finish... plum, cinnamon, clove, whiskey barrel wood, clove, sweet cherries, apple, and vanilla are robust and arresting, shaking the teeth and sipping like a chill whiskey might... Heavy Seas is notorious for their heavy offerings, and this is another one that deserves a long, cold night of sipping--spicy, fruity, and evocative of bourbon--wins across the board...
Dec 19, 2022
 
Rated: 3.73 by Ristaccia from Nebraska

Dec 12, 2022
Photo of HoppingMadMonk
Reviewed by HoppingMadMonk from New Jersey

4/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Medium light carbonation with about a medium body.
Semi clear amber appearance.
Aroma is as if you could blend pumpkin pie with a shot of bourbon with a touch of extra spice.
Taste doesn't stray too far from the aroma. Pumpkin pie and a shot of bourbon in a positive way.
A very good pumpkin beer,far better than most
Dec 02, 2022
Photo of jjamadorphd
Reviewed by jjamadorphd from Florida

3.96/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
I like to taste a well balanced brew, this one, though good and enjoyable, was very much booze-forward in the nose and on the tongue. Otherwise, it’s a great entrant into the pumpkin beer class.
Oct 23, 2022
Photo of kalsarikannit
Reviewed by kalsarikannit from Massachusetts

4.12/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a bottle.

Appearance is cloudy, a dark burnt orange. Different from most pumpkin beers. No head to speak of.

Smell is surprisingly almost non-existent. Faint traces of spice and nutmeg, and that’s about it.

Feel is slightly acidic, feels a bit ‘bubbly’ even though there’s no noticeable carbonation. You can feel the carbonation more than see it.

Taste is much stronger than the light smell would suggest. Strong spice notes, a touch more than ideal. But excellent. Fairly complex spices, but more spice than pure pumpkin. The bourbon barrel aged notes are prominent, but not oppressive, lighter than many barrel-aged beers.

Overall, very good/excellent. Maybe not as fine of a pure pumpkin ale as Southern Tier Pumpking, and not as direct as Warlock. But it’s own excellent niche.
Oct 21, 2022
Photo of tone77
Reviewed by tone77 from Pennsylvania

3.77/5  rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a burnt orange color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is of fresh pumpkin pie. Taste is bourbon up front, pumpkin pie in the background, some alcohol is present. Feels medium/full bodied in the mouth and overall is an enjoyable beer.
Sep 29, 2022
 
Rated: 3.96 by BeerBeast from Florida

Sep 26, 2022
Photo of DistrictElite
Rated by DistrictElite from District of Columbia

3.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
It’s as described. Pumpkin, spice, and light bourbon from the cask. Very nice and easy to drink. Good fall beer. Just needs a fire pit.
Sep 26, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by kkazemi from North Carolina

Sep 25, 2022
The Great’ER Pumpkin from Heavy Seas Beer
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 838 ratings