Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

StoutElk_92 from Massachusetts

4.51/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75

12 oz. bottle - 2017 vintage

Pours cloudy hazy opaque maroon red brown with some sediment, and a dissipating off-white foam head. Smells pretty good, a little sweet and malty, lightly fruity, pumpkiny and a little vegetal, with considerable spices, strong cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves, toasted bread, dark caramel, molasses, sweet toffee, some honey, biscuit, a hint of vanilla, fresh gourdy pumpkin, mild dried fruits like apricot, fig, dates, and some earthy herbal slight vegetal hops. Taste follows mostly strong on the autumn spices, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and clove blended in harmony over some sweet toasted malts, dark caramel, molasses, toffee, honey, biscuit, toasted bread, mild vanilla, dried fruits, apricot, fig, dates, fresh pumpkin, and earthy herbal hops. Feels lighter medium bodied, slightly creamy with moderate carbonation. Overall a really nice imperial pumpkin ale.

Nov 01, 2020

JohnniEMc from Pennsylvania

4.31/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Perennially among the best of its kind, let's see how the 2020 version turned out. A pour from a 12 oz. bottle into a clear pint glass begins the review. There are plenty of spices in the air, most notably nutmeg and clove. The beer is a bright and somewhat translucent copper. Nicely carbonated, the lack of a head and lacing is a mild surprise. No matter, there is a nice malt and starch backbone to carry the sharp pumpkin pie spices. This 8% ABV brew slides down very smoothly, even with abundant alcohol and spice doses. Another good year for Imperial Pumpkin Ale at Weyerbacher.

Oct 23, 2020

Roguer from Georgia

4.1/5  rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Good head production and retention. Perfectly clear dark copper body.

Moderate pumpkin spice on the nose, along with mild pumpkin and a solid malt foundation. Brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and caramel.

Fairly sweet on the palate, but not cloying. The pumpkin spice is noticeable, but it doesn't go overboard. Modest pumpkin flavor. Thick malt base, really letting everything come together quite well.

Smooth but a touch syrupy.

Oct 11, 2020

hopsputin from New Jersey

3.97/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: rich dark cherry, brown, and mahogany color with a hint of ruby red. 1 finger tan head. Looks more orange when you hold it up to the light. Really nice looking

S: loads of spice in the aroma. Squash and pumpkin followed by clove, coriander and nutmeg. Sweet caramel, and light cinnamon. More of that sweet squashy and malty notes at the end. Very pleasant smelling - smells like fall

T: as expected it is quite heavy on the spice. Clove and cardamom are what I pick up right away. Spicy cinnamon and some coriander powder. Behind that is the pumpkin/squash flavor with some really rich caramel malts. A touch of alcohol at the end

M: heavy mouthfeel with low-medium carbonation

O: if you like your pumpkin ales more on the pumpkin pie side, you’ll like this. Spicy, but not over done and the pumpkin and malts still work nicely here

Oct 02, 2020

Wi_brew_bud from Connecticut

4.44/5  rDev +13.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Look is perfect amber color that excellently reminds you of fall

Smell is spicy but also welcoming with very strong notes of pumpkin and spice

The taste is mildly sweet with a great balance of spice personally wish it had a smidgen more of a sweet not but it’s very very good

The feel is wholesome heavy yet still crisp and refreshing i almost gave it a 5 but I wish it had just a bit more bite on the carbonation

Overall This beer really does its job and brings out the flavor of fall I love it. This type of beer is a dime a dozen but very few can actually capture the real essence of fall and this beer definitely captured Fall Bravo awesome awesome beer!!!

Sep 22, 2020

PathofChaos from Maryland

3.76/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Appearance:
A deep, earthy orange that’s almost brown, yet crystal clear despite its darker hue. An angry, roiling froth the color of orange-tinged cream threatens to scale the rim of the glass... Then fizzles out faster than dollar store sparklers.

Bouquet:
An ample dusting of woodsy, baking spices over semi-sweet pumpkin pie. You must search deeply to detect the pureed pumpkin and pie crust beneath the downy coat of spice.

