Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale | Federal Jack's Restaurant & Brew Pub

3.09/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

First pumpkin beer of the season this year!

Appearance: Thin head, golden amber in color (rather less orange than I would have expected). Poor retention and no lacing.

Smell: Pumpkin pie spices, especially ginger. Some spicy hops and caramel malt.

Taste: Pumpkin-y, but slightly acid and artificial-tasting. Mineral water finish.

Mouthfeel: Spritzy carbonation, light/med body

Drinkability: Decent pumpkin beer.

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3.09/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A - Dark yellow with no head or lace.

S - Spices cloves and slight pumpkin.

T - Spices cloves and kinda pumpkin/light beer taste.

M - fizzzy, slightly over fizzy.

D - Drinks ok, too much spice aftertaste but might go well with pumpkin pie or thanksgiving. Weird aftertaste that leaves a spice/clove thing in the back of my throat. Good holiday ale. Kinda could not finish it due to its weirdness, had to pass it on.

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3.1/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

3.11/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured to a golden yellow with no head. Looked just like Budweiser.

Smelled of pumpkin. Couldn't smell any spices or other aromas.

Tasted like artificial pumpkin. It's sweet too, maybe a little too sweet. But it's not terrible. Having one, so it's okay with me. I don think I'd drink more though.

The beer is too watery and has very little body. Aside from that, it's fine.

I'm not impressed. This may be one of he poorer pumpkins I've tried this season. Still, it's not absolutely terrible and could do in a pinch.

UPDATE:
The 2014 selection has a nicer taste than I remember, and I am increasing the score for both the taste and overall from a 3.0 and 2.5 to a 3.25 and 3.0 respectively.

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3.12/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle into nonic.

Clear pale amber hue with a mild orange tint. A very thin and fizzy head quickly settles to a flat rim along the glass.

Grainy malts along with some light spices from pumpkin, and a little bit of raw pumpkin aroma.

Again, grains sit in the background, while the light spices and a little bit of pumpkin pie flavor take the rest of the show. Light bodied with good carbonation. The pumpkin flavor lingers for a while.

An okay pumpkin ale. While this one doesn't have any bad flavors, it's pretty thin, and focuses on the spices more than the pumpkin flavor. Enjoyable, but not the best.

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3.14/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with active carbonation and a one finger white head with decent retention and lacing. Aroma of sweet malt, pumpkin, clove, cinnamon, a little bit of soap astringency. Flavor is quite sweet malt, artificial pumpkin, clove, nutmeg and cinnamon. Light bodied with nice carbonation. This has all the ingrediants of a pumpkin ale, but seems slapped together, kind of like an overly sweet, commercially made pumpkin pie. Too sweet and artificial tasting, but drinkable with food.

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3.14/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I enjoyed this beer from the comfort of my own living room. From the 12oz bottle to a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a golden yellowish/orange color with a thin white head that disappears quickly. Not a very inviting look.

Smell: Pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cinnamon. A huge improvement over the appearance.

Taste: Spicy pumpkin nutmeg. Not much aftertaste. This is surprising, considering the amount of spice that hits up front.

Mouthfeel: Highly carbonated and thin-bodied.

Drinkability: Not nearly as bad as the previous reviews led me to believe. At the same time, this isn't my favorite pumpkin ale and could definitely improve in the look and taste department. Wouldn't seek out again, but wouldn't kick it out of bed either.

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3.17/5  rDev +7.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I should have known better than to get my hopes up when I saw this sitting on the shelves at Trader Joe's in Cary. Most of their contract brewed stuff is ordinary at best. This pumpkin pours dark golden and all semblence of head dies within seconds. Smell is uninspiring; minute pumpkin and spice and some artificial smelling adjuncts.

Overwhelming carbonation at first, followed by sweet but genuine pumpkin flavor. Not much for body and the aftertaste is dull and flat but I have had worse pumpkins, although not many. Certainly not worth seeking out although I get a feeling you'd only find it at TJ's anyway.

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3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.25/5  rDev +10.2%

3.27/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

A-Pours an orange-ish yellow w/thin white head. Slightly hazy.
S-Cinnamon, nutmeg, gourd, slight walnut.
T-Reminds me of a wheat beer accompanying my old neighbor's pumpkin-nut loaf, and also of a cinnamon-yam dish my wife made a couple Thanksgivings ago. Taste is a bit lighter than what I was expecting, and slightly sweet w/hints of tangelo. I originally marked this pretty low but it gets better after a couple sips, and the balance isn't too bad. Aftertaste gets a little sloppy and confused.
M-Too light for the flavors. It mixes heavy flavors w/very light texture, and although the carbonation gives it a little backbone, it falls short.
D-Actually quite refreshing, plus I got it on markdown.

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3.27/5  rDev +10.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Type: 12-oz. bottle
Glass: Modern Times pint glass
From: Trader Joe’s in La Mesa (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $1.00
Purchased: Oct. 15, 2015
Consumed: Oct. 15, 2015
Misc.: N/A

Poured a honey, golden, pale, clear color with a finger of fizzy, greyish head that dissipated about as quick as I poured it. Average amount of bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass. Poor lacing on the sides of the glass. Poor retention. (Sight - 2.50)

Smelled pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, pumpkin pie, red apple cider, honey graham cracker and carrot cake. (Smell - 3.50)

Taste wasn’t quite as good, but still the obvious pumpkin flavors. Getting cinnamon stick, sugary pumpkin spice, apple cider, carrot cake and cinnamon graham cracker. (Taste - 3.25)

Light body. Thin texture. Average-to-soft carbonation. Abrupt, water finish. (Feel - 3.25)

This wasn’t as terrible as I thought it was going to be. I am a sucker for pumpkin beers, but this wasn’t bad, especially for the price. (Overall - 3.25)

3.27 | 75 | B-

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3.29/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25