Pumpkin Ale
Magnotta Brewery

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Aug 16 2023 and served slightly chilled. I have a sneaking suspicion that this might be re-labelled Highballer (Grand River's pumpkin beer) - knowing that Magnotta bought GRB out a few years ago, and that Highballer was an excellent pumpkin ale, they'd be fools to let that recipe go to waste.

Pours a slightly hazy copper-amber colour, topped with one finger of tight, creamy, pale beige-tinted head that fizzles within two minutes or so. A tight collar of frothy suds sticks around, with a few swirls of the glass producing some blotchy lace; looks normal for the style. Spicy aromas - I'm detecting nutmeg, allspice, ginger and a touch of cinnamon, with suggestions of brown sugar, pumpkin pie filling and graham cracker crust.

It tastes of pie crust, brown sugar and pumpkin pie filling, with cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness coming through clearly. Hints of allspice, ginger and orange peel as well, finishing with more pumpkin spice and a root beer-like sweetness that fades into a malty aftertaste. Light in body, with moderate carbonation that softly agitates the palate; a little on the thin side, but quite crushable for a spiced ale.

Final Grade: 3.89, a B+. Having now tried Magnotta Pumpkin Ale, I suspect that it's basically just Highballer, but with some minor adjustments - possibly deliberate, but equally likely to be unintentional. When one brewery buys out another, they may gain the recipes of the latter, but that doesn't mean that they can reproduce them with total fidelity. It has been at least ten years since I first tried Highballer, and my tastes have drifted extensively over the last decade - so perhaps it's a mostly-faithful recreation, or maybe I'm way off base and it's a different product entirely. Who knows? Either way, I think it's an above average pumpkin ale that balances its spices and malts rather well. Worth a try next fall.