Feel:
That furious head didn’t disappear, it dug eagerly into the body where it continues to churn. A festive spiciness lingers for an impressive duration but its hotly contested by a repugnant depth charge of carbonation.

Taste:
A powerful conglomerate of spices lords over the palate. Nutmeg, clove and especially cardamom are so staggeringly ubiquitous that the flavor actually has some heat! While this vivid profile is certainly engaging, it all but eliminates the pumpkin… hiding meek and impoverished beneath the unending rule of this ale’s heedless baking spices.

Overall:
If you want to enjoy intense yet palatable holiday spices, this beer is guaranteed to please. But if you were looking to douse your taste buds in festive pumpkin flavor, look elsewhere.

Sep 09, 2020

Amendm from Rhode Island

3.95/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A strong pour from a 12-oz. can yields a finger of creamy light beige foam with short retention and a few small spots of lace. Hazy translucent brown-orange color.

Pumpkin spice and cooked pumpkin greet the nose with sweet malt and rising dough.

On the border of semi-sweet and neutral with low bitterness and moderate spice.
Malt forward from a blend of pale and caramel malts with lightly toasted wheat, this is balanced by pumpkin. A quick, clean finish with a light aftertaste of peppery spice.

Average body, below average carbonation*. Outstanding balance between sweet/spice and malt/pumpkin. If I did not know the ABV was 8% I'd call this beer session-able.

* It went a little flat at the end, I recommend a moderate pour shooting for a 1/2 finger.

Oct 17, 2019

Steve_Studnuts from Pennsylvania

3.8/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

It's, you know, deep golden orange or whatever. If you're on this website you know what a pumpkin ale looks like and don't need me to explain it to you. Ditto with the scent. There's gourd, there's cinnamon and there's nutmeg. There's a biscuity malt backbone. It smells like pumpkin pie, yo. You like pumpkin pie, right? Sure you do; you're no commie. Unless you are. In which case, hey, no judgment from me. Democracy is better in theory than execution. But this isn't about governments. This is about Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale, which isn't bad. It's good! I'd drink it again! In fact, I'm pretty sure I will! I bought 4 of them and I'm not sharing! Suck it, grandma!

Oct 06, 2019

EnderFett11 from Virginia

4.06/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured fairly quickly from a 12 oz can, which created a very large amount of frothy white head that faded quickly. Deep brownish orange color, quite clear. Smells mostly of pumpkin and cinnamon. Taste is fairly spice heavy, with pumpkin coming through first, then prominent cinnamon with a big of nutmeg flavor. As it warms, the pumpkin becomes more intense with the spices staying similar at the back end. Pretty solid imperial pumpkin ale, but better cold and not my preference over Twisted Gourd.

Sep 25, 2019

GuyFawkes from Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Looks very similar to fresh apple cider.

Minimal head which instantly dissipates. No lacing.

Nose is of spice and pumpkin; probably shouldn't be surprised! Touch of cream soda as well.

Medium mouthfeel, leaning towards thin.

Taste? A well-spiced pumpkin pie. Pumpkin up front; the spices hit you on the back end. Cinnamon is prominent. Definitely not an everyday beer, but they nailed the style they were going for, no question. If it were a tad less thin, I'd enjoy it just a bit more; still, very worthy.

Apr 15, 2019

mothmanscott from Georgia

3.52/5  rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

From notes 22512: Pours ruby orange producing 2 fingers of beige, foamy, somewhat lasting head that leave a fair amount of patchy and filmy lace. Aroma is vegetable, pumpkin pie, heavy on spices especially cloves. There is something abut the nose that is faintly reminiscent of flat "Dr. Pepper". Except for the "Dr. Pepper" the taste is the same but here ginger and cinnamon dominate, pumpkin is subdued and the sweet, clove, slightly boozy finish presents little or no hop presence (which may be masked by the spices). Drinkability declines with each sip and becomes unpleasant by the time you reach the bottom of the glass.

Dec 03, 2018

Billybrewer from Delaware

4.29/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I like my pumpkin beers spiced and this one is very nicely spiced. Great nose as well. This is easily available in stores near us so it’s nicevto have a go to.

