Gourd Darn-It
Third Eye Brewing Company

Pours black with a solid finger's-worth of a foamy mocha head. It looks nice. The head fades out pretty quickly into a small corona bubbling its life away. The aroma is a winner with the strong and unmistakable mark of pumpkin. It's not messing around. It's straight pumpkin over a malty, stout backbone. And they aren't messing around on the taste, either!

The first sip is a very pleasing combination of malt and pumpkin. Neither overpowers the other. A smoky, malty quality comes in first but is quickly joined by the pumpkin. There are hints of spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove - before it resolves into a toasty, malty, coffee finish. The touch of lactose is a nice evener. It's a beer that finishes creamy but not overly sweet. Only mid-bodied, surprisingly, might benefit from a touch more fullness, fairly carbonated, but it's the flavor profile that makes it.

Pumpkin stouts aren't in abundance and why? Perhaps only a young and remarkably successful brewery like Third Eye can get away with it. Marked on the back of the label is the 2023 GABF gold medal - understandable why it won. Add that to the ecclectic tasting list.

 

 

 

Poured a dark black with an inch of head the exact color of a paper grocery bag. Decent retention. Wonderful lacing. There are a few pumpkin beers like Warlock that go the darker route, but they're the exception. I appreciate this stout for taking the road less traveled.

Many aromas going on here. Cinnamon and nutmeg. Roasty, toasty malts. DARK coffee. Caramelized pumpkin. Molasses and smoke in the background.

Taste follows the nose, but the smoke, malts, and coffee move to the front. There's some tobacco in there too, along with some char. Ordinarily, the bitterness here might be a bit much, but the added lactose balances everything out without making this a sweet beer. This is a complex palate, but its all put together really well.

Mouthfeel is medium, but a beer like this should be fuller.