Pumpkin Spice
1812 Brewing Co. on the Lake

Every year this beer seems to be different actually some times it is different from visit to visit. It is a hit or miss beer. The Appearance is the only thing that is consistent it is usually a dark amber with a slight orange hue. The first time I tried it I loved it but there have been some off times with beer too. The flavor is spicy sometimes overdone some times just right and sometimes weak. The smell is fruity and spicy. It has a good pumpkin pie like smell most of the time; Mouthfeel can be any where from spice burn to fizz burn to watery. I am going to give this an average rating for the good times and the bad.

This was a darkish ale - clear red with a bit of a wispy head that laced somewhat nicely. Aroma was mostly spicy - cinnamon comes to mind - with a husky grain and butter background. Flavour was also buttery, and somewhat fruity, but the pumpkin was very mild and difficult to spot. The spices were came on quite strong though, with again cinnamon in the forefront. Mouthfeel was medium-dry with a slight astringency. Bitterness was very mild. Overall, I like this one - a lighter beer with a solid spice accent.

Had this seasonal on tap at the brewpub during their Thursday $2 pint night (every Thursday night, all of their beers are $2/pint - awesome deal for craft-brewed beer).

Dark amber color and clear in the glass with an airy half inch white head on top. Aromas of mostly spice - cinnamon, nutmeg, maybe a little vanilla, clove - the smell initially reminded me of mulled cider minus the apple. Hard to find the pumpkin in the aroma, the spices overpowered it I thought - maybe a very spicy pumpkin pie aroma best describes it. Flavor was very spicy initially with the same pumpkin pie spices that showed up in the aroma. Hops didn't play much of a factor, just enough to add a little bitterness, probably the spices were used more to balance out the beer. As the beer went down, I think my taste buds got more accustomed to the spices, and the pumpkin flavors came through. Malt flavors, as with the hops, were also subdued. The beer had a good medium body to it. I thought the strong spice flavors brought down the drinkability of this beer, but pumpkin ales are not one of my favority styles, so I wouldn't find myself drinking alot of this anyway.

This was a good seasonal beer that adds some nice variety to their lineup of house brewed beers. Its great to see brewpubs trying out styles that bigger breweries may not have time or care to - I love walking into a brew pub and seeing 8-10 different styles to choose from - the more the better! This was one of the more spicy pumpkin ales of the handful that I have tried, and as I made my way down the pint and it warmed up, it definately grew on me. Nice job on a unique ale.