Smoldering Pumpkin Ale
West Sixth Brewing Company

 

 

 

In the attempt to bring the savory and succulent flavor of classic barbecue to their pumpkin ale, the brewers at West Sixth reach out to the pit masters of the local and legendary Blue Door Smokehouse to add a degree to culinary art to their fall seasonal beer.

Amber, bronze and orange, the beer's hazy sheen plays against the glass to imulate the color and shade found in seasonal carving pumpkins. As a quick and cottony head builds, the foam soon succumbs to the spices and oils within. Its scent is laced with the classic pie spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove as its taste rolls onto the palate with caramel, graham cracker and seared butternut squash.

As the ale unfolds on the palate, its savory and succulent underpinnings are realized with the caramelized sugars, seemingly of brown sugar and light molasses. Softly bready and cake-like, notions of sweet potato pie rise up to frame the maltiness of the beer. But its the allspice culmination that drives the memory of grandma's pumpkin pie home.

The beer's finish is spice and brought to even greater life with the soft prickle of carbonation and the mild simmering warmth of alcohol. Medium-bodied and malty-dry in closure, the ale lingers with spice and caramelized decadence.