Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

750 ml bottle, 2015 vintage. Served in a nonic pint glass, the beer pours a hazy orange/copper color with about an inch and a half frothy tan head that stuck around for a long time. There's a good amount of lacing. Lots of pumpkin spices in the aroma, the brew smells like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, and graham crackers. Very, very sweet smelling. The taste is sweet and spicy, too. The flavor is pretty much the same as the aroma, although I think it smells slightly better than it tastes. Mouthfeel/body is medium, it's a bit creamy and has a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a pretty good pumpkin ale, just like the other Flying Monkeys brews I've tried they certainly aren't subtle. If you like heavier spiced pumpkin beers, give this one a try!

At my lady Pamela's house; canned and chilled, 473mL in a pint glass. From the Huron Church Rd. LCBO in nearby Windsor. Canned August 14/25. My 20th beer from the Barrie, Ontario brewery, and 8th for 2025. Lovingly admired by Gracie the cat...

 

Made in my home town, eh.
Pours a thin tan foam head. Orange brown color. Smells very strongly of spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice.
Taste reminds me of whisky fireball or something like a spiced rum. Obviously not as strong as those but it got me thinking back to the days when I would drink crap like that. Maybe that's why it's a little bit of a turn off for me because I don't drink the hard stuff anymore, and overall I think it's over spiced. First couple of sips were OK, but then I didn't really want another cinnamon hit. With that being said I'll have to give this one a 2.5/5.

 

 

 

Best before 4/27/2028; consumed on 9/24/2024

Pours a murky mahogany hue capped with two fingers of sudsy, off-beige foam; great head retention leaves a modest layer of cap, a slight, frothy collar, and comprehensive webbing of chunky, soapy lacing around the walls of the glass.

Aromas of burnt pie crust mesh with baked pumpkin and supportive brown sugar accents as subtle vanillins, caramel, and notes of molasses shore up the back end of the bouquet.

Taste brings notes of burnt sugar and char upfront, with advancing pumpkin chunks and accents of toasted seeds expanding over the mid-palate as caramel esters linger through the finish.

Mouthfeel shows a medium body and a moderate-high, rounded fluff of carbonation before dispersing somewhat slick textures across choppy roast and a slight, building warmth over time.

Pumpkin pie essence sees prudent spice enmeshed in harsher char overtones; a robust take on a burlier seasonal expression.

My first beer from this company, and I gotta say I'm impressed.

Poured a hazy, deep amber. About an inch of head that reduced to a skim coat with nice staying power. Now, the label is crazy. The ABV is high. You expect a color commensurate with that level of intensity, and this fella delivers. Just the look of this rust colored beauty suggests I'm in for a ride.

The aroma is spice forward. Lots of big, bold cinnamon, followed by other baking spices. This doesn't smell like it has pumpkin, or even canned pumpkin - this smells like alcoholic pumpkin pie dialed up to 11. You smell the malts and some caramel, too. If my eyes were turned on, my nose is downright aroused.

The flavor largely follows the nose. Fair warning - their website says they "douse[ed] the brew with exotic warm spices," and they ain't lying. These are some big bold flavors. There's some mild bitterness on the finish which I can appreciate. Absent that, this would be a high ABV dessert beer. Slightly boozy aftertaste. Quite nice, but I still liked the smell more.

Mouthfeel is quite nice. Nice medium body, smooth,pretty creamy.

This is a great beer, but be aware that it has a backbone. Its easy drinking, and I could definitely put away a couple of these 473ml cans and be quite happy. Highly recommend!

The pour is a dark bronze color with a thick & frothy white head of foam. The taste is mainly spices & pumpkin in the background. The 10% abv feels more like a 8% abv beer. Cheers! B

 

Wow. My third Flying Monkeys taste is amazing!

I insisted on buying this just for the label. My sample is three months old. The brand is, what, 8 years old! And look at all the BA people who've been here.

This beauty pours a brownish orange with perfect head. The aroma is an amazing head of exotic smells. If there aren't wacky adjuncts in here they have synthesized new smells from thin air. It gets better as it warms, and because it isn't heavy feeling (but oh man, it is heavy), it's still easy drinking warmer. Who am I kidding? Easy drinking it is not - easy sipping.

Highly recommended. I love this Flying Monkey creation. Call me a big fan. My dealer, Save On in Mentor, seems to be getting a few Flying Monkeys so I will request more!

473 mL can
Served in an imperial nonic pint glass

This beer pours a murky rust color. It is topped with an inch of tan head that leaves nice lacing.

Pumpkin spices, pumpkin pie filling, and vanilla

The taste follows the smell. Pumpkin spices followed by a little pumpkin pie filling in the middle. And I get vanilla. Not sure if it is an actual ingredient or just perceived. It has a bit of a boozy aftertaste.

Medium, almost full bodied with a creamy mouthfeel

It is pretty good. The boozy aftertaste, which I am normally fond of, isn't hitting my sweet spot today. Easing back into drinking after a wild time last weekend. So, it comes down to my mindset.

 

Best by 9/6/27. Seems like an absurdly long shelf life for a Pumpkin Beer but sure

Pumpkin Beer season is in full swing; this my my third new one this week, and I've been revisiting old favorites along the way as well. This brewery I had never even heard of, but any pumpkin is fair game at this point so I went ahead and grabbed it. Let's see what this imperial version of the style is all about

Pours a muddy orange brown with 3 fingers of rocky light tan head that slowly fades to a cap and leaves decent lacing

The nose is definitely spice-driven, but there's still a nice malt sweetness behind it. I'm picking up on aromas of earthy cinnamon, nutmeg, brown bread, roasted pumpkin, light clove, apple skin, and a touch of caramel

Unfortunately it's a bit more abrasive in the spice realm in taste, knocking it down quite a bit. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting nutmeg, pumpkin meat, clove, allspice, graham cracker, and light caramel. The swallow brings notes of clove, earthy cinnamon, nutmeg, herbal hops, pumpkin meat, burnt caramel, and nutmeg

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a smooth and creamy beer. Finishes spicy and oddly herbal but it's still drinkable

This isn't the worst I've had of the style, but it just feels like overkill with those spices. Oh well

Pours a fairly clear dark amber color, ample foamy head. Big pumpkin spice aroma, cinnamon and cloves dominate. Flavor is aggressive pumpkin spice, very flavorful, with a sharp bitter hop finish. Creamy texture. Overall a very tasty imperial pumpkin ale, 10% abv is apparent.

10/5/22
16 oz can dated 8/18/22
4.25 rating