Pumpkin Ale
Maumee Bay Brewing Company

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From:
Maumee Bay Brewing Company
 
Ohio, United States
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
ABV:
5.2%
Score:
90
Avg:
4.14 | pDev: 8.45%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
11
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Oct 20, 2015
Added:
Oct 30, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
Made with locally grown white pie pumpkins, sugar pumpkins, and Hubbard Squash. Our brewers cut the pumpkins, sprinkle them with brown sugar (and love) and bake them in our brick oven. The care taken in the brewing process is what helps make this orange-hued beauty a seasonal favorite. It has a nice malt-backbone from the English base malt with the addition of aromatic and chocolate malts, we add nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon,and pie spices …basically everything needed to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Amberluvsbeer:
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Rated by Amberluvsbeer from Ohio

3.75/5  rDev -9.4%

Oct 01, 2013
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.07 by osickeym from Ohio

Oct 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4 by leprechaunandfatman from Ohio

Oct 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by meetyouoverboard from Ohio

May 14, 2013
 
Rated: 4 by brealbg from Ohio

Nov 30, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by nitter from Ohio

Nov 20, 2012
 
Rated: 4 by cynical1027 from Ohio

Feb 21, 2012
 
Rated: 5 by tat2dhllblly from Ohio

Nov 15, 2011
Photo of Brenden
Reviewed by Brenden from Ohio

3.69/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
This one was good enough to enjoy at home, so I took a growler. interestingly, while all other MBBC brews are affected by the lack of sealing in the carbonation and head formation, this one (which had little to speak of to begin with, but some) was unaffected. Since nothing at all changed, the review is the same.

The color is a very nice coppery orange color with complete clarity. If anything I'd say a bit thin-looking, but I hope otherwise. A layer of head that dissipates to a rim of thin foam is all I get right off the bat and spots of lacing are left on the glass. This isn't a very good appearance. Fortunately, this is a good brew and that's by far the worst of it.
On the nose nutmeg and cinnamon really blend nicely with the pumpkin and shine. A bit of brown sugar comes off as well, backed by a respectable balance of hops and malts.
This one's really just a nicely balanced ale, mostly like an amber ale in being light and focusing on the malts but maintaining a hops presence for balance. This beer finds the balance in a style for which brewers are dangerously tempted to overly spice and/or overly sweeten. The brown sugar put in with the pumpkins during their time in the brick ovens and then sprinkled in later is used moderately, so this avoids the overly sugary tendencies of some. The spices are also used moderately. I'd put the flavor at a 4 if I could get a bit more of the hops and malts along with the rest and if I wasn't contending with a light but mildly annoying zest of some kind. It's certainly enjoyable, however.
The body's light and a bit thin, but not terribly. There's a touch of smoothness after a bit of crispness up front. The finish is semi-dry.
This is a good one, but it doesn't touch the big boys. It's certainly a good effort from Maumee Bay, but i wouldn't mind if they touched it up to put in in a higher league.
Nov 11, 2010
Photo of Gaisgeil
Reviewed by Gaisgeil from Michigan

4.27/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
I was skeptical about this one going into it, I've found that most pumpkin ales that are as clear as this one for whatever reason just don't seem to cut it, but this one proved itself as a real solid example of this very cool seasonal style.

Pours a bright amber/orange very clear and pristine; jewel-like with lots of carbonation immediatly apparent. Very little head to speak of and a small amount of lacing. Appealing. Nose is spicy, nutmeg, cinnamon and pumpkin spice, a certain earthiness as well. Taste is quite good indeed, much more actual pumpkin flavor than most with the spice present but taking a backseat to the actual pumpkin flavor. The taste linger on the palate for a very long time totally dominating the taste buds, very nice. Mouthfeel is spot on with good body, a bit too much carbonation bite in the initial sip however.

A very solid offering, and distinctive from a brewery than tends toward the middle of the road stylistically. Competes well with DFH Punkin' but doesn't quite match up to Kuhnhenn All Hallows.

Slàinte!
Nov 19, 2005
Photo of Ellbert
Reviewed by Ellbert from Ohio

4.26/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 5
Appearance: Golden/Orange/Copper color. Atop sits a white head that decides this isn't the place for him and splits. However, he leaves a little of himself behind with a decent lace that lets you know... Yes, this is a beer.

Smell: Sweet pumpking with his friends nutmeg and cinnamon dominate the aroma. Maltiness gives this brew a backbone in the smell. Hops are non-existant which is fine in this kind of brew.

Taste: Pumpkin and spices hit you upfront with the malt following right behind. Hops leave a spiciness but do not seem to give you much flavor. The malt, spices, and pumpkin impart a very nice sweet flavor and the hops balance it beautifully with some spiciness. The after taste lingers just like the beer is still in your mouth.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied beer. This is just about right for this brew. A fairly meaty texture makes this a wonderful beer to be able to sit for long hours drining by the fireplace.

Drinkability: This is so drinkable I could drink it forever and a day.

Maumee Bay Brewing Company has it's ups and downs with beer but I think they make their Holiday/Spiced beers so well. They can compete with the likes of Dog Fish Head Punkin Ale and Sam Adams Old Fezziwig and the like.
Oct 30, 2005
Pumpkin Ale from Maumee Bay Brewing Company
Beer rating: 90 out of 100 with 11 ratings