Basic Rebecca
Prairie Artisan Ales

 

 

 

Pumpkin beer review #200
12oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- pours thick jet black with zero head, looks syrupy

S- smells like a potpourri of fall spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, even a hot apple cider note. Oaky barrel undertones, along with chocolate, burnt brown sugar and a hint of vanilla

T- as with the aroma, the spices lead the flavor; heavy cinnamon and allspice, with undertones of nutmeg and clove. Mid-palate brings out some malty chocolate notes, with more cinnamon carrying through. The finish brings out just a hint of bourbon barrel that adds light vanilla and oak. Lingers of cinnamon and chocolate

M- medium body with low carbonation leads to a slightly foamy mouthfeel and a slightly syrupy finish

 

Pours black with a nicely dark head of foam. Aroma is bourbon with cinnamon and pumpkin. Taste is spices forward and not too sweet; largely cinnamon and allspice, with bourbon next. A nice beer for the fall, though a bit light on pumpkin.

Prairie Artisan Basic Rebecca BBA Imperial Pumpkin Stout, 13.6% ABV. Pours black with a 3/4 finger brown head, which is HUGE for a Prairie stout! Nose is pumpkin spice with ginger stealing the show. Taste follows, ginger forward, plus bourbon burn on the close. Slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Decent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. This is mostly a BBA ginger beer.

 

Bottled 8/22/22

I had the base beer of this one a while back and thought it was pretty good, so naturally I had to pick up this one up when I saw it. Sometimes these Prairie beers are hard to justify at the price point, but I’m fairly certain this one is a worthy gamble. Let’s get into it

Pours a very dark brown with 2 fingers of dark tan head that fades to a ring and leaves minimal lacing

The nose here is absolutely dominated by spice, maybe even a bit overpowering. I’m picking up on aromas of nutmeg, baked pumpkin, cinnamon, burnt sugar, cocoa powder, sweet bourbon, dark roast coffee, and light vanilla

It has more balance in taste, though it still relies heavily on the spices. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting pumpkin meat, cocoa powder, charred oak, nutmeg, vanilla, sweet bourbon, raisin, and light coffee. The swallow brings notes of earthy cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin meat, cocoa powder, burnt caramel, charred oak, raisin, sweet vanilla, and spicy bourbon

A medium full body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a boozy and sweet beer. Finishes very dry and thin with a boozy heat

This is quite good, but I’m not sure if it’s worth the price. Fun if you like pumpkin, but this one is intense with spice

 

 

 

2022 release. Poured from 12 oz. bottle into a Prairie stemless stout glass at 59°. It pours a dark mahogany color with a creamy, medium-mocha colored head and thin sheen of lacing. A really good nose with pumpkin pulp, allspice, nutmeg, a buttery malt, and whiffs of char and tobacco smoke. This stout does a great job of simulating a holiday pumpkin pie. You can tell there is real pumpkin in the boil, along with the nutmeg and allspice you'd expect. The malty backbone is reminiscent of a pie crust. At first I thought there may be diacetyl because it has a buttery quality - but I don't think so. There are hints of chocolate, caramel, and coffee. Although I know it's aged in bourbon barrels I haven't found any details online. In any event the barrel influence is subtle and adds to the flavor without distracting. The mouth feel isn't quite as thick and chewy as some of Prairie's other offerings but the 13.6% ABV is remarkably well hidden. Overall, Basic Rebecca is a very fine BA Pumpkin Stout. It improves as it warms and breathes in the glass.

 

 

 

First off I loved Basic Becky! This one smells similar but has a rye whiskey scent from the barrel. Pours dark as hell and a awesome cinnamon colored head. It's slap your face with cinnamon, then the basic becky flavor mix and finishing with rye whiskey. Is this heaven?! Pretty dam close! I would put this one even or maybe a hair higher than Saint Arnold Pumpkinator... yikes! And that is saying something. If you know than you know.

From the bottle at home on 11/12/22.

 

Viscous, jet-black pour from the 12oz bottle. Rum-like alcohol characteristics dominate along with the fall spices, pumpkin and clove. For a 14% abv, it isn't as hot as I expected.