Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale | Cigar City Brewing
Brewed by:
Cigar City Brewing
Florida, United States
cigarcitybrewing.com
Style: Pumpkin Ale
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 8.50%
Availability: Fall
Notes / Commercial Description:
Legend has it that when a pumpkin comes into the world it is possessed by either a good or an evil spirit. Ours got all the good baby! Bursting with real pumpkin flavor and yummy pumpkin spices including Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg, Good Gourd is a celebration of Fall and that spookiest of holidays, Halloween. Pair Good Gourd with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and costume parties.
35 IBU
Added by tpd975 on 01-03-2009
View: Beers | Place Reviews | Events
Ratings: 1,369 | Reviews: 212
3.75/5 rDev -11.3%
ygtbsm94, Apr 07, 2012
3.15/5 rDev -25.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours an orange-amber with a off-white head that has decent retention.
Aroma: Pumpkin nose with malt taking a background role. Hints of spicing; certainly not overdone.
Promising aroma is not followed by good taste. There is a nice bit of pumpkin/squash flavor, but it is surrounded by a rather unpleasant earthy gourd flavor.
Medium body with moderate carbonation
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look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Pours an orange-amber with a off-white head that has decent retention.
Aroma: Pumpkin nose with malt taking a background role. Hints of spicing; certainly not overdone.
Promising aroma is not followed by good taste. There is a nice bit of pumpkin/squash flavor, but it is surrounded by a rather unpleasant earthy gourd flavor.
Medium body with moderate carbonation
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4.25/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.25/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.5/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
4.17/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml bottle shared at a recent tasting. It poured a darker, amber orange color with a thin, sticky white head clinging to the edges of the glass. Nice color to it.
The aroma shows cinnamon, nutmeg and canned pumpkin. A malty sweetness helps cut through the spices smoothing it out. Nice aroma for the style.
The taste shows more of the cinnamon and nutmeg spices up front while more of the canned pumpkin flavors come out in the finish. A malty sweetness balances out all the spices in the finish very nicely.
The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall I thought it was a fantastic pumpkin beer. The spices weren't overdone and the sweetness definitely helped smooth them out even more. Very nice pumpkin pie like flavor to it overall. Definitely one of the best pumpkin beers I've had, but it doesn't quite beat out Pumking for me.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750ml bottle shared at a recent tasting. It poured a darker, amber orange color with a thin, sticky white head clinging to the edges of the glass. Nice color to it.
The aroma shows cinnamon, nutmeg and canned pumpkin. A malty sweetness helps cut through the spices smoothing it out. Nice aroma for the style.
The taste shows more of the cinnamon and nutmeg spices up front while more of the canned pumpkin flavors come out in the finish. A malty sweetness balances out all the spices in the finish very nicely.
The mouthfeel is medium bodied with carbonation being moderate. Overall I thought it was a fantastic pumpkin beer. The spices weren't overdone and the sweetness definitely helped smooth them out even more. Very nice pumpkin pie like flavor to it overall. Definitely one of the best pumpkin beers I've had, but it doesn't quite beat out Pumking for me.
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4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
orange tinted amber. This was very cloudy and hazy which kind of surprised me to be honest. A good two inch or more of white foamy lace formed as a head on top and actually had some really good retention
highly spiced but yet not overpowering as you see a lot with these pumpkins. nutmeg, and cinnamon and a good amount of fresh grass or even a tree like smell to it. Lots of spice running through it though and I could pick up even on some apple in there as well. I thought the aroma was very well put together overall. a nice grainy almost yeast like back to it which really served to lighten it up. This was followed by loads of fall spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, lots of spiced apple, just a good all around mix. There was a noticeable hoppy presence and this definitely could not be hidden. Great finish
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look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
orange tinted amber. This was very cloudy and hazy which kind of surprised me to be honest. A good two inch or more of white foamy lace formed as a head on top and actually had some really good retention
highly spiced but yet not overpowering as you see a lot with these pumpkins. nutmeg, and cinnamon and a good amount of fresh grass or even a tree like smell to it. Lots of spice running through it though and I could pick up even on some apple in there as well. I thought the aroma was very well put together overall. a nice grainy almost yeast like back to it which really served to lighten it up. This was followed by loads of fall spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, lots of spiced apple, just a good all around mix. There was a noticeable hoppy presence and this definitely could not be hidden. Great finish
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3.97/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Mike for this beer.
