Pumpkinator - Bourbon Barrel-Aged
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

Love this year's BA Pumpkinator. It's more chocolate-forward with some coffee notes. I'm wondering if this isn't the coffee/cacao nib/vanilla bean rendition in the wrong bottle?? Same abv for both, so...

As said, chocolate is stronger this year, and of course the pumpkin and spices shine through as always (cinnamon, vanilla, allspice). Big burnt brown sugar flavor. Definitely getting some breakfast blend coffee bean. It's drinking fairly viscous which is nice, and the flavors linger for a good while as it stays coated on the tongue.

Yum! Better than last year's... have to get another bottle before sell-out.

L: Super dark with a thin dark tan head

S: Rich, sweet. Molasses, spiced and a hint of the soy sauce smell I associate with stouts

T: Dark chocolate, molasses, rasins, dates, cinnamon, allspice, a hint of cardamom? A very small amount of hops which acts like a supplemental spice. Delicious!

F: Very thick, wonderful mouthfeel, low-moderate carbonation that is slightly disruptive

I really enjoyed this beer.

Scores are based on the 2023 vintage, but I've had others in the past. I like the bourbon barrel aging, as it gives a bit more complexity beyond the pumpkin pie spices. I can't recall having a better pumpkin beer, though Schlafly gives this a run for the money.

 

Appearance - The beer poured dark brown with modest tan carbonation.

Smell - The nose had notes of chocolate and bourbon. Light cinnamon was noted.

Taste - At the front, chocolate and bourbon were noted. The profile was still a bit hot. There was a definite cinnamon presence with light nutmeg. The heat lingered in the finish.

Mouthfeel - The body was stout like qualities, even with fairly intense carbonation.

Overall - I would like it better with less bourbon heat.

 

L - Poured from a bottle into a generic plastic cup at a party. Pours dark. Minimal light brown head

S - Molasses and sweet scents up front. No pumpkin really.

T - Taste follows scent. Sweet molasses. Chocolate as well.

F - Medium-to-full mouthfeel. Very smooth. Medium carbonation

O - Overall this is a good seasonal beer. Better than the normal Pumpkinator. Less coffee flavor and more chocolate and sweetness.

L-Pours an almost black beer with a thin tan lacy head.
S-Sweet bourbon is there, and oak barrel follows. Pumpkin spice, nutmeg, gingerbread, and allspice. Strong aromas of dutch cookie (speculass). Some vanilla bean is also there. A nice earthy undertone is there throughout.
T-Very sweet upfront. Pumpkin spice is present, but it's well mixed with other fall spices like nutmeg, ginger and allspice. I keep going back to the speculass similarities. It's very present. I also get warm bourbon as well which brings some expected booziness. Molasses is also picked up, followed by some raisen. What this beer lacks in bitterness, it excels in earthy spice.
F- Full bodied as expected. The carbonation is surprisingly there still, though.
O-This is not my type of beer, by any means. But I wanted to give it a try because of the season I'm currently in. I would only have this beer at specific times. And with the current cold snap I'm in, as the cold season is just beginning, I find myself really enjoying this beer. It's a sipper. It's very high in ABV, that's surprisingly shielded pretty well by the flavor notes, and very, very sweet. With that said, the flavors are melded pretty great. It isn't lacking in anyway other than the fact that it simply could be too much for some. This is a LOUD beer in every way.

Appearance: Looks like a stout, with a midnight brown pour capped by a beige film that fades to a bubbly ringlet; spots and strands of lacing

Smell: The Bourbon is prominent, in the aroma, with the pumpkin and pie spices underneath; cinnamon and allspice with a strong clove tone

Taste: Pumpkin pie spices and Bourbon forward with strong cinnamon, allspice and clove; there are also strong flavors of chocolate and molasses that adds a powerful counterpoint

Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with moderate carbonation

Overall: There are a lot of contrasting elements here; perhaps they will come together over time but, for the moment, it is a bit unbalanced; I actually preferred the base beer

Appearance: Black glass, struggles to hold a dark tan halo, shows some brown clarity at the edges when tilted.

Aroma: Pumpkin spices, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, with a dark malty sweet base. A light floral perfume note as well, with a slight SweeTTart candy smell.

Taste: Spices are full volume without overwhelming the base beer, which is very malty, toffee and caramel, with a dark fruit rum raisin that brings in a bit of sour whiskey in the finish (in a good way).

Mouthfeel: Heavy body, low carbonation with a slight grit, sticky finish.

Overall: Great beer! Nice twist on the original, which is a great base to work from. Recommended!

 

2021 Vintage.

Great pumpkin pie vibes. Nutmeg, clove, and pie filling, with undertones of cinnamon and sweet malt. The palate features more of the malt base, with subtle barrel on a smooth, slightly estery finish.

