Autumn Harvest Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Reuben's Brews

Golden amber body, large white head. Great aromas of the spices with pumpkin leading, toasty malts backing up. Taste adds some bitterness from hops and faint phenols, but honestly, I found the nose to be more pleasant and true to the style though less complex. Feel is medium-light bodied with plenty of spices, especially the sharper ones like clove.

Pint can dated 08.06.25. Pours a beautiful, brilliant orange, with a ton of white head. Some pumpkin and spice aroma. First sip brings forward more bitterness, like an imperial red ale. I'm not loving the pumpkin flavor here, nor the spice flavor. Both are present, but subdued -- which is not what I wanted from a 8.7% ABV imperial pumpkin harvest ale, at least not tonight. I'll have to revist the 4 pack with a fresh palate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clear golden orange brew with plenty of foam in the Kasteel chalice. It starts a little hot with a malty flavor and a hint of Mexican dark sugar candy. There is just a whiff of spice, to suggest they might have doctored it up, but squash can only take you so far around the flavor wheel. Restrained and just the slight dose of ginger and allspice that it needs, but you wouldn't say it was a spiced beer on the first sip.

Mildly sweet, with a touch of bitterness and a zingy mouthfeel, the balance is a nice surprise. A lingering aroma of pumpkin and pie. Overall this is a much better than average pumpkin brew. It's actually better by being so strong yet sippable. From the 22 oz bottle purchased at Haggen Market.

Crystal clear brownish-orange body topped with a thick, creamy off-white head. Nice earthy aroma; grainy and not too sweet; subtle classic pumpkin pie notes. Nice flavor combining light pumpkin flavors with cinnamon and allspice; cloves; brown sugar; some boozy notes; a tad phenolic. Medium-heavy body; a little coarse on the palate; warm; a bit sugary yet finishes with an alcohol dryness.

This beer looks great and tastes rather so-so. It's not as sweet or pie-like like many beers of this nature, and that is a nice thing. The alcohol presence could be tamed a bit, perhaps with a touch more malt backbone or pumpkin presence. That might result and a better overall balance. Still, this beer is pleasant enough to sip on a cold fall day.

After a couple of years with a lackluster selection of Pumpkin Beers in the Pacific Northwest, I found Reuben's Brews Autumn Harvest (Imperial Pumpkin Ale) early in the season at the great Belmont Station, and if it's a sign of brews to come this year we are lucky indeed!

As a rule, IPA's aren't usually my top pick, but this is one I would reach for. The pumpkin flavor is right there for your nose in the pint glass, and follows up pretty strongly mid-taste, holding hands with hops that are clear without too much bite. It's smooth as can be, and refreshingly drinkable - a little foamy pour will make it almost creamy!

8.7% is a lot of alcohol in this affordable 22oz, but I would have guessed 7 or below from the taste

Yesterday's NBS ended with me delving quite deeply into my remaining stash from Tavour. I parted company with them when their preferred shipper proved to be as flexible as an I-beam. They did not want to ship with anyone else & I was no longer interested in being held to the shipper's preferred hours. Oh well. In the interim, I have some beers to run through before closing the book entirely.

From the Bottle: "Imperial Pumpkin Ale"; "thanks! Thank you for choosing Reuben's! We hope you enjoy drinking this brew as much as we enjoyed creating it. Come visit our taproom to imbibe our tasty brews, meet our brewers and become a member of the Reuben's Brews family. [undersigned] Xxxx Xxxx"; "NOTES: Soft, rich malt provides a showcase for pumpkin, supported by a subtle nuttiness. Spice notes compliment the rich, pumpkin mouthfeel. Perfect for the cold, crisp [F]all days."; "22 IBU".

Well, I may be closing in on the waning days of Fall, but that has never stopped me from Pop!ping the cap on a new beer. I went with a moderate C-Line pour since it came in a bomber & I did not want/need a mess. An in-glass swirl raised just over a finger of foamy, rocky, tawny head with modest retention. Color was Amber to Deep Amber/Light Copper (SRM = > 9, < 13) with NE-quality clarity. Nose was not simply spicy as it also had a honey & bready/toasty quality. It reminded me of making cinnamon toast as a wee lad & drizzling it with local honey. It was a different era then as both sets of grandparents had lived through The Great Depression & they believed in both local produce as well as cooking from scratch. It was how I learned to cook even before HomeEc in high school. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not quite creamy, but on the approach. The only thing is, it was identified as an "Imperial Pumpkin Ale" & I would expect more at that point. I liked the way that it was not overpowering in terms of its spiciness, letting the malt have a chance to create a pleasant toastiness.

 

 

 

 

This one pours a clear light orange, very similar to most pumpkin ale appearances. There's a very small white head, and not much lacing.

The aroma has a build that is reminiscent of some of the best versions of this style- there's the full spice contingent, but they are well balanced, and not one of them stands out above the other. There's also vanilla and a bit of light sweet breadiness.

The taste is pretty similar. There's some great vanilla sweetness, with a nice breadiness. The spicing is subtle and well-balanced. I'm getting mostly tired of pumpkin beers lately, but this is refreshing. I don't get much pumpkin itself, other than maybe some earthy sweetness.

This is light bodied, with no hints of booziness, and a good level of drinkability. It's fairly clean for the style.

I feel like most people hate pumpkin beers these days. I'm one of the few left who still do, even though I am mostly tired of them. This is enough to remind me why it's still I occasionally enjoy.