A: The pour is a dark amber color with some brown and copper hues in there as well. A short lived off-white head is there as well.
S: A nice blend of spices, but not overdone. I get some nutmeg, all spice, and a hint of cinnamon. Some pumpkin aroma, more than I usually get in pumpkin beers. Some light vanilla, too.
T: Fairly well balanced in terms of all the different flavors going on. The cinnamon flavor seems to be more pronounced with the other spices sort of falling into the background. A decent amount of sweetness, mild pumpkin, and a hint of bitterness.
M: The body is medium, as is the carbonation.
D: Pumpkin ales are sort of hard to do, since the spicing can really mess them up. I'm happy that CCB has managed to keep things within reason and make for an enjoyable beer.
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look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Mike for this beer.
A: The pour is a dark amber color with some brown and copper hues in there as well. A short lived off-white head is there as well.
S: A nice blend of spices, but not overdone. I get some nutmeg, all spice, and a hint of cinnamon. Some pumpkin aroma, more than I usually get in pumpkin beers. Some light vanilla, too.
T: Fairly well balanced in terms of all the different flavors going on. The cinnamon flavor seems to be more pronounced with the other spices sort of falling into the background. A decent amount of sweetness, mild pumpkin, and a hint of bitterness.
M: The body is medium, as is the carbonation.
D: Pumpkin ales are sort of hard to do, since the spicing can really mess them up. I'm happy that CCB has managed to keep things within reason and make for an enjoyable beer.
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4.31/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From 12/12/13 notes. Huge thanks to Nugganooch for sharing this one; I love pumpkin beers and tihs was a big Want of mine. 750ml bottle poured into my Cigar City tulip.
a - Pours a hazy reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and low carbonation evident. Lots of head retention and lacing on the glass.
s - Smells of pumpkin pie, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, toasted malts, bread, oats, cloves, gingerbread cookies, and sugar. Great nose, just like pumpkin pie.
t - Tastes of sweet pumpkin fillings, toasted malts, cinnamin, pumpkin, bread, oats, wheat, toasted malts, spice, nutmeg, cloves, and bready malts. Even better than the nose; I like it a lot.
m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Body is smooth and creamy, quite easy to drink. Doesn't feel 8.5% ABV.
o - Overall I liked this one a lot; while not my favorite pumpkin beer ever it is in the mix with the top ones out there for sure. Easy to drink and the taste was great, I think I like Schlafly's pumpkin ale the best, followed by Elysian The Great Pumpkin, this, Pumking, and Alewerks Pumpkin Ale all slightly under it. Well worth checking out if you like the style.
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look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
From 12/12/13 notes. Huge thanks to Nugganooch for sharing this one; I love pumpkin beers and tihs was a big Want of mine. 750ml bottle poured into my Cigar City tulip.
a - Pours a hazy reddish brown color with one inch of off white head and low carbonation evident. Lots of head retention and lacing on the glass.
s - Smells of pumpkin pie, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, toasted malts, bread, oats, cloves, gingerbread cookies, and sugar. Great nose, just like pumpkin pie.
t - Tastes of sweet pumpkin fillings, toasted malts, cinnamin, pumpkin, bread, oats, wheat, toasted malts, spice, nutmeg, cloves, and bready malts. Even better than the nose; I like it a lot.
m - Medium body and moderate carbonation. Body is smooth and creamy, quite easy to drink. Doesn't feel 8.5% ABV.
o - Overall I liked this one a lot; while not my favorite pumpkin beer ever it is in the mix with the top ones out there for sure. Easy to drink and the taste was great, I think I like Schlafly's pumpkin ale the best, followed by Elysian The Great Pumpkin, this, Pumking, and Alewerks Pumpkin Ale all slightly under it. Well worth checking out if you like the style.
