Pumpkin Ale
Brown's Brewing Company

Poured from tap at the Walloomsac tap room; no birth date. Pours light opaquish brown with minimal head. Upfront: tastes like pumpkin pie, though not too sweet. Great nutmeg & vanilla tastes that perfectly complement the pumpkin. One of the best pumpkin beers!

Reviewed from notes.
The appearance was a semi-thick orange to almost amber color with a fairly quick dissipating quarter finger's worth of white foamy head. Barely any lace.
The aroma seemed to have some cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg up front and then the pumpkin extract (semi-sweet).
The flavor was moderately spicy with a semi-sweet sort of balancing act coming about. Fair amount of those spices take the aftertaste a bit more firmer than the sweetness of the pumpkin.
The mouthfeel was almost medium bodied, it did seem to sit just a touch under. Nice sessionable sort of quality about it as the spices didn't cause too much distracting qualities, just seemed to meld into the smoothness of the pumpkin extract. Not much of a finish, but seemed somewhat pumpkin-smooth.
Overall, as a pumpkin ale, I could do this one again. It's not exhausting in the manner of a fair amount of pumpkin ales these days, just all around good.

 

 

L: Deep amber. Poured with almost two fingers head. Dissipated fairly quickly but left some lacing.

S: Cinnamon and spices. Pumpkin barely noticeable.

T: Cinnamon and spices but the pumpkin is easily recognizable.

F: Chewy. medium bodied to thick.

O: A rock solid pumpkin beer. One of my firsts of the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A-Clear deep orange, no head

S-Pumpkin, cinnamon, spices.

T-Very pumpkin heavy, spices are there but not over powering. Clove is there.

M-Medium bodied, smooth.

O-A solid pumpkin ale. Only on draft for a limited time, was happy to go while it was available.

Poured from a bomber into a pint glass, the beer has a rather impressive and surprising cascade for the style. What starts as a dense, orange-tinted, thick head of about an inch and a half settles rather quickly into a film covering. The beer itself is a rich, vibrant, slightly hazed copper-orange coloring. Looks great. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin all over the nose, like pumpkin pie or pumpkin cookies. Smells just like a pumpkin ale should. Flavors are a little watered down initially, followed by a bolder blast of molasses and burnt caramel malts, with a char and smoke characteristic. There is some pumpkin and spice highlight, but greatly overpowered. The sharp contrast of flavors on a light to mid-body and a slightly cloying, resiny body make this a rough brew at the end. It had so much going for it at the beginning, too. The finish returns to the watery feel, with a slight linger of smoke and spice. It definitely has some strong points, but a big let down where it counts for me.

A - Cloudy amber-orange color. Very little head, but there is a little bit of lacing left behind.

S - The smell is more of pumpkin pie spices than it is pumpkin smell. Mostly the spices related to pumpkin pie like nutmeg and allspice.

T - The taste is mild and contains mostly pumpkin pie spices. There is also some malt flavor that comes through. Unlike the smell, the pumpkin is part of the taste, but could be a bit stronger compared to the spices. The aftertaste is fairly pumpkin-filled though.

M - Very smooth and very crisp. Just a bit of carbonation. Pretty medium-bodied.

D - Very drinkable beer. The pumpkin and malt flavors are a bit subdued and the overall taste is of the spices. Though, the beer could taste a bit more balanced.

A: Opaque orange/amber body. No head.

S: Not as strong as other pumpkin beers but decent. Mostly spice and pumpkin which is no real surprise.

T: The spices are more subdued than others and the pumpkin steps forward. Kind of muted though and fades almost completely although it does come back during a burp.

M: Moderately thick but not chewy.

D: Not bad but not great.

I had this brew the other night when I was out for dinner at Browns. It was the first time that I was there since the birth of our son and a normal the food and brews where good. I will say that this version of a pumpkin ale was not one of my favorites but was not bad. Had a amber color with a smallish off white head that had at best mild retention and really did not leave much of any lacing. The aromas did not really remind me of a pumpkin ale, more of just an amber with some faint spice scents. The taste is where the spices really came out, did not really remind me of pumpkin as much as it had more of a cinnamon and nutmeg flavoring. After about 1/2 of the brew I will admit that I started to get sick of this brew but did finish it. Overall I feel that Browns has better offerings but it is nice to try the seasonals.

This beer has a really nice amber color with a short white head. The smell was very sweet like a pumpkin pie. The taste is excellent for a pumpkin ale with sweet pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon flavors that actually do not overpower the flavor and the malt flavor is able to come through. The aftertaste is excellent but a bit sweet which is why I gave it a little less in the drinkability area. Overall a really good fall beer and worth a try if you're in the mood for a pumpkin ale in the Troy area.