Southern Tier Pumking, 2014 edition

Wasn't 2011 the last year it was 9% Abv? I know 8.6% isn't much of a drop off, but it could be enough to make a subtle difference.. I've always felt Pumking has been pretty consistent over the years, but that's me.. I also haven't tried 2014 yet.. also keep in mind it's a very polarizing brew and not for everyone..

 

The pumpkin I have tried in the past 2 years has been awful. Way too spicy and too much flavor for my taste budz. I have found that Stevens Point - Whole Hog Series - Pumpkin ale is top notch. The Schlafly one was tasty as well. Going to open my mind to every pumpkin beer out there this year. Wish I could try an older one to see what all the hype was about.

 

My thoughts echo the OP exactly.

My first Pumking was 2011 and I was nuts over it. In 2012 I got a case as a gift and remember it still being very good. No noticeable difference from 2011 to me. But in 2013 I noticed a huge difference. In 2011 and 2012 I probably went through 30 bottles of Pumking. Last year I probably had 2.

I always wondered if they sacrificed quality to meet rising demand.

Is the King dead?

 

Wouldn't any 2 year old High Gravity beer tast different than the current year's selection? I kept a 2012 for a year, and drank it along side a 2013 last Halloween, and I prefered the 2013, I had a 2014 a couple of weeks ago, but I can't compare it to the one I had last October

 

I used to love this beer and I still buy a bottle each year, but it's more of a novelty now. I chalked it up to changing taste buds, but the beer could have changed too. Definitely more artificial than I remember 5 years ago.

 

One of the first things I did when moving into my first house in October 2012 was buy a sixth barrel of Pumking for my kegerator. I too noticed a difference in last year's batch but haven't tried 2014 yet.

 

Switch to Schlafly Pumpkin.

 

I was in a tasting where the 2011, 12, 13 were compared and the 2011 destroyed the other two. But I'm not sure if the age made it better or if the beer recipe has changed.

 

I can vouch for Pumking being completely different post-2012, I'm not sure what the price point was then but now at around $6.99 a bottle it is definitely a more streamlined version of the original concept.

 

I unfortunately do not remember dates. I was a BIG fan of Pumking a few years ago; it could very well have been the 2011 version. I have not enjoyed the past few years (2013, 2012). I have not had the 2014 version.

Cheers!

 

At least there is a segment with a similar baseline. Last year I got to bring back some CCB Good Gourd from Tampa and loved it. Seeing as Pumking was the first pumpkin beer I really got into I went back to it and it just didn't seem as good. The graham cracker notes were missing and while tasty it didn't have the same creamy feel that I recalled. I had chalked it up to my palate, what I was also eating at the time, and other factors. At least I'm not alone.

 

2013 was a huge disappointment for me. I was a loyal subject of the King, although I did partake in other pumpkin beers, the King was my favorite. Can't say I still feel that way. Rather have 5-7 others over the King off the top of my head.

I'll still pick up a 2014 bottle but I'm sure it will taste more like 2013 and not like 11/12.

 

Couldn't agree more. Never had the '11 but '12 was so much better than '13 and '14, the new ones taste watery and artificial.

 

Good Gourd is the real king. Schlafly pumpkin is really good too.

 

I'm not sure if I had the '11 or the '12, but I've had one of the two. Like other posters have remarked, the '13 and '14 taste more "artificial" than the previous. Didn't like either. I made a comment while drinking the '14 that it tastes like a melted Pumpkin Pie Yankee Candle.

 

Completely concur. The first Pumking I had was in 2011 and it tasted as though a legit pumpkin was tossed in a blender with some cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg then bottled. It was creamy as all hell. The 2013 version tasted like a standard ale with pumpkin flavoring added.

 

You need help, and not just because you bought 10 cases, but because it was a pumpkin "beer".

Jesus wept and continues to weep for this style

 

Jesus was a wine man anyway. He can weep into his Merlot.

 

I'm not surprised to see this thread. I like pumpkin beer, I don't love it, but I always liked Pumking, but I only had 2 last year, the second I mixed with ST Creme Brûlée and this year, honestly, I don't think I'll get it at all, unless it's on sale and my selection options aren't good. It's literally everywhere right now.

I used to get Pumking frequently, looked forward to it, but it's definitely not the same. I agree with the Schlafly post. Much better, more "real" taste