Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine
Almanac Beer Co.

 

 

Only bought a single bottle, which I aged for a few years. Not drinking one fresh was a mistake, as I'm not sure if the beer developed a tangy, sour flavor or if that was intentional. I did not enjoy this beer, but would try again if Almanac brought the recipe back.

375mL into a tulip. Pours a clear amber w/ a minimal head.

Aroma is earthy, malty and sweet. Pumpkin spices, nutmeg and clove.

Taste is a blend of malty sweetness and spice. Nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, liquid Red Hots.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slick. Goes down with a warming finish.

Overall a unique barleywine with the pumpkin and spice.

This was poured into a sample flared pilsener glass. There was a nice light half finger-ed white foamy head that dissipated within less than a minute leaving a slight lacing roaming here and there. The smell had an authentic bourbon to vanilla sweet and somewhat pie - like/crust to light bread and even biscuit - like to an extent. The taste was mainly sweet and bready toasty /biscuity - ness roaming across my tongue. Light vanilla to roasty sweet aftertaste leading to a sweet and dry finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a fairly decent sessionability about it. There’s a light sweet carbonation about it. Overall, definitely a pumpkin ale I could come back to with extra compliments to it.

Thanks to eyebereej for sending this! Reviewed from notes. Poured from a 375 mL bottle into a Russian River snifter glass.

A: Pours a hazy, pumpkin-pie-filling brown. A thin white head forms but quickly fades, and it has a good amount of large bubble visible carbonation.

S: Caramel and toffee malts. Nutmeg and cinnamon. Sweet and boozy and pumpkiny. A nice and complex aroma, though maybe not a personal favorite.

T: Toffee and sweet malts, pumpkin and brandy. The cinnamon and nutmeg mix with the booze and ethanol heat. There are some raisins and dark fruit as well as mild woody tannins. It finishes with sweet malts, alcohol and residual pumpkin.

M: Full-bodied with a sticky mouthfeel. The alcohol is obvious but never hits that excessive level. Fairly low carbonation sensation.

O: This had the hallmarks of everything I don't prefer in a beer, but I actually found it pretty pleasant to drink. Well-planned, well-executed. It's nothing that I'd choose to drink frequently, but definitely good if you're in the right mood.

 

 

 

 

2013 bottle. Ruddy amber brown in color. Clear in appearance. Earthy. Cinnamon, nutmeg and Brandy booze. Fairly dry. Not too sweet. Balanced but boozy. Holding up well. Pretty good.

 

 

Bottle to snifter.

Hazy orange pour with an eggshell white head. Lots of sediment floating around in the glass. This is my first go-round with Almanac so didn't know what to expect. I love all the thanksgiving day aroma here, but not getting the sweetness of a typical barleywine. The taste threw me for a loop. Tangy pumpkin up front with a sweet finish. Nutmeg and cinnamon are present the whole way through. At first the tart was off putting but it grew on me. Not sure if this was the intention of the brewer, but this is a nice change of pace for me.

 

 

 

 

Consumed 3/10/16

A: Medium amber with some dark copper and burnt orange - hazy, with some clarity around the edges - medium, light beige head, fades to a wispy cap, leaves some streaks of lacing

S: A lot of brandy, with some sharp grape, wood, and barrel - lots of heat, but it melds with the other flavors as this reaches room temperature - nice amount of pumpkin under the brandy, with pumpkin flesh and squash - pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice - big malt base, with some cooked malts, caramelized malts, caramel, molasses, and toffee - some sweetness

T: Pumpkin pie soaked in brandy - brandy flavors dominate, with wood and alcohol - malty, with cooked grains, cooked malts, caramelized malts, dark bread, toffee, molasses, straight-up caramel sweetness - nice amount of pumpkin, with some squashy pumpkin flesh, pumpkin pie filling, pumpkin pie spices - finishes with some earthiness and more heat

M: On the full side of medium, medium carbonation, smooth with some lingering alcohol heat

O: A pumpkin barleywine helps me cope with this lousy Smarch weather

I probably should have drank this in the fall. But today could pass for the late fall. Rainy, cold, ominous. This is truly a sipper. I should also note that this was borderline awful when I first poured it. But once it warmed up, it became good.

 

 

Poured ruby, brown, and cloudy with an off white head. Smells like tart pumpkin with notes of caramel and brandy. Has a nice boozy aroma. The taste follows the smell with the tart pumpkin and spices early and the caramel and brandy at the end with a nice sour bitter finish. Nice medium mouthfeel.

 

 

 

Purchased in the Fall of 2014 and in my cellar for a year.
A - Pours a dark orange/brown color with a small head that settles to a ring quickly.
S - The aroma is pumpkin with a hint of sour.
T - Flavor is very much like the nose. Nice pumpkin flavor with a tart finish. The alcohol is not noticeable.
M - Medium body and carbonation.
O - I really liked the idea of a boozy barrel aged pumpkin barleywine but what I got was more of a tart pumpkin ale. Not bad but I would not buy again. On the other hand, if you like sours this may be perfect for you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sour. This bottle was clearly infected. The beer behind the unwanted intrusion had potential, but I can't rate it on hopes. The bottle wasn't so far gone as to be undrinkable, but a sad fate for a beer I had high hopes for.

 

Drank from a 12.68 fl.oz. (375ml) bottle purchased at Royal Liquor, Encinitas, CA
Bottled Autumn 2014
Served in a snifter

Deep, dark, orangey-amber appearance. The liquid was capped by a finger tall crop of bubbly, khaki colored foam that left odd shaped droplets along the glass. The head quickly fell to a frothy, lasting ring of bubbles.

The aroma was interesting and rather surprising. It contained strong yet not overwhelming pumpkin pie spice notes. Nutmeg dominated. Some clove and allspice were also apparent. Touch of caramel malts and brown sugar-like sweetness. There was a bit of a vegetal quality as well. Some crisp, tart, lemony notes were detectable in the background. If I had to guess the base beer, I might say a saison but definitely not a barkeywine.

The flavor was malty and spicy but not quite as pumpkin ale-like as the nose. Pie spice notes were present but they seemed a bit muddled. Good amount of caramelized malts. Touch of brown sugar sweetness. Some vegetal notes appeared on the back end. The beer finished with lots of crisp, citric tartness. This reminded me a bit of a spiced wild ale. At 12% ABV, the alcohol was surprisingly nowhere to be found.

The mouthfeel creamy and soft and contained a finely beaded effervescence. In terms of body, however, the beer was disappointingly thin for the style.

Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine is a really interesting hybrid pumpkin beer. Aside from the lackluster mouthfeel, the steep price point and the fact that the barrels play absolutely no role in the flavor or aroma, this is still worth a try. Perhaps a fresher bottle would showcase more pumpkin and spice notes and less tartness.