Ingelmunster Pumpkin
Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck N.V.

 

 

 

On draft at Khyber Pass in Philadelphia, PA. Consumed last night with notes taken.

A- Orange-amber brew into a tulip with a one-finger frothy white head. Decent retention eventually dying out almost completely to a tiny ring. Rare spots of lace.

S- Creamy pumpkin pie with both heavy vegetable-squash tones and the usual spiciness. Very earthy with notes of clove, cinnamon and a boat load of caramelized sugar; candi-sugars perhaps.

T- As in the nose it is packed with strength and brings a trifecta of creamy, earthy sugar pumpkins, medium-caramel candi sugars and spices. The Belgian yeast does come out to play a bit here with a fruitiness and spiciness added to the mix. Nutmeg, clove, slight cinnamon, vanilla bean sweets and heavily earthy-spicy in the flavor balance.

MF- Crisp and medium bodied with a carbonation level towards the high end. Spicy bitter finish.

I was immediately interested to see a Belgian Pumpkin Ale on-tap but for me it almost drowns out the yeast with spices and candi-sugar holding the reigns. A pretty good brew but the flavors clash a bit with each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Served from tap in a tumbler at Firkin.

Moving on to a new-to-me pumpkin beer, something I thought was becoming an increasingly endangered species (how wrong I was...). This stuff pours a clear honey topped by a finger of sandy white foam. The nose comprises hefty vanilla, clove, cinnamon, cheesecake crust, banana, and cream soda. Gotta say, this is one of the best-smelling beers I've ever experienced, pumpkin beer or otherwise. The taste brings in the usual pumpkin spices, some light dried honey, and a few vanilla beans tossed in for good measure. It's a bit of a let-down compared to the smell, but it's still pretty good. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a fluid feel. Overall, this is probably one of the best-kept secrets in the pumpkin beer world. Good times, indeed.

On-tap 11/12/2014 at Track 84, in Warwick, RI served in a snifter glass.

A: The beer is a bright amber color, with a short dense off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains caramelized malts, cream, mild spices, pumpkin and touches of Belgian yeast and hops.

T: The taste starts out very sweet with a strong whipped cream flavor followed by mild flavors of spice, caramel and pumpkin. Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty malt character and Belgian yeast. The hops presence is mild but complementary and brings some balance. The after-taste is very sweet.

M: Smooth and a little crisp, medium-to-heavy body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

O: Tasty if you like the sweetness, goes down ok, slightly filling, good kick, decent representation of style, not your typical Pumpkin beer nor is it a typical Belgian-style beer.

 

Imagine you are making a pumpkin pie. You get out that can of pumpkin ... but you add no sugar, no maple syrup, no sweetener of any sort. And no spices either. You'd have a straight pumpkin taste, but it wouldn't be like anything you're used to as a seasonal treat.

And that's what you get with this beer ... no sweetness to speak of, no spices, just pumpkin (well, it tastes more like squash, actually). And then you get that good Belgian yeast as well.

So how does it taste? Well.... it's interesting, that's what I'd say. A long slow sip of squash and yeast. It's kind of an ascetic treat, if that makes any sense. I respect the originality of the brewers for their puritanical approach, but I doubt I'll have it again.

It does raise the possibility of other vegetable beers along the same lines ... eggplant ale? carrot saison? parsnip stout? Probably not a big market.

 

Smells like a gourd. Tastes like cany corn!

Amazing on tap! None of the Pie Spice you get with so many pumpkin beers.
Tastes like pure squash beer. Brtilliant