Pumpelstiltskin
Three Barrel Brewing Co.

The pour (shared a 12oz can) left basically no head which was a disappointment, but the color is dark amber to brown, with a slight haze.

The smell is strong of pumpkin and ale with some spices in the background. Smells appealing and nice for the winter season. Definitely a lot of yest coming through as it warms up, smell is less appealing than the flavor.

Taste is quite nuanced with some fresh pumpking backed bu a lot of fermentation character and the pumpkin pie spice shines with some subtlety on the back.

Feel is a bit thick and funky for the style but it goes down pretty nicely. Nice and smooth as you drink.

Overall pumpkin ales arent my favorite in the world but you can taste the quality and fresh ingredients, and it is a nice change of pace for the holidays.

these specific ratings dont really do justice to the beer, like on the measures, it doesnt really score that well, but its an awesome beer and i really liked it, if that makes sense. its rare that these measures done really cover it, but in this case, they dont. its not great as a saison, its not wheaty or rustic on the grain front, and the yeast is nothing special. similarly, its not particularly well carbonated or dry, and in that context, its off a bit. that said, the beer is awesome, a pumpkin beer quite different from what else is out there. its well spiced, notes of raw cacao, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon in here, maple and molasses sweetness with the grain, a roasted element to the squash, real pumpkin for sure, and then something slightly tannic or astringent, maybe from the grain, but maybe from the yeast too, not quite tart but a little sharp to finish. it hides its strength extremely well and drinks easy even without the carbonation i missed at first. layers of flavor keep coming, dried apple, brown sugar, allspice, pepper, black tea, its really pretty complex and delicious. in a world where more and more of these are starting to taste the same every year, i really appreciated this being as weirdly different as it is, even if its not technically great for a saison. well worth a try!