Breakside Pumpkin Bière De Garde (2012)
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

On tap at the NE Dekum pub since late October, we filled a growler for Halloween activities last week and got another earlier this week. I pondered adding this as a 'pumpkin ale', but it is much more a BdG in nature, with chunked/roasted pumpkin among other seasonings in this unusual beer. I poured the second growler last night to pint glasses (paired with a dinner of pumpkin shepherd's pie) as we watched election returns at home.

From Breakside's blog:
"Our version of [Bière De Garde] uses the Thiriez yeast, flaked oats and malted wheat to produce an amberish beer with a lot of residual body and a strong yeast profile. As for pumpkin, we cut, clean, roast and skin the pumpkin in our kitchen at the brewpub and then add it to the fermentor, where the wort sits in direct contact with the pumpkin during fermentation. Each year, we rotate the spice profile on this beer, and we try and steer away from doing anything that resembles pumpkin pie or other stereotypical pumpkin beer spices. This year, we’ve spiced the beer with candy cap mushrooms, fresh ginger, and Jacobsen sea salt."

A: Lightly foggy amber-butterscotch, hints of rosiness. The 'best' pour only musters a 1/2 finger of ivory foam, one that fades pretty quickly. A wispy ring and smattering of lace specks are left behind. Modest carbonation, a few wriggling strands.

S: What an interesting scent: a fruity (apple/pear) bouquet with ground spice, something like brown sugar and raw nutmeg - but not really. Let's say 'mincemeat' - as there's some raisin and a curious woodiness, too. And maple. All those descriptors make it sound exceeding sweet - but it's not. Weird.

T: Quite earthy, a rooty and pulpy mash-up of malty breads, toasted nuts, peppery and tea-like spices and grassy dryness. Perhaps most unusual is the flavor imparted by the candy cap mushrooms: there's a meaty/umami savoriness mixed with an undeniable maple syrup/molasses sugariness. Nothing overwhelming, just a multi-layered (and gradually tastier) mouthful.

M: Starchiness gets a little too gummy at times, but that zesty spice keeps the mouthfeel fairly clean. Starts on the lighter side of 'medium', seems to thicken some as it warms. A fair bit chalky/mineral dryness as a backing.

O: One of the more intriguing beers I've had in a while. What started as an 'odd' tasting beer - the kind I wasn't sure I wanted to finish a glassful of, to be honest - evolved into one I enjoyed. A LOT. I'm a fan of 'pumpkin ales' in general, even some of the ones that go a little overboard with the pie spicing and such. This has almost none of that; instead it's deep and richly spiced, sweet and fruity then tangy and husky in the next. Not for everyone, but definitely worked for me!