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4.72/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A - Great looking pumpkin ale. Maple amber body. Yellowed-paper head has ok retention and nice lace.
S - Whoa. Outstanding nose. Fresh banana nut bread and carrot cake. Banana, walnuts, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar canned pumpkin, allspice, raisins.
T - Awesome flavor profile. This beer definitely lives up to the hype. Canned pumpkin, nutmeg, brown sugar, butterscotch, allspice, maple syrup, sweet molasses, cinnamon, graham cracker, vanilla. The only things missing are leaf piles and sweaters.
M - Thick, rich, smooth, and full bodied.
O - If you distilled fall, had your grandmother bake it into a pie, and then brewed a beer with it, this would be that beer.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A - Great looking pumpkin ale. Maple amber body. Yellowed-paper head has ok retention and nice lace.
S - Whoa. Outstanding nose. Fresh banana nut bread and carrot cake. Banana, walnuts, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar canned pumpkin, allspice, raisins.
T - Awesome flavor profile. This beer definitely lives up to the hype. Canned pumpkin, nutmeg, brown sugar, butterscotch, allspice, maple syrup, sweet molasses, cinnamon, graham cracker, vanilla. The only things missing are leaf piles and sweaters.
M - Thick, rich, smooth, and full bodied.
O - If you distilled fall, had your grandmother bake it into a pie, and then brewed a beer with it, this would be that beer.
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3.23/5 rDev -23.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25
4.25/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle shared by Chaney. Thank you Brandon.
The beer is copper to amber hued with a quarter inch of off white head. Crimson highlights in the body. The aroma brings cinnamon, pumpkin pie, pie filling, sugar, while cream. Sweet and spicy with a smooth malty body. A touch of alcohol warmth in the finish. Really solid. Splitting the bottle a few ways is probably best.
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look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bottle shared by Chaney. Thank you Brandon.
The beer is copper to amber hued with a quarter inch of off white head. Crimson highlights in the body. The aroma brings cinnamon, pumpkin pie, pie filling, sugar, while cream. Sweet and spicy with a smooth malty body. A touch of alcohol warmth in the finish. Really solid. Splitting the bottle a few ways is probably best.
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4.15/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 mL bottle poured into a goblet.
Appearance - Slightly hazy deep amber body. Not as dark as other pumpkin ales. A nice healthy head also distinguishes it from other pumpkins. And finally, it's got lacing! It looks like a real beer.
Smell - A great balance of pumpkin and spices. It's not dominated by spices, but they complement the pumpkin nicely. Nutmeg especially, I think.
Taste - Good pumpkin flavor up front, but the spices are less involved. The pumpkin flavor seems to fade and come back in the end. Maybe even a bit of earthiness with it at the end and possibly some bitterness.
Mouthfeel - Thick, but not as creamy as I'd like. I imagine a perfect pumpkin ale like drinking a pumpkin pie and it comes close, but just not quite creamy enough. Are my standards too high?
Overall - The best pumpkin ale I've had to date, but not perfect. The smell is wonderful but the taste is not quite as good.
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look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
750 mL bottle poured into a goblet.
Appearance - Slightly hazy deep amber body. Not as dark as other pumpkin ales. A nice healthy head also distinguishes it from other pumpkins. And finally, it's got lacing! It looks like a real beer.
Smell - A great balance of pumpkin and spices. It's not dominated by spices, but they complement the pumpkin nicely. Nutmeg especially, I think.
Taste - Good pumpkin flavor up front, but the spices are less involved. The pumpkin flavor seems to fade and come back in the end. Maybe even a bit of earthiness with it at the end and possibly some bitterness.
Mouthfeel - Thick, but not as creamy as I'd like. I imagine a perfect pumpkin ale like drinking a pumpkin pie and it comes close, but just not quite creamy enough. Are my standards too high?
Overall - The best pumpkin ale I've had to date, but not perfect. The smell is wonderful but the taste is not quite as good.
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Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Cigar City Brewing
4.23
out of 5
based on 1,369 ratings.