Punkel
Lakewood Brewing Company

Poured into a glass from a can. Very dark dunkel look with a light punkin smell and taste

 

 

Pours a medium dark brown color with a minimal head that lasts quite a while. Aroma of fall spices and roasted malts. Taste is spicy cinnamon with a hint of vanilla sweetness. First fall beer of 2024/

 

 

Appearance: Deep but clear dark amber, with a modest white head, which soon collapses to a scattering of foam, and a ring about the glass wall. Before a strong light, there are ruby highlights, but little evidence of carbonation.

Aroma: Toasted dark malt and caramel dominate the aroma, as well as pumpkin pie spices, particularly nutmeg and cinnamon, there also seem to be cloves.

Taste: Begins with toasted malt, caramel, brown sugar and pumpkin pie spices, cinnamon and nutmeg being most notable. As the taste progresses, there is a strong undercurrent of toasted malt, very pleasant and balanced. Finishes with a mild and lingering note of toasted malt and pumpkin pie spices.

Mouth feel: Smooth and soft, quite pleasant.

Drinkability/notes: Pumpkin without the pumpkin, its overall awesome. I have nothing but praise for this unique example. Certainly this would be superb for a winter holiday dinner or a cold autumn day. It might present even better with a slightly higher ABV.

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce aluminum can, served in a La Fin du Monde tulip glass.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass

Appearance – The beer pours a deep and murky brownish color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head has a moderate level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a bit of lace on the sides of the glass.

Smell – The aroma of the brew is quite heavy of a spice and pumpkin. The spice is mainly of a nutmeg and cinnamon smell with a pumpkin being of a more roasted nature. Other aromas of caramel and molasses as well as some toasted malt and a bit of char are there as well giving a nice toasted pumpkin pie like smell to the brew.

Taste – The taste begins much less sweet then I was anticipating, but more roasty then I would have thought from the nose. The flavor begins with a toasted malt and lightly sweetened caramel and molasses taste. The spice is lighter upfront, getting stronger as the taste advances. The strongest of the spice is by far the nutmeg, but there is a decent showing of cinnamon and a bit of clove as well. Throughout the flavor there is a moderate to lighter pumpkin flavor as well which gets a bit stronger at the end. With the spice, pumpkin and sweet all ramping up, and the roast getting a bit weaker, one is left with a moderately spiced and sweeter toasted pumpkin taste to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is medium in thickness and creaminess with a carbonation level that is rather average. For the style and the tastes the feel was good and handled all the spice and pumpkin, all while keeping them from being all the overwhelming on the pallet.

Overall – A nice flavorful but still easy drinking dark pumpkin ale. Quite tasty!!

 

 

16oz on tap at the brewery taproom.
Dark brown with a thin beige head. Head quickly fades. Some lace.
Pumpkin spice - nutmeg, cinnamon, strong ginger. Brewed with no pumpkins. Pleasant aroma.
Pumpkin spice dominates over a lightly roasty malt base.
Thin to medium body. Slight sweetness but not anything overly so. Would like to try the base Dunkel beer but I don’t think that’s ever released that way.