Engine 45
Mendocino Brewing Company

Engine 45Engine 45
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Mendocino Brewing Company
 
United States
Style:
Pumpkin Beer
ABV:
5%
Score:
80
Avg:
3.23 | pDev: 15.79%
Reviews:
7
Ratings:
13
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Mar 07, 2016
Added:
Jul 30, 2015
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  2
Engine 45 Pumpkin Ale is as true to Mendocino County as is the legendary Skunk Train and its annual Pumpkin Express! Our Pumpkin Ale is just as delicious as a slice of Pumpkin Pie. This deep dark amber beer is brewed with a variety of caramel and roasted malts to give it a strong malt body. Pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice combine perfectly to give the beer its characteristic refreshing Fall taste.
View: More Beers
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by chadski:
Photo of chadski
Rated by chadski from California

2.39/5  rDev -26%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Nov 29, 2015
More User Ratings:
Photo of StonedTrippin
Reviewed by StonedTrippin from Colorado

3.77/5  rDev +16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
oops. once in awhile a beer gets lost in the fridge, somehow forgotten about or not rotated correctly or just the time never came, but i find thing thing in the back of there here in the first week of march. my bad. doesnt seem to have hurt it any though, as it still tastes and feels really fresh, and the spice profile is awesome on it. its one of the odd beers that is both autumn spiced and also refreshing, and i attribute that to both the high carbonation and the relatively hoppy finish as the style goes. great look to it, deep copper color with a lively and easily agitated khaki head, fizzy and active. smells like cinnamon and honey, i get the other spices, but they are behind the cinnamon aromatically. plenty of hops in the flavor, coming on in the middle and amplifying through the finish. nutmeg creeps in too. very flavorful and quite a bit different than the norm for the style. one of the better mendocino beers i have had, and apparently not at all effected by the extended stay in the fridge. fun to have one of these out of season too. quality.
Mar 07, 2016
Photo of terence
Reviewed by terence from California

2.25/5  rDev -30.3%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.25 | overall: 2.25
It was a pretty basic pumpkin ale, but the mouth feel was very thin. It was slightly overly sweet, with mild cinnamon, and molasse tastes.

I don't think I would purchase again. There are better options available at a nominal price bump.
Dec 27, 2015
Photo of mactrail
Reviewed by mactrail from Washington

3.75/5  rDev +16.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25
Handsome coppery orange color with lots of foam and lacing in the big Tripel Karmeliet snifter. Sudsy and malty in the mouth. Medium body; it seems more substantial than the modest ABV would indicate.

Lots of malt an fairly sweet, but it does dry out for the finish. Some spicy notes, but quite restrained and certainly doesn't have that pumpkin pie taste. Some squash flavor and just a touch of caramel. The aftertaste is actually on the tart side, like there is something lemony in the mix. Altogether, it's quite drinkable. This might be the best beer I've ever had from Mendocino, a brewery I generally avoid.
Dec 21, 2015
 
Rated: 3.84 by Taphouse_Traveler from Florida

Nov 29, 2015
 
Rated: 3.06 by largadeer from California

Nov 26, 2015
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

3.57/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Lagunitas mason jar
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa (San Diego, Calif.)
Price: $1.25
Purchased: Oct. 15, 2015
Consumed: Oct. 28, 2015
Misc.: N/A

Poured an auburn, caramel, somewhat clear color with 1-to-2 fingers of khaki, fizzy, grey head, which dissipated rather quickly. Lots of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Poor foamy spots of lacing on the sides of the glass. Poor retention. (Sight - 3.25)

Smelled pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, molasses, red apple and caramel. (Smell - 3.75)

Taste wasn’t quite as good as the nose, but still decent. Got woody cinnamon stick, pumpkin spices, nutmeg, red apple, molasses and more cinnamon spice. (Taste - 3.50)

Medium body. Oily-to-creamy texture. Average carbonation. Wintry finish. (Feel - 3.75)

This wasn’t a bad beer at all, especially for the style. Good price too. I’d have it again for sure. (Overall - 3.50)

3.57 | 81 | B
Nov 05, 2015
 
Rated: 3.57 by frasergrove from California

Oct 24, 2015
Photo of Mitzvahman72
Reviewed by Mitzvahman72 from California

2.54/5  rDev -21.4%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
With a bold honey color, it has a combination of light, crisp malts and cereal with some squash and a lot of hops in the flavor. It has a great amount of ginger to make up for the lack of warm spices, but it’s too hoppy for the style. I would recommend the more balanced Pumpkin Down from Ballast Point Brewing Company over this.
Oct 23, 2015
Photo of UCLABrewN84
Reviewed by UCLABrewN84 from California

3.29/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Pours a hazy dark orange-brown with a foamy tan head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Foamy rings of lace line the glass on the drink down. Smell is of pumpkin pie spice, pie crust, and earth aromas. Taste is much the same with pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon stick, and earth flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is an above average beer that is drinkable, but nothing really stands out about it to me.

Serving type: bottle.
Oct 12, 2015
 
Rated: 3.38 by MattSlem from California

Oct 09, 2015
Photo of AGuyWhoBrokeBad
Reviewed by AGuyWhoBrokeBad from California

3.35/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25
L: A deep dark amber.
S: Smells of spices.
T: Definitely taste pumpkin.
F: About average. Medium carbonation.
O: Not bad, worth a shot if you have never tried it before.
Oct 09, 2015
 
Rated: 3.25 by retry4z from California

Oct 05, 2015
Engine 45 from Mendocino Brewing Company
Beer rating: 80 out of 100 with 13 ratings