Emma's Pumpkin Saison Ale
Trinity Brewing Company

Trinity Brewing Co. "Emma's Pumpkin Citrouille Saison"
12.7 fl. oz. brown glass bottle without production codes or freshness dating
$9.99 @ DeCicco & Sons, Brewster, NY

Notes via stream of consciousness: It's poured a very hazy chestnut brown body beneath a short head of creamy off-white foam. Perhaps the haze is my fault as I should have let the bottle sit for a while to allow everything to sediment out, and then NOT have jostled it so much. The head retention could be better though. In the nose it's spicy (cardamom, cinnamon), malty, caramelish, sugary, and herbal. It's interesting, an unusual. The flavor follows with more complexity. The label lists Brettanyomyces and you can find that once you know it's there, giving a light acidity and notes of leather, wet straw, and something a little 'metalic'. The spices are more complex as well and clove comes through clearly, as does some pepper (which might be from the yeast), and nutmeg. There's obviously some cumin in there as well giving it a warm earthiness but it doesn't particularly stand out as cumin, it's just supporting. The malt isn't too carmelish, and it acts as a great base for the spices, just enough to balance them. This is a complex beer! In the mouth it's medium-full in body and gently crisp. How strong is this? 9.5% abv? I certainly don't get the alcohol unless it's adding something to the spiciness which helps to balance it as there's not a whole lot of bitterness there. And it is nicely balanced by the way, it's neither too malty nor too spicy and yet there is some sweetness to it which is nice; that livens the spices. So, overall, this is a very nice sipper of a beer, although I've blown through it fairly quickly, and without doubt it's one of my favorite pumpkin/spiced beers. I just wish that the head retention and lacing had been a little better.
Review# 6,224

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Earthy pumpkin flavor with notes of brown sugar brulee

 

one weird beer right here. almost looking more like a quad than a pumpkin beer, super dark and thick, with a lasting off white head in a goblet from the tap. the nose is unique too, i get as much indian cuisine as i do fall spices. cardamom seems robust, mace is there too, and then the funk. i dont get much squash in the taste either, which is kind of a bummer, was hoping for more there from this fall release. i do get lots of brett and even some lacto weird acidity in the finish, and a saison yeast that seems overwhelmed. i liked this better from the tap than the bottle though, and better this year than in years past, i just want more pumpkin. i think its a far cry from the emmas coffin they used to make, but still a very clever beer that drinks heavy and warms me up even though its lacking on the pumpkin. well spiced and cleverly fermented. overpriced but everything from trinity is.