Pumpkin Ale
The Schlafly Tap Room

 

 

 

 

 

 

Golden flash of a head on a dark caramel body. A proper pumpkin pie smell emanates from this one. It tastes sweet in a lactose lite sense, with a flavorful pumpkin body and just the right mix of spices. No bitterness, and not cloying either. Sessionable in a way, but also as heavy as it should be. 8% but not detectably boozy. One other thing I like about this beer is that it is objectively a pumpkin beer. Other styles moreso mimic strong ales, barleywines, stouts, etc. But this one is simply a fine pumpkin ale and one of the best representatives of the style as it basically what you could ever want and hope for in a pumpkin beer. And the fact that the mash itself is majority pumpkin as a historical basis for the brew makes it very proper indeed.

 

Poured out a hazy amber with a white head. The smell is of pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and malt. The beer really has a great taste and it's like drinking a pumpkin pie with a nice alcohol addition to it. Good stuff.

 

The Saint Louis Brewery, LLC "Pumpkin Ale"
12 fl. oz. brown glass bottle "BOTTLED WITH LOVE: 06/21/2022 14:09". Sampled on 10/11/2022.

Notes via stream of consciousness: This is brewed with real pumpkin and spices, and it clocks in at a solid 8% ABV. Why not? If you're going to make a pumpkin or spiced ale that someone's probably only going to drink one of why not go big? It's poured a hazy reddish chestnut brown colored body with golden highlights beneath a short head of tan foam. Sugary cinnamon greets you in the nose backed by a light apple-like fruitiness. The flavor follows and it tastes like cinnamon-spiced apple cider. Beyond that there's a bready and lightly caramelish malt base and notes of nutmeg and clove. It's moderately bitter, and it finishes with a dollop of sweet malt fading to leave behind some spice that's mainly clove at this point. In the mouth it's medium bodied and smooth with a moderate, fine-bubbled carbonation. The head retention and lacing could both be better but for a spiced beer of 8% it's not bad. It's not over-spiced, over-done in maltiness or body or alcohol, and really well-balanced across the board. It's really nicely done and although I suggested that spiced ales are generally a one and done kind of beer I truly believe that you could enjoy two, or maybe even three of these in a row.
Review #8,311

 

 

 

Nice mellow pumpkin spice taste and mild aroma. Clean finish , no cloying aftertaste!

Pours amber and smells of what you’d expect from a pumpkin ale. Cinnamon pumpkin aromas not sweet as some pumpkins but medium bodied and full. Nice smooth aftertaste. A nice fall pumpkin beer!

Bottled on 7-19-22. 12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

Pours a glowing auburn with ruby hues and a subtle haze; fluffy light khaki head that falls leaving decent retention and lacing.

The aromas have a decent amount of pumpkin spices leading the way, especially cinnamon sugar. Some caramel and cocoa. Malts are there.

The flavors follow the nose. More cinnamon leading the way. Some nutmeg and ginger coming through. Hints of allspice in the mix. More caramel and cocoa. Moderate sweetness. Lower bitterness. Solid malt backbone. Alcohol goes unnoticed for the most part.

Mouthfeel is full-bodied with moderate to active carbonation. It's fluffy, sharp, smooth, and creamy.

This is a great pumpkin ale. This beer has honestly been on my radar for close to 15 years, so it's nice to finally see what the fuss is about! I'd say it lives up to the hype. I really like it.

 

 

Bottled 8/11/22; drank 9/2/22 @ the Yarchives.

Mostly opaque brown/orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a big, noisy khaki head; minimal lace.

Allspice, pumpkin & mild cream notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Pumpkin pie vibes here; if that's not your bag, you won't like it; if it is your bag, you'll like it but it doesn't transcend the genre.

Pours a hazy deep molasses brown with a light tan head that recedes quickly. The brew smells of fall, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla notes. Basically smells like a freshly baked pumpkin pie with some rum added. The taste is complex, semi-sweet, and rich. A pumpkin or sweet potato pie in a glass! The mouthfeel is luxurious and wonderful. This is definitely a top notch beer!!! Great job Schlafly!

One of the beers that absolutely defines the season. A pumpkin beer on a level unmatched by any other. A flavor explosion of Cinnamon, nutmeg, spice and pumpkin pie. A must have for a fall masterpiece

Somewhat foggy varnished brown with hints of dark red under a dense but short khaki blanket.