Oct 13, 2018

Nass from Florida

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I really like the bright blue ink that they use for there bottled on date for this beer, it is so easy to read. There is a fair amount of pumpkin in the taste, but I am picking up more of the spices especially the cinnamon. I am getting some of the alcohol in the taste, this should be hidden a little better than that for an 8% abv pumpkin ale. It is not too overwhelming in the taste but the alcohol presence is there & it is muting some of the flavor that's in this beer. With all the effort that they put into the label design & bottled on date I expected something a little better than what I am tasting. Cheers! B

Oct 08, 2018

ajm5108 from Pennsylvania

2.55/5  rDev -34.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Amber, thin head, lacks density. Nose leans heavy on the cardamom & clove - some of those semi-softer spice smells don't assert themselves enough, and it is mostly nutmeg. Taste follows the same pattern, just worse - the cardamom especially is very heavy, and overwhelms the palate. Really needs more cinammon and nutmeg to balance it out. The malt base is very pale and cardboad-y which doesn't help. Traces of sweet pumpkin / yam but it is so far buried that you really have to strain to detect it. I don't mind pumpkin beers like some but this was too spicey in my opinion.

Oct 22, 2017

Lone_Freighter from Vermont

4/5  rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Treated as an imperial ale, this was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a ruddy burnt amber to orange color with no head or lace. The aroma starts off semi-sweet pumpkin fleshiness hitting against subtle spices of allspice, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves; well balanced. The flavor leans somewhat spicy with a gentle sweetness underneath. Sweet pumpkin flesh rides into the aftertaste and quickly hits the finish, that ends up being slightly spicy - just a little bit. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sessionable to sipping quality sticking to my tongue appropriately. Spices create enough harshness but gentle enough. Overall, damn nice imperial pumpkin ale that i would love to have again.

Jun 17, 2017

TurnipEntropy from Virginia

4.35/5  rDev +11%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Bottled on 08(Aug)/02/16, opened 04(April)/08/17 after near constant refrigeration. Poured into a snifter, drank after slight warming.

Look: hard poor resulted in a thin bubbly head. The amber color has a slight orange hue to it. Overall, this is exactly how I want a pumpkin ale to look.

Smell: hits you the second you open the bottle. The smell is dominated by a bready, caramel malt and cinnamon, although clove does manage to come through. It's also slightly boozy. I do not smell the nutmeg or cardamom.

Taste: sweet, but it's a pumpkin ale, so what did you expect? Almost all of the flavors actually come through in this beer, which I've never experienced before from a pumpkin ale. Upfront you get the sweetness and the malt, but the cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove settle in, making this a great beer to sip at. I don't personally get the cardamom. What kept me from giving it a higher score on taste is that the cinnamon tastes a little like fake cinnamon. Since the beer was old, I didn't count not tasting the cardamom against it.

Feel: smooth, refreshing, and a very slight bitter tingle.

Overall, smell and taste matter the most to me, so 4.25. This was an excellent purchase. If you've been searching for a good pumpkin ale, buy this beer ASAP.

Apr 09, 2017

hoptheology from South Dakota

3.71/5  rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Dark cinnamon-pumpkin color with a small ring of bubbly head.

Aroma is beautiful. Warm brandy, hot cinnamon, cardamom, clove, pepper, potpourri.

Taste is a little bit of a let down, as the spices are far gone, could be due to age. It's still got some of the cinnamon and potpourri flavors there, along with a lot of club soda.

Feel is hot (boozy), and very carbonated. Leaves a sticky, dry finish.

Overall, I can't knock this one too much. It's pretty tasty even after the spices have fallen off. I'll revisit it again this fall.

Mar 26, 2017

NilocRellim from Minnesota

3.97/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear red colour. Smells syrupy, ginger, juicy pumpkin pulp, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Tastes like it smells, juicy pumpkin pulp, sweet and malty throughout, date syrup, ginger, spiced hop at the end, and maybe some cinnamon.

