Pumpkin Ale
Fegley's Bethlehem Brew Works

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large format 750 C&C bottle, ABV is listed as 4.7% ABV.

Pours a clear golden orange with a decent white head that slowly recedes to a thin, lasting cap. Some mild lacing sticks to the glass.

Aromas begin like your typical pumpkin ale with toasted breadiness, light starchiness and traditional fall spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of clove. Smells like a lightly spiced pumpkin pie, nothing crazy but nice.

The tastes begin with fresh pumpkin pie with light to moderate traditional festive spices. The pumpkin fleshiness and toasted/bready malt continues to stand out above the spices, which is a great testament to the brewery and often a huge failure for some pumpkin beers. There is a touch of brown sugar sweetness at the start which gives it a likeness to caramelized sugar in a pumpkin pie. I am impressed with how much flavor was packed into this low ABV offering.

The mouthfeel is medium-light bodied with medium carbonation. Usually beers of this low ABV are watery and thin but this does a nice job of avoiding that problem. Finish is mildly sweet and spicy; neither stands out and each work well with one another.

Overall, while not the best I've had of the style, it's a very solid pumpkin ale. Having previously sampled their Devious Imperial Pumpkin version and being overwhelmed with alcohol and spices in that beer, I was skeptical to try this. A friend gave it to me as a gift so I said why not and I was pleasantly surprised and will most likely revisit next year because of the substantial flavor at such a low ABV; one of the best sessionable Pumpkin ales out there for my money.