Bourbon Imperial Screamin' Pumpkin
Griffin Claw Brewing Company

Griffin Claw Bourbon Imperial Screamin' Pumpkin

9% ABV, 13 IBU

2015, 22oz. Waxed bottle from Copper Vine ($15.99) poured into a Stone IRS snifter.

A- Sweet label. Lots of metallic, comic-like fun. Happy there was a tab to release the cap from the wax. Those waxed caps can be a real pain. A careful pour creates a thin, tan head that drops to the lightest of foam at the edges. Moderate carbonation comes to the surface, doing its best to keep up the light, foamy lace. The body is a hazy, amber-orange-red, somewhat appropriate for a pumpkin. Very light stick on the sides that falls back into the body, almost more of wine-like legs, than lacing. A second, aggressive pour made for a 1-finger head that drops to more of a lacy surface and more pronounced stick.

S- Much like their traditional Screamin' Pumpkin. Lots of pie spice, a combination of ginger, clove, and cinnamon. There's a sweet, vegetal/pumpkin quality as well. A little warmth and I pick up some caramel and a little woody aroma. Some vanilla later still.

T- Now here's the big difference from its lower ABV counterpart. There's a really hefty, sweet, malt quality here. Some caramel at first. The vanilla from the bourbon really makes a statement as well. That said, the pumpkin pie flavors are on display as well, lots of cinnamon and clove. The alcohol is noticeable, but warm and smooth rather than harsh.

M- Very full bodied. The carbonation is moderate, but seems a little lessened by the viscosity. A little tingle from the spice. Warmth and a little added tingle from the higher alcohol content.

O- That's a really nice sipper. With the hefty price tag, more of a treat on my income. Very happy that I splurged. I'd put it up there with the Pumpkings and Punkins of the world. The 22oz. bottle is definitely a shared serving on an empty stomach. Going to finish it off with a warm bowl of homemade potato soup.

My third incarnation of this beer (the one by MBC, the regular Griffin Claw, now this)

A- 4 S- 4.25 T- 4.5 M- 4.5 O- 4.25

 

Excellent. Both maple and pumpkin in great symbiosis. The beginning is maple and the aftertaste is pumpkin. I just hope to be able to find this in the south...

 

A 16 0z. can of Griffin Claw Bourbon Imperial Screamin' Pumpkin pours a dark orange, lightly carbonated pumpkin pulp-rich haze, into a pint glass. The head is gone in 30 seconds, the lacing shortly after. The scent of this brew is quite robust.. caramel and vanilla notes are forefront. Pumpkin pulp, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon give Griffin Claws' Boubon Imperial Screamin' Pumpkin one of the finest aromas I have ever encountered in a pumpkin beer. The taste is then a bit of a letdown.. Bourbon dominates, and the aftertaste is overly sweet, tarnishing an otherwise fine brew. This is still way better than your average pumpkin beer.. but it is does fully realize the potential the high quality ingredients offer. This beer is every bit of 9% ABV, and hides its' alcohol not a whit. The can was actually produced in 2020.. I will seek a 4 pack of the 2021 release, hoping the promise is realized. Griffin Claw Bourbon Imperial Screamin' Pumpkin despite a few flaws, is a good pumpkin brew, and probably better than my first impression.

 

Pours a reddish brown color with a minimal head that disappears quickly. Aroma is spices and alcohol. Taste like a bourbon and water with pumpkin spices mixed in. Finished smooth and slightly sweet.

 

 

Thank you superspak for this
16 oz can poured into a tulip

A- A clear pumpkin color with a small white head.

S- Pumpkin, bourbon, vanilla, some nutmeg, very pumpkin pie like.

T- Pumpkin, stone fruits, bourbon, some oak, touch of nutmeg.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty barrel aged pumpkin beer, a little fruitier than I expected but it come together nicely.

I think Beer advocate is a very good site. But please get rid of the category "feel". No guy ever asked another guy, hey how does that beer feel in your mouth....... Just a useless category.

That being said, this was far and away the best pumpkin ale I've ever had by a longshot. Flavor profiles all over the place, the bourbon nuances, the smooth pumpkin flavor along with some earthy spices have made this one of my top 10 beers of all time. I went to the Griffin claw brewery in Rochester last night. I was fortunate enough to order this beauty as my first beer of the night. I'll make sure to come back in a few weeks just for this beer. Dont miss out if you stop in or see this beer for sale.

I forgot to ask the staff if they sell this at Meijer or any grocery stores, or if it's only offered at the Griffin claw brewery.

 

 

 

8oz glass at Beer Revolution YEG Oliver Square - the leftovers from a tap takeover a few weeks ago that I ignored out of necessity. At any rate, I managed to miss out totally on pumpkin brews this year, so count this as my token effort.

This beer appears a clear, medium bronzed amber colour, with one finger of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat bubbly beige head, which leaves a few instances of cannonball splash aftermath lace around the glass as things slowly sink away.

It smells of vegetal pumpkin puree, bready and doughy caramel malt, a faint Bourbon woodiness, and some muddled earthy spice. The taste is sugary rye and corn whiskey, grainy and bready caramel malt, biscuity toffee, a muted and generic gourd fleshiness, and some tame nutmeg and cinnamon spiciness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-supporting frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and generally smooth, with nothing really getting in the way of a swell time here. It finishes off-dry, the malt and faded pumpkin pie essences presiding.

Overall - this comes across as a pleasantly rendered version of the augmented style, with both the pumpkin and Bourbon barrel characters not overplaying their hands. If I had to try one of these overpriced import offerings, I suppose that I am glad that it was this one.

 

 

 

Drain pour.

Don’t like as much 2020.