Dec 28, 2016

Harrison8 from Missouri

3.91/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a murky burnt-pumpkin with a finger of dark-khaki head. Head retention is decent with no lacing left behind. Aroma is hearty, with notes of pumpkin, holiday spices, biscuit and toasted malts, butter, and caramel. Nice and full aroma. Flavor profile has pumpkins, and holiday spices right up front. As the holiday spices linger and dwindle away, notes of toasted malts, caramel, and burnt sugar pop up. Very flavorful. Mouth feel is medium-thick, with a hearty, filling feel. Overall, a fantastic, bold rendition of pumpkin beer, at least if you enjoy complex flavors. Holiday spices are plentiful, but edge onto the side of over powering.

Served in a 12oz snifter.

Dec 15, 2016

dacrza1 from New Jersey

4.25/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

DATE: October 7, 2016... OCCASION: made it through another week of school... GLASSWARE: Maudite snifter...pours a dark amber, almost mahogany body with a busy, bubbly body that cannot sustain the fizzy, off-white head--a placid surface collects the occasional bubble, but the alcohol halts any impressive froth... BIG, powerful cinnamon, caramel, gingerbread and nutmeg promise BIG things in the profile... some hops also wrapped with a breath of alcohol... a medium-bodied, oily, bourbon-evoking draw... the profile is profoundly ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg--a dessert in and of itself... outstanding, strong, and worth the price tag.... another strong Weyerbacher product that seems bigger than its 8% ABV... right up there with other high ABV pumpkin ales...

Nov 19, 2016

Meyers1023 from New York

3.59/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured a reddish color with very little tan bubbly head. The smell has a lot of sweetness to it before the other spices kick in, made me very wary of the beer. Flavor is very well balanced. The sweetness of the pumpkin and cinnamon start off but the nutmeg transitions it to the clover and more savory spices. This is a good pumpkin ale, great combination of flavors, not too sweet but very seasonally spiced.

Nov 05, 2016

jjamadorphd from Florida

4.28/5  rDev +9.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I am making an effort to try a variety of pumpkin beers this year and I have come across this - so glad I did.

I'll just start off by saying this is probably the best pumpkin ale I have had to date. And I can't think of coming across another one better (but here's to hoping.) Anyway, though the brew pours no head and it has zero lacing, it has a rich pumpkin look - liquid pumpkin if you will. The scent is a perfect blend of pumpkin, spice, and hops, neither one overpowering or stepping on the other. I found it crisp to the tongue as well as silky and smooth, the carbonation was easily ignored in this brew. At an 8% ABV, the ale, the pumpkin flavor and the spicy malts all seem to blend as well as they do to the nose. This is by far a truly special beer - pumpkin or not.

Nov 05, 2016

Im4jojo from Massachusetts

4.85/5  rDev +23.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Aroma: Sweet and malty. Spicy pumpkin.
Appearance: Foggy orange glow, reminiscent of a lit Jack-o- lantern. Unfiltered? Not much carbonation here. Poured into a tulip glass, it revealed a pencil-thin head. Little lacing left behind.
Taste: I taste cardamom right up front. The rest of the pumpkin pie spices hang-out in the back.
Overall: Very warming. Enjoyable. Nice to sip on a Fall day.

Oct 22, 2016

seedyone from New York

4.57/5  rDev +16.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

From bottle at home, dated 7/20/16. Seems like a early bird looking to perch on the retail shelves before Labor Day.

First glass had a decent beige head that forgot to leave any lacing & the second glass had very little effervescence.

Cosmetics aside this is one tasty pumpkin ale. Forcing myself to ignore the substantial 8% ABV (a + in my book) reading that there was cardamom within was a surprise. Seems these guys were set on making something different in what has become a crowded & cliched genre.

Cutting to the chase: I like this one & I've had a few varieties.

Oct 13, 2016

98green from Michigan

3.85/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

On tap. Amber and clear. Lots of cinnamon and clove smell. Taste delivers more of the spice. Plenty of sweet malt body too. I like this quite s bit. I'd try this again

Oct 12, 2016