Ghostrider Pumpkin Brown Ale
Fernie Brewing Co.

Interesting appearance with dark orange-brown brew topped with sticky dark beige foam in the Pilsner glass. Aroma is spicy with grainy undertones. Light body with quite malty and spritzy as well. Taste is dark spice with a woody finish. Slightly sweet and pumpkin tasting with the pie spices taking over. This is really quite sippable, though overly spiced up. Aftertaste is a nice fruity pumpkin with a winey tang. From the 473 ml can purchased at BC LIquors. Best By date is 26 Feb 2025.

 

 

 

 

A- This one pours very nice, with an awesomely creamy looking tan colored head that has excellent retention! The brew itself is dark, semi opaque and has soft carbonation bursting at the top of the liquid in methodical fashion! Good lacing as well, with a rim of frothy foam sticking to the side of the glass! Yummy looking!

S- Natural pumpkin is first and foremost, deep spices, buttered brown sugar sweetness, some almond nuttiness, muted caramel/toffee sweetness....as this warms up pumpkin pie or a pumpkin pudding aroma takes over....super yummy in the nostrils!

T- This has all of the character of a really good pumpkin ale, but I find overall it is a little mild. What I am getting is this....mild, very natural pumpkin flesh, baking spices such as nutmeg, allspice, mild clove, cinnamon etc and there is some heat in this spice for a second here and there...reminds me of fall warmth! There is also flavors of hazelnut/almond nuttiness and a nice dry finish....no real hop bitterness.

M/O- Creamy medium/full body with velvety carbonation and overall a smooth texture....dessert like pumpkin pie filling albeit mild. Highly drinkable and I wouldn't mind having a couple of these over the course of an evening....not bad....not bad....

 

 

 

 

Pours darker than many pumpkin beers I've tried this season, perhaps because it uses Fernie's brown ale as a base: it's a dark, almost opaque black, with maybe ruby/brown edges. Capped by a couple fingers of cola-ish head that recedes fairly quickly but leaves decent lacing.

Smell is pumpkin spice--cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. Brown sugar. Also some caramel/crystal malt. Slight coffee character, maybe even a touch of chocolate.

Taste is much the same: lots of pumpkin spices (cinnamon, clove, etc.,.) combined with a really nice roasty/toasty coffee character. Carbonation is high but not obtrusive, and body isn't bad (a bit light, but very drinkable).

Maybe because it specifically uses one of the brewery's standard beers as a base, this one is really actually pretty nice: decent depth of character, drinkability. And it's a bit different from a typical pumpkin beer. I can dig it.

 

A: Two fingers of tan head. Quite dark in colour, reddish when held against the light. A bit more brown than the colour of cola.

S: Cloves, cinnamon, ginger… Quite nice.

T: Nutty, with pumpkin spices on the finish. I don’t know if I really pick up pumpkin itself, but the spices are nice. An enjoyable beer.

F: A bit watery.