Jumpin Jack India Pumpkin Ale
Tree Brewing Co.

Hops and pumpkin didn't really mix well, but had to try it anyway.

 

 

 

 

 

Jumpin Jack India Pumpkin Ale is a little too amber to be likened to an actual pumpkin - no squash I've ever held to the light reveals such striking blood orange highlights (nor this much transparency). It's a good-looking ale with a lean head reminiscent of thin ice that leaves a blast of snowy prints on the sides of the glass.

Not quite your conventional "pumpkin pie" brand of spices, this bouquet has the distinctly earthy, vegetal notes of green spice and pepper. And the presence of actual pumpkin flesh is far greater than normal - not a bad quality at all given the apparently ample use of sweet crystal and roasty dark malts. Don't despair, however, as notions of pie crust are still in good supply.

Living up to its name, this "India Pumpkin Ale" tastes of classic masala chai spices: green cardamon, cinnamon stick, grated ginger, ground clove, and maybe just a hint of vanilla pod. The hops (Perle, Golding, Tettnang) even provide an earthy bitterness that's not far off that of a black tea (and grassy, spicy-herbal flavours to boot). There's even a pumpkin seed note on the finish.

There is, however, more sweetness than spicy warmth; nougat-y malty flavours have the last word and wash away much (though not all) of those Indian spices and herbs from the palate. It grounds the beer within the realm of the ordinary, by which I mean it keeps things mild, conventional, and approachable enough for general consumers. Not a bad thing - it just is what it is.

Jumpin Jack is good enough to disappear in a flash. A Pumpkin Ale that exhibits a somewhat distinct spice profile yet leans overall on its herbal hops and sweet, heavy malts, this is an easy one to recommend to beginners as well as advanced craft drinkers. The concept definitely works. My compliments to Tree Brewing on another enjoyable, well-executed seasonal.

Bottle: Poured a clear amber color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of bitter hops with some caramel malt with some very distant notes of pumpkin pie. Taste is also dominated by bitter hops notes with some light sweet caramel malt notes. Body is lighter than expected with good carbonation. Spice notes are too subtle to really register and hops profile isn’t that interesting.

 

 

Tree Brewing 'Jumpin Jack India Pumpkin Ale' @ 6.5% , served from a 650 ml bottle which looks like the original Jumpin Jack PA which I thought was buying for $5.45

A-pour is amber from the bottle to a dark amber in the glass with a smallish off-whit head leaving a streaky lace along the pint

S-hops & pumpkin

T-kinda eww

MF-mild carbonation , medium body

Ov-no thanks , one & done

prost LampertLand

650 ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. Purchased from LCBO for about $7 CDN.

Appearance - cloudy, honey brown in color with and orange hue. 1.5 fingers of frothy white head with great retention. Off-white head leaves a swath of curtain lacing.

Smell - sweet tropical fruit, pineapple perhaps, faint hint of chocolate and only a whisper of pumpkin.

Taste- significant bitterness, starts citrusy, but turns earthy, pumpkin is in there but very subtlety. A bit of a white pepper finish as there's some heat on the tongue. Piney. Not what I was expecting out of a pumpkin ale.

Mouthfeel - lively carbonation, dry finish. Leaves tingling sensation on the tongue.

Overall - as an IPA, I like it, as a pumpkin ale, I think this misses the mark. Still a good beer and worth trying.

 

 

This is one of the most subtle pumpkin beers I've ever tried, which is a kind of welcome change from brews that think they need to beat you over the head with pumpkin pie spice. This one is more India Pale Ale than it is pumpkin beer - the pumpkin is present in the middle of a mouthful, offering some fruit and sweetness alongside malt. The dominant character of the beer is hoppy and nicely bitter to finish.

Good looking brew that is cedar red with a large handsome head that leaves a lot of lace. Nose is subtle, gently sweet and appetizing. A well made offering.

Appearance: light brown with a dash of red, has that Fall look, than head

Aroma: expected pumpkin spices, along with a dose of orange from citrus the hops; some candy sweetness

Taste & Mouthfeel: hops are right at the forefront, but a juiciness - again of orange - adds a nice sweet balance; the clove and cinnamon spice notes are consistently present and even a note of actual pumpkin breaks through (in my head at least); full body, almost a buttery feel; sweet caramel malts too

Overall: very well crafted, great balance of the pumpkin spice and hop flavours where once could have so easily overpowered the other; one of the best I've had of the style, maybe they all need more backbone like this brew

 

 

Jumpin Jack India Pumkin Ale, from the lcbo, 650 mL bottle. Pour is a medium darkish brown, very hazy with pretty impressive lacing.

S - notes of pumpkin, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon, also somewhat vegetal, some caramel maltiness, there is some grapefruit and florals in the back, bright lemon citrus shows up. An interesting dynamic, as it is definitely more pumpkin/spice/malt dominated, hops are there but they get a bit lost in the mix.

T - start is fresh and lively, florals, citrus, spiced lemon, spices of clove and ginger, then meaty pumpkin and earthy malts. Has a firm bitterness earthy and throughout, quite upfront and zesty with a chili or pepperiness, this lingers through the finish, where there is a residual maltiness and spicy hop bitterness. Transitions from a lovely bright hoppy start to more heavy spiced pumpkin gourdy-ness and more toasty malts, some of the citrus sticks around but mostly just in dry bitterness. Aftertaste is long and a bit on the malty side. As it warms it is increasingly hop forward, with grapefruit and slightly resiny spice notes coming forward.

M- good full feel to it, with an appropriate moderate carbonation. Quite a bit of tannic hop bitterness develops. Good feel all round, maybe if the finish were crisper and cleaner it could be improved.

Overall, I liked this but it felt a lot of the time like a tug of war between the pumpkin/spices and the hops. I appreciate the generous amount of pumpkin (and spices!) the brewers added here along side the considerable hop charge, and it does produce a drinkable and quite tasty ale. But I felt the balance never really came together, the flavour became too spiced and this was exacerbated by the hop bitterness. Decent, and could be quite a good base to improve on, I would have it again down the road to see if the fine-tune this.