Chuckin' Pun'kin
Tun Tavern

I had this in the samplers at Tun Tavern 11/7/10. I think they amped up this version of Chuckin Punkin this year because its 7.7 alcohol. I can't believe the color of this beer for the way it tastes. It literally tastes like a top notch pumpkin beer but has a yellow color to it. I think I remember reading that it was a lager at the brewery beer sheet they had at every table. I like this almost as much as the Dogfish Head Punkin that I had this year. You don't even taste the alcohol you just taste pumpkin and a little bit of cinnamon nutmeg spice. But the pumpkin and vegetable flavor mix nicely. One of my favorites that I sampled there that day. Too bad its only a Fall seasonal... but a real good one every time Halloween come along.

The Tun has really been churning out a LOT of new brews lately, and this is the latest, a pumpkin lager brewed with 150 pounds of pumpkins that were prepared by the Tun's kitchen staff.

It pours a nice medium golden colour that is very crisp looking and is topped with a frothy white head that dissolves fairly quickly and leaves nary a trace of itself on the glass.

The aroma is a nice blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and other general spice, some true pumpkin notes definitely come through, along with a touch of caramel and even a slight hint of nuts.

The flavour continues with the overall theme of the aroma. Pumpkin comes through first, quickly followed by the nutmeg, cinnamon, etc, which blend subtlety but nicely. Any malt notes picked up in the aroma are faint and in the back of the flavour. There's a slight touch of floral hops that come through at the finish of each sip as well. The mouthfeel is light bodied and very refreshing.

This is yet another nice brew to come out of the new guy at the Tun. It is flavourful, balanced and just a nice easy drinking beer overall. It's more basic than a pumpkin ale, but just as nice. Recommended.