Ghoulschip
Allagash Brewing Company

 

Pours almost clear with one and a half inches of creamy white head. The head eventually recedes to a thick blanket. Meanwhile, a dense coating of lace forms on a Swiftwater snifter. The beer itself has a golden glow from within and a faint orange tint that makes the glow even richer. Fine columns of carbonation dance upwards.

There is a strong punch of oak and cider vinegar right out of the gate. Leather book bindings follow closely. Lemon joins in after the initial shock of oak wears off. White wine replaces the vinegar as it warms, and the oak remains prominent throughout.

The pumpkin spice is very mild with high tartness and mild sweetness well behind. The roasted pumpkin meat shows up with light brown sugar and a nice pucker. The oak and acidity are more pleasant than the nose might have suggested, most particularly in the long mild finish.

The body is light to medium with a satin texture. This bottle is labeled 7.7% ABV and that certainly seems about right. Fine carbonation bursts on the tongue with each sip. With warmth this beer becomes quite dry.

As far as Pumpkin Beers go, this one is classy and delicate. The base style of an American Sour works well here, though I've had others that were a bit of a mess. I am enjoying this one on a mild Thanksgiving afternoon while waiting for FOOOD.

 

(375 ml bottle, 8.2% Alc. by Vol., Date Bottled: August 2021; purchased single off shelf at Bottle Stop last week... decanted into my Chouffe tulip)

L: yellow-amber liquid with a slight haze; foaming out of the bottle, but doesn't translate to a tall stand in the glass, messy collar within seconds

S: tartly funky, almost vinegary edge to it... definitely something a little unique in its center, almost like melon rind, or maybe even the husks of pumpkin seeds... soft floral and maybe nectarine skin highlights, hint of cane sugar?... overall dense, complex array of aromas, just the intensity and clarity is a bit restrained

T: ooh... excellent blend and tart smack... faintly barnyard-y hay stacks in the background; subtly (-to-moderately) saline, almost pepita-like finish... the alcohol maybe provides an underlying electric hum to the flavors, opening them up and increasing their lasting expressions, but it has little edge or bite

F: airy density, quiet expansive rush, finishing with a drawn-out burst of tart... could knock back a pitcher of this... not even halfway through and I'm starting to get a flush on my skins

O: been hoping to track this down for awhile, got lucky I guess... not what I was hoping it was - a measured blend of a wild ale and craft pumpkin beer - but it still very much satisfied my lambic-y leanings... this ought to be under the Wild Ale category though (1982)

Cork and cage bottle poured into a chalice. Reviewed from quick notes.

Golden with tawny a hue, thin white head, spotty lacing. Nose is playful and tropical with glimpses of pineapple and peach, light and even bretty type funk. Subtly malty toast and sweet molasses. Taste follows. Toasted pumpkin seeds. Even keeled tartness and acidity. Rich and sweet brown molasses flavors balance, especially on the finish. Super unique, lovely and interesting. Hidden gem. Don't think of it as a pumpkin beer.

Bottled August 2021

This is a bottle I came across recently that really piqued my interest. A coolshipped Pumpkin Beer? Sign me up! When I came to the beer’s BA page, I realized that I had it as a want for years and forgot all about it, so I’m very happy to have just stumbled upon it. Let’s pop it open and see what it’s all about

Pours a cloudy pale gold with 2 fingers of creamy white head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Shockingly, it is not very pumpkin-forward in the nose, more funky than anything, but the pumpkin plays a nice supporting role. I’m picking up on aromas of wet hay, lemon yogurt, sharp oak, old leather, cooked pumpkin, light cinnamon, vanilla, and tannic white wine

There’s more of a pumpkin bite in taste, but I still wouldn’t call it prominent. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting lemon juice, brown sugar, white wine, straw, pumpkin seed, and light leather. The swallow is more interesting, bringing notes of lemon yogurt, vanilla, roasted pumpkin, pumpkin seed, toasted oak, and a touch of molasses

A medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a sharp and tart beer. Finishes mostly dry but coats the mouth. Still, it drinks well below its abv

This is awesome stuff. More subtle than I would have expected, but masterfully done nonetheless

 

 

 

 

 

The beer is a hazy dark orange color with a large, long-lasting white head. There is a bit of lace.
Nice aroma. Fruit, spice, vanilla.
Taste of apple, apricot, pumpkin spice, vanilla. Tart.
Crisp, dry finish.
Very nice.

If a pumpkin chugged a case of natty light, then relived its dysentery symptoms into an oak barrel while a jar of molasses whispered words of encouragement, then you get ghoulship.

Oaky!!Has a good head. Definitely a sour with a unique taste. Barely got a taste of the pumpkin or molasses. The oak came through very strong. Felt like I was just drinking an oak sour.

Bottle. Been dying to try this brew for years and years. The beer pours a dark hazy orange/amber color. Like the dim glow of a jack-o-lantern. Giant head that holds up. Two full fingers. The truly spooky aspect of this beer is the large chunks of detritus that float are dance within the beer. Yikes. Smells acidic, sour, tangy, and woody. A vanilla element is noticeable to me as well. Some spices found in pumpkin pie, too. A really unique aroma. Flavor is also not exactly like any other beer I have had. Still get that vanilla. Also the spices aren't too bold but noticeable enough. Reminds me of some of HaandBryggeriet's sours actually. I do get some pumpkin/yam/sweet potato. It sorta tastes like a sour slice of pumpkin pie. This is very oaky. The sourness is wrapped in a sweetness and they are married throughout. This is one of those beers thats 'yuck' during a sip then 'yum' during another. Carbonation is very soft. Alcohol is masked well. More of a hot mess than I was expecting but I have been waiting to try this strange, strange beer for almost a decade so I am pleasantly pleased by the sheer oddity of it.

Awesome stuff like all of their coolship beers. I don't like over the top spiced or sweet pumpkin beers but I wish this one had more spice. Really great. Allagash makes world class beer.

 

 

 

 

Hazy burnt orange body with a white head. The easiest way to explain this beer is a traditionally soured pumpkin ale, really neat. Smell has the pumpkin spices intermingling with the molasses, oak, green apple, pear, caramel, and slight barnyard funk, the mixture is very alluring. Taste adds vanilla to the molasses and oak, a citrus flair and subtle hay to the orchard fruit, and the spices finish the beer well within the yeast, earth, and slight funk. It somehow manages to bridge the wildness of the wild ale, and the spices of the pumpkin ale, though nose is more powerful the taste is more complex. Body is a little on the heavier side, decently carbonated, with yeast and spices textures to carry the load. This is was fun one to try, unlike anything I have ever had before