Pumpkin Kerfuffle
Prairie Artisan Ales

 

 

yeah this is a kerfuffle alright. i think at this point its pretty safe to say the prairie i knew and loved that made cool saisons is never coming back, thats probably been true for awhile, but a beer like this has to be the final nail yeah? imperial sour with pumpkin pie spices and marshmallow flavoring, no real pumpkin i dont think, a weird one that fits the season and actually is better than it sounds, but come on, this is pretty ridiculous. lightly hazy pale rust color, orange tint i suppose, short white head from the tap, crazy nose. its sour enough to be mouthwateringly puckery, but it also has richness and sweetness with some grain weight, the obvious marshmallow which hits with white sugar and vanilla notes, and the pie spices taking it full fall, cinnamon and clove or nutmeg, maybe star anise, the mulling spice warmth to it, and even some alcohol peaking through, if it sounds like a lot, thats because it is a lot, sourness is clean but strong, and this is sharp at the same time its kind of decadent, weird, and i think immediately it could do without the marshmallow aspect just fine. the flavor comes in layers, which i think is for the best, it has flow, so like, you get each part in due course, first the pumpkin spices, which is an odd start but its effective, cinnamon and nutmeg to me, pretty bold, sets the tone, the the acid in the middle as an almost interrupt, and there is some appreciable malt character in play there too so some balance, finally the marshmallow, maybe lactose in here too, a concentrated confectionary vibe, so weird, carbonation helps, but actually its not bad, just not also that good either, but it does what it sets out to do, and like is so often the case with the new prairie, you dont have to want it to exist or even want to drink it to kind of like it and admire it in a begrudging way. oh, is that just me?!

 

 

 

 

"Oh you want to try a pumpkin beer?" Sure why not, it was a cool fall evening after all. Wait, it's a pumpkin candy sour? Oh dear. The murky dark yellow body with a white head was already making me regret this decision. But yet the smell is delightful the spices go so well with the sour pumpkin with a hint of citrus, vanilla, marshmallow, and malt. Seriously stunned. The taste however has a weird interaction after the usual pumpkin pie start with the sour tang smashing into the spices, resulting in bittering notes that are not pleasant, marshmallow attempts to round out but it is very sweet. Feel is indeed sour and spiced with residual sweetness, in this regard it works decently well. This one is all over the place, more interesting than good

12oz can poured into a goblet

A- pours a slightly hazy amber/orange with a one-finger foamy white head that reduces to a ring

S- tart lemon, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, creamy marshmallow. The combination is reminiscent of a sweet potato casserole, minus the tart lemon

T- slightly tart up front with notes of lemon, quickly followed by a sweet creamy marshmallow and vanilla note mid-palate. The finish brings out some spice notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and maybe some ginger. lingers of marshmallow, cinnamon and some lactic tartness

M- medium body with moderate carbonation leads to a foamy mouthfeel that turns slightly creamy into a tart finish

O- other than the sour lemon note, this one is pretty tasty.

 

 

 

 

Look – Burnt orange color with a murky body and less than a finger of white head

Aroma – Woah now. I know saying “liquid pumpkin pie” is cliché as all hell, but it does accurately sum up the aroma. Big pie crust, graham crackers, cinnamon, and a heaping help of vanilla/marshmallow. Quite decadent.

Taste – The taste though comes up as a perfectly good sour beer with pumpkin flavor, but sadly, all of those intoxicating aromas are just not here on the taste. Aside from a hint of cinnamon, the marshmallow and other pumpkin pie accoutrement are long gone. Again, still, it is a pretty damn good pumpkin sour beer.

Mouthfeel – Feels like a lighter sour ale and not an imperial 8.2% beer. At times it is almost refreshing.

Overall – A pumpkin sour ale is a first for me and it succeeds in that regard, but man I wish the pumpkin pie flavors were there on the taste.

 

 

Look: look like spiced apple cider
Smell: cinnamon, sweet,
Taste: starts like spiced apple cider, then some pumkin sneaks, a hint of spur and love the nutty and nutmeg flavor that shine on the finish!
Feel: medium body
Overall: wow! Very interesting! A really like this and I'm not a sour guy.

I am not usually a huge fan of this brewer's work, and this one hits somewhere in between. It gets to a place pumpkin brews don't usually go. A unique dry spice brew effect from a "sour" ale with so much sweetness the tart is completely gone.

It has a nice spice aroma and the aftertaste is great but overall, the brew is too much of a good thing. I wonder if they could have balanced something bitter (more hops or chocolate) with less spicy sweetness to let more of the sour shine through. What you get of it is nice, it's just too far below a pile of other tastes.

Recommended. Lots of pumpkins spice flavor. Not a bargain at $5/can.

This brewer simply does not disappoint...

..a lightly sweet and lightly sour beer, it quite possibly is the best sour I have had to date - and quite possibly ever even. This is one that I will keep in mind the next time I drink a sour and think, "Nah, no more for me." There are some sours out there I can stomach, and this is one of them.