Pumpkinator BBA (2021) from Saint Arnold. 12 oz bottle from Spec’s # 69. $7.46 (including tax) ($0.629/oz). Stored at room temperature in store and at 40 degrees after purchase. Reviewed 23/11/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Part of label design “2021”, otherwise no date. Served at 40.2 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Served too cold because I didn’t read the fine print on the bottle “Stout”. Final temperature 55.5 degrees.
Appearance – 3
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), hazy.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, reddish around the edges.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.6 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, fizzy with short retention, diminishing to a 0.4 cm crown fed by effervescence and no cap.
Lacing – None, but 12.6% ABV is pushing expectations for lacing.
Aroma – 4.25 –Smells slightly sweet with cinnamon, no hops, no yeast, no pumpkin, initially no bourbon. As it warms past 48 degrees, bourbon begins to peek out.
Flavor – 4.25 – Taste follows the nose but slightly sweet with a bit of brown sugar and bourbon, no malt, no hops, no yeast, no pumpkin. Sweetness builds in the aftertaste. No ethanol (12.6 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric burning. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full, sticky, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Appearance is the same as every other doppelbock or stout, sans lacing. Bourbon is very evident in a subsequent belch, although less evident in general taste. Aroma is pleasing, after it warms to the proper temperature. Palate is generally good, if a bit on the sticky side. Overall, a tasty brew.

Poured from a bottle into a snifter
Appearance – The beer pours a dark brown almost black color with a one finger head of tan colored foam. The head fades super fast leaving but a trace of foamy lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma of the brew is massive of a big boozy bourbon aroma complimented by a nice roasted malt smell with aromas of cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Along with these smells are some roasted pumpkin smell as well as aromas of caramel and brown sugar. Rounding out the smells are notes of coffee and a touch of a woodiness, overall producing a very intoxicatingly nice pumpkin brew aroma.
Taste – The taste begins with a slightly drier, but big roasted malt flavor that is complimented by a big roasted and toasted pumpkin flavor. With the pumpkin comes lots of spice of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice as well as notes of some caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. As the taste advances forward the spice and pumpkin grown slightly stronger, all while the boozy bourbon that was detected in the nose comes to the tongue. The bourbon adds a wonderful dimension to the brew, creating a nice warming taste. At the very end some more woodiness joins the bourbon tastes, and with a bit of an increase in the pumpkin and sweet, one is left with a nice boozy, slightly drier, and very warming/enjoyable spiced pumpkin taste to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the brew is thicker and chewier with a carbonation level that is on the lower side. For the big boozy and pumpkin tastes of the brew the feel is great and makes for a nice sipper.
Overall – A very tasty and warming pumpkin sipper. In my opinion this is well above the non-barrel aged version. A wonderful sipper!!

 

Smell is a credible pumpkin refreshment. Taste is like boozy pumpkin pancakes. Pumpkin spice is strong especially after warming. The bourbon barrel added some maple syrup quality. A mouthfeel like a traditional imperial stout. Turbid black stout with burned sugar appearance in the head.

2021 release. Solid, reminiscent of the BB of days past. Still wanting more body. Pumpkin less noticable than spice. Bourbon up front with slight booziness. Not sure I'd let this age very long.

A bourbon spin on the original? I had to grab one to try. Ended up grabbing a few more. While the original is my favorite, I'm glad they aged some in a barrel. I'd put it over Avery's pumpkin barrel aged offering if you've had that. It's the original aged in bourbon done right. I imagine this could be a whole lot hotter also since the original is like 10% and this is 14%. They got this one balanced correctly.

12 oz bottle, 2020 vintage, into Crane snifter (getting a lot of use tonight.
Imperial Pumpkin Stout brewed with pumpkin spices and aged in Bourbon Barrels with Cacao Nibs added.
Says to enjoy at 50* but we'll see how she blooms as she warms up (just pulled it outta the fridge)

Dark brown to black in the snifter, I missed the pour because I was looking at a bug on my back patio. The fingernail of head dissipates rather rapidly and leaves no lace even as it's swirled.

Aroma is as if I'd tossed a pumpkin into a fire and smelled the smoke. Burning pumpkin. From the glass it's a bit more tame, but no less nauseating as it adds melted chocolate to the composition. It's like burnt chocolate pumpkin soup. Not my idea of a good time and actually nauseating.

Flavor is a smidge better (edit : cold), tasting a bit like sweet rum spiked pumpkin cola. There's some chocolate here, dare I say candy shell melted in the Texas sun on the dash of a '92 Ford Escort, with pumpkin soup, prepackaged hospital cafeteria food, and quite a few spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, Hot Tamales candy). Ending notes of expired chocolate syrup and oak. This is a hot mess of a beer. I don't know whether to keep sipping as it warms or to puke.

Feel is buzzing with carbonation much like an adjunct lager would be, which I suppose helps this beer to be more palatable. Leaves a sticky sugary residue on the tongue, with lingering burning from the alcohol. Dries out a bit but not much. Finishes with a burning, buzzing, boozy stickiness.

Overall, I'm not sure if it's because it's the dead of spring and pumpkin spice is not really on my mind, but I highly doubt I'd have much better things to say if the temperature dropped to 40 degrees. This beer tasted like expired meat, pumpkin spice chili, and Mr. Pibb. It gives that unmatched feeling of knowing you just ingested something bad and you're about to puke in 10 minutes. Absolutely horrid.

I'll let this warm a bit and report back in a few minutes.

Oh fuck. UGH. After it warms, it tastes like pumpkin spiced beef jerky. Nope. Spit. Spit. Spit. This is the stuff of bad dreams. Avoid this pile of freshly dropped dog shit.

$8.99 / bottle @ Martin's in New Orleans