On the way out from Great Taste, Schlafly poured me a glass with an all too heavy hand. It's certainly a pumpkin beer, but as is typical, more in the pumpkin-spiced theme than plain roasted, unflavored squash-like gourd. As such, the earthy, fleshy qualities aren't really present, but yep, it's right in line with the "style," and fairly forward of cinnamon. I was just surprised to see I'd never had this one before, but I suppose not too much considering I tend to stay away from fall and winter spice themed beers.

Either way, thanks for allowing me to check this one off the list at a festival so I can remain unburdened with any excess bottles at home. Like I said, while it's fine, it's just another pumpkin beer in a sea of pumpkin beers that just doesn't stand out, even with all the praise it's garnered over the years.

This really good, it's not as viscerally pumpkin as some others but I like that about it. It's very flavorful and easy to drink. Definitely a great example of the style. I enjoy the subtle sweetness

 

 

 

 

 

12oz bottle received as a gift from a friend. Bottled on 8/17/2021, so this is over 3 1/2 months old. I took this out of the fridge so I am drinking it closer to room temperature.

Look: Pours a very dark amber color, with near clarity and some speckled particulates have settled to the bottom of the glass. Has a half pinky finger of very frothy, small-bubbled beige head with good retention and decent lacing.

Smell: Very nice aromas of spices - ginger, clove, spicy cinnamon, nutmeg. Lovely caramel aroma and subtle vanilla note.
On the nose, the beer has apple cider vibes more than pumpkin pie flavor. Smells nice regardless.

Taste: Yummy. The sweet, malty, bready notes on the nose and up front on the palate are well-balanced on the finish with mild bitterness, spiciness, and dryness. Has nice flavors of molasses, gingerbread, pumpkin pie, and autumn. There is a mild acidity that works well with this here. It's hard to say that I taste pumpkin itself though.

Feel: Perfectly carbonated and has a slightly chewy and creamy mouthfeel. Medium plus body.

Overall: I think that this is a very well-made pumpkin beer. It is malt-forward and the spices are prevalent yet not overpowering. At the same time, I am very satisfied with drinking just one of these and possibly revisiting it again next year.

 

Clear amber color with a thin head, fair retention.
Aroma has bold spice notes of cinnamon and clove, hints of pumpkin.
Taste follows suit but with full on pumpkin over the mid palate. It has a smooth strong sweetness, nicely balanced with the spices.
Light to medium body and surprisingly easy to drink for a 8% ABV beer.
I am not a big pumpkin fan in general but I would say this tastes like liquid pumpkin pie.
This is a great pumpkin beer!

Does not taste like 8% abv, alcohol is hidden very well. Very mellow sweetness. The smell is not that strong but the taste is. Tastes just like pumpkin pie. I would buy this again.

I tried this beer as part of a beer food pairing event that Schlafy held at the Double Overtime Grill in Mount Vernon, Illinois. It poured a clear amber with off white head that did not leave much lace. The scent had strong cinnamon notes. The taste was sweet leaning with cinnamon, brown sugar and pumpkin presence. The mouthfeel was medium in body and had good carbonation. Overall it is a great beer....it was paired with a cheesecake with caramel drizzle and a pumpkin chocolate truffle.....the sweet food helped cut the sweetness of the beer and made it more enjoyable.

 

 

I had this on tap at their taproom in St Louis. Is was a good beer like all their others ive had. The smell reminds me of a pumpkin bar, and the flavor has a lot pumpkin spice notes to it. Its not something id want evey day, but if you had it with a thanksgiving dinner or just relaxing in the fall i would say its quite good.

Now this is a damn good pumpkin ale. Beautiful copper pour that held a rich foamy head for a short while. Ample smell notes of squash, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg rounded out by a hint of burnt sugar. Those notes are all followed through with in the palate. A creamy pumpkin pie explosion but what I really like is that you do get those notes of the squash. The sweetness is there but it's not overwhelming and it's certainly expected. Finishes with all the same notes with little aftertaste. This is a top notch pumpkin ale.

 

September 16, 2021 - A clear dark copper color. The head is thin and dissipates quickly to a ring. I like the color but the head is unimpressive; The smell is sweet and fruity, not your usual beer aroma; Sparkly and tasty. The flavor is surprisingly rich and sweet. A very interesting flavor. Mouthfeel is tangy, medium carbonation, better that suggested by the lack of head. I bought the beer because of its high rating, but I was skeptical. Pumpkin? Really? But its good.