Pumpkin Escobar
Prison City Pub & Brewery

 

I’m a big coffee drinker, so this is right up my alley. I barely taste the pumpkin at all, but in this case, I don’t care. This is delicious and it might just be my new favorite “pumpkin” beer. If you don’t like coffee, you will probably hate this.

Can purchased and drank at Fattey Beer Company in Rochester, NY.

This one pours a fairly dark black color, with a small head, and lots of lacing.

On the nose, I would not have immediately assumed this was a pumpkin beer. I would have assumed that this was just a particularly spicy roast of coffee on the nose.

This leans more coffee beer than pumpkin beer, and I definitely prefer that. There’s very little cinnamon, and lots of rich, roasty, dark coffee notes. This is also pretty chocolatey.

This is medium bodied, creamy, and very drinkable.

This doesn’t fully lean into the fall vibes it was intending to invoke, but I still enjoyed it.

Pours black. Thin foam. Coffee aroma. Rich coffee body. A little smokey. Very light pumpkin flavor. Smooth. Flavor is terrific. This is a must try.

i have to rank this one among my favorite beers from my trip back east last week, from anywhere, its just brilliantly designed and executed, and even though we are well past pumpkin season, i couldnt stop cracking these cans. thanks to my brother for turning me on to this, its an absolute gem, worthy of a lot more attention than it seems to have gotten this year. is a dark and dry porter on the strong side with pumpkin and colombian coffee. a couple of things really stand out about this almost ebony black and frothy tan headed brew. the first is the apparent lack of spices, so many of these are squash second, if at all, and reliant on things like cinnamon and nutmeg to get the flavor through, but not here, this might not even be spiced at all, way in the back to me is all. the pumpkin seems roasted to me, at least with the dark malts it does, and it is plenty obvious in the flavor here, i taste it more than i smell it, lightly sweet and nutty, earthy and autumnal, hints of brown sugar with it, but its balanced by bitter dark barley, impressive to get this depth of flavor with very subtle or zero spices, if this is spiced, its like allspice and black pepper, can almost be taken as little notes from the coffee, amazing! the other thing i love is the coffee, its still real fresh in here, darkly roasted as well, and nuanced as can be, with hints of smoke, raisin, and dark chocolate to it, fully complimentary to the pumpkin and most robust on the finish. other cool features here include a full creamy body but fast drier finish, lingering bitterness instead of pie spices, a little acidity from the coffee flashing in and out, and a sort of english yeast breadiness giving extra depth and roundness to the outstanding base porter. the quality here is through the roof, the recipe is amazing, and this is maybe the most drinkable pumpkin beer in the game, even for being dark and sturdy. as good as it gets really. i will be dreaming about this one until next season. among the most memorable beers of the year for me, frankly a no frills thing despite the extra ingredients, downright epic! the cans looks super sharp too!

edit: just as good in subsequent years, this is becoming a seasonal icon for me, one of the best in the prison city lineup, and as good a pumpkin beer as there is on the market for my money!

 

Canned 9/12/21. Let sit out for five minutes , before opening.

Completely black, except for a fine line of ruby-reddish brown, along the edges, when a flashlight is held to it. One finger of tan head, that leaves a thin ring.

The first aroma to hit is that of strong black coffee, just-brewed. Then a light nutty aroma, and dark chocolate cake batter, but less sweet. If I strain, I can get faint flashes of a fruity aroma. No spices apparent. (Gives me hope that it is light in the flavor. ;) )

Taste is the slight nutty flavor present in the aroma, light cola with a little tang, a bit of chocolate brownie, a vague fruity flavor that seems more like Nelson Sauvin hops than pumpkin, then finishing with a mellow coffee note that is much smoother, and less intense than in the aroma. There are no distinct spice notes, but more of a general presence that comes across more like that of noble hops, though less noticeable than in a typical pilsner. I'm very impressed with the subtlety of it all. That said, the flavor is by no means weak. Not an invisible wallflower of a beer.

Feel is medium, initially slick then lightly creamy, finishing with moderate, moderately-soft carbonation tingle. Light lingering dryness after finish.

Overall just a fantastic coffee porter. That the pumpkin and spice are barely there, and not specifically identifiable, is a plus in my estimation.