62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale
DuClaw Brewing Co.

 

 

L S -A finger's worth of uneven lush khaki colored froth with a few big chunky bubbles sitting on top... Slight retention gives way to an splotchy lacing and thin to moderate collar... A moderate bit of sluggish carbonation rises throughout... The color is a caramelly light brown - a bit darker than usual for the style...

S - Sweet right out of the game... Caramel and sweet potatoes are dominate... Next is a rich strong graham cracker crust component... There is a subtle autumnal spiciness that lingers beneath the surface...

T - The sweetness is dialed down a notch on the palate... The pie crust and dark bready notes are at the forefront... There is a surprising hop assertiveness as well... The pumpkin and caramel flavor are muted and buried a bit... There are hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice throughout...

F - Medium bodied... Quite sturdy... The finish is both a bit dry and a bit chalky...

O - A really interesting and enjoyable Pumpkin Ale... A bit different and unique which is something that I know DuClaw strives for... Hides the 8.2% ABV rather well... While not a must have ever fall, I have a feeling this will find its way into my beer fridge more often than not in the future...

 

I am very curious to drink & review this beer as a back-to-back with their 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager. Will 62 be twice what 31 was? Nope. The former is an ale while the latter was a lager. It makes for a very interesting idea on their part.

From the bottle: "Warm flavors & aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove; a mild hop presence, and hearty malt backbone combine to create tantalizing dark brown feast for the senses. Pop the top, take a sip, and you will ... GO OUT OF YOUR GOURD!"; "Respect_the_Fluid". In the background of the label was an homage to 31 as follows: "First brewed in 200[?] as ... '31', takes the classic Munich Dunkel and ... seasonal spices to create a new fall favorite, Pumpkin Spiced Lager. This amber colored medium-bodied German-style lager tricks you with its smooth, malty flavor profile and moderate 5.2% abv, then then treats your senses with a spicy, refreshing finish of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin. Take a swig and you'll agree that on a scale of 1 to 10. it's '31.'"

Having Pop!ped the cap, I once more employed a heavy-handed aggro pour, resulting in two-plus fingers of puffy, foamy, deep-tan/light-brown head with moderate retention. Color was Coppery-Brown (SRM = > 17, < 22) with NE-quality clarity. Nose smelled more like clove and nutmeg than cinnamon, which is a nice change of pace. Mouthfeel was medium-to-full, not as creamy as 31. The taste was very nutmeg and allspice, underlain with cinnamon and whoever mentioned a Winter Warmer in their review was spot-on. This seemed very spicy for a Pumpkin Ale, even as an "Imperial". Finish was dry as the direct result of the spices. I did not dislike it, per se, but I think that it would be better suited for the cusp of October-November, vice September-October. Today is Sa, 01 Oct 2016 & while it has gotten cooler in the last couple of weeks, it still seems like a big beer better suited to much cooler temperatures.

 

 

 

 

 

My main criticism with this beer is that the pumpkin flavor is buried by the spicing that's going on. The flavors that are present are enjoyable to me but I might not think this was a pumpkin ale if it was served to me without me knowing what I was getting. A winter warmer, for sure. Nutmeg and dark sugar stands out. There's a burnt pumpkin pie thing going on if I think about it. DuClaw has been pretty hit or miss for me; this one is a hit as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

 

 

A: Pours a hazy deep copper-ish amber in color with moderate amounts of active visible carbonation along the edges of the glass and moderate cola brown highlights. The beer has a finger tall tan head that quickly reduces to a large patch of thin film covering a little more than half the surface of the beer and a thin ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate aromas of pumpkin pie spices (clove, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon) over lighter aromas of caramel malts, roasted pumpkin, and brown sugar sweetness. Hints of booziness.

T: Upfront there is a moderate flavor of toasted + caramel malts with moderate amounts of roasted pumpkin and brown sugar sweetness. That is followed by moderate to strong flavors of pumpkin pie spices (clove, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon in descending order of strength) and light amounts of booziness in the finish.

M: Slightly heavier than medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of spice dryness in the finish and a hint of alcohol warming as well.

O: A decent stronger pumpkin beer offering but a little heavy handed with the spices and a touch too much booziness to be an easy drinker.

Deep Amber/copper with no head or lacing.

Nothing but clove in the nose. A little bit of cinnamon. Typical pumpkin spice.

Light cinnamon up front that fades into the same pumpkin spice notes that you can find in pretty much any seasonal beer, except there is no sweetness at all. Not much, if any, pumpkin. A bit boozy on the back end which is surprising considering the ABV.

A good bit of carbonation. Medium bodied. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Overall, meh.

Pours a cloudy copper with brown edges and a finger of head. The nose has the essence of pumpkin and seasonal spices. The spices continue into the flavor profile but there is no hint of pumpkin. There is also no residual sweetness to cut the spice so this offering seems like a spice bomb on the finish.