Weyerbacher Imperial Sour Pumpkin?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by blivingston1985, Jan 10, 2014.

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  1. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    I love me some Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin. It is really the only pumpkin ale I buy every year. I picked up a pack two days ago and cracked a bottle for dinner. The aroma was pungent rotten vegetable and spices. I knew something was amiss instantly. I took a swig and boy was that thing sour and super dry....But it totally worked. I used one bottle to boil some stew veggies and that was killer. I am going to go out and pick up a few more packs and see if this was a single case/pack that was screwy or if the beer is turning/infected in a way that really worked for me.

    Anyone else had a bottle from this years batch recently and encountered this? I will report back and let everyone know if I run into more sour bottles.

    Cheers!
     
    #1 blivingston1985, Jan 10, 2014
  2. velcrogrip

    velcrogrip Initiate (0) Mar 2, 2013 Florida

    !ISO Rotten Veg Imperial Ale!
     
    #2 velcrogrip, Jan 10, 2014
    anteater, Wylde and blivingston1985 like this.
  3. cYmYr

    cYmYr Savant (1,035) May 21, 2013 Pennsylvania

    I think it must have 'turned bad' in a good way. A fortuitous brett or bacteria soured it pleasantly for you.
    When I had it last it was similar to being punched in the mouth with an over-sweet pumpkin pie. Neither dry nor sour.
    Cheers, and good luck on finding more. ^^/
     
    #3 cYmYr, Jan 10, 2014
  4. spedprof

    spedprof Initiate (0) Dec 13, 2011 West Virginia

    Yes... I had a some back in October that I thought was soured but I wasn't sure because I had not tasted it before... It was really not too bad. Then, a buddy gave me a bottle a month later to try and it tasted like I thought that it was going to taste. Alas, the beer I had in October was infected after all.
     
    #4 spedprof, Jan 10, 2014
  5. EastHarris

    EastHarris Devotee (347) Jan 9, 2012 Pennsylvania

    I took a break from Imperial Pumpkin this year. But I suggest you contact them directly. In my experience, they have always been very responsive and friendly.
     
    #5 EastHarris, Jan 10, 2014
  6. Ieatlambfries

    Ieatlambfries Maven (1,344) Dec 5, 2003 New Jersey

    Didn't get any soured Pumpkins from them this year. I did get a bad 4 pack of Blithering Idiot the other day. Totally sour.
     
    #6 Ieatlambfries, Jan 10, 2014
  7. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    Like, actually sour? Or, like, totally sour(I'm being sarcastic)?
     
    #7 blivingston1985, Jan 10, 2014
  8. Rare_Man

    Rare_Man Initiate (0) May 15, 2013 Illinois

    At least I know I'm not crazy...Bottles I bought were bottled on 07/31/13, I believe I had a couple in late Aug and early Sept and then it was fine. However, I saved the rest until Thanksgiving time and wow it had changed-basically to what you described about being sour. Really was not what I was looking forward to. Still have a bottle left...
     
    #8 Rare_Man, Jan 11, 2014
  9. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    I wish I had thought to better note the bottling date on my sour bottles. I feel like they were bottle 08/29, but I am not certain.
     
    #9 blivingston1985, Jan 11, 2014
  10. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    Update: I picked up a pack tonight from what I believe to be the same bottling(not sure when my original sour bottle was bottled), 8/29/13, and they were not sour. If anyone else can post the bottling date(s) of any sours bottles they have had or run into I would appreciate it.
    I also sent an email to Weyerbacher. We will see if they are hip to this already.
     
    #10 blivingston1985, Jan 11, 2014
  11. Alex5

    Alex5 Pundit (912) Mar 18, 2012 South Carolina

    This is the only pumpkin ale I buy as well. I got a case about 2 weeks ago and there's nothing wrong with it. And it's good until April. I wonder if that one you got was stored wrong or something.
     
    #11 Alex5, Jan 11, 2014
  12. fmj40

    fmj40 Initiate (0) Aug 29, 2013 North Dakota

    I'm a big pumking fan...but also bought some Weyebacker to try it out. From the start it didn't taste right. Like spoiled pumpkin honestly. I bought two four packs and haven't finished one bottle. Perhaps I got some bad ones as well.
     
    #12 fmj40, Jan 11, 2014
  13. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    There was definitely a little rotten pumpkin aroma in mine. But is was awesome sour and bone dry.
     
    #13 blivingston1985, Jan 11, 2014
  14. blivingston1985

    blivingston1985 Initiate (0) Jan 7, 2010 North Carolina

    Maybe. It didn't show any signs of being skunked or oxydized, though. Just straight up sour.
     
    #14 blivingston1985, Jan 14, 2014
  15. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    I've had some sour Heresy but that is less surprising than these other, unbaralled, beers you guys memotioned. I guess this is just a side effect of the emphasis they put on their barrel program.
     
    #15 NoLeafClover44, Jan 14, 2014
  16. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,463) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Weyerbacher does make a few [purposely] sour beers. Maybe there was a batch of imperial pumpkin that got some stray bacteria. One of the Weyerbacher brewers has a BA account and might respond to this thread.

    It's funny when a release goes sour by accident and some people actually like it more. I remember it happening a few years ago with Abyss. But, from what I understand the sourness can get out of control really quickly. So, if you like it, drink it now because it's probably not going to get any better with age.
     
    #16 Ranbot, Jan 15, 2014
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  17. Alex5

    Alex5 Pundit (912) Mar 18, 2012 South Carolina

    You know what....That reminds me....My bro-in-law bought a 4-pack of last year's Heresy and it was kida sour-ish. Something was wrong with it. I know and remember what Heresy suppose to taste like and that wasn't it.
     
    #17 Alex5, Jan 15, 2014
  18. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,463) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    Imperial pumpkin would never have touched a barrel.
     
    #18 Ranbot, Jan 15, 2014
  19. NoLeafClover44

    NoLeafClover44 Initiate (0) Feb 24, 2011 Delaware

    I know. Did you read my whole post or just select the line you liked least? I'm not sure how the new brewery compares, but at the old one a significant percentage of the brewery is used as a barrel house. With that many barrels, critters are living in the walls/air. It's not easy for them to reach an unbaralled beer, but it can happen.
     
    #19 NoLeafClover44, Jan 15, 2014
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  20. Rare_Man

    Rare_Man Initiate (0) May 15, 2013 Illinois

    BA Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale?? Yes, please.
     
    #20 Rare_Man, Jan 15, 2014
    jlenik and NoLeafClover44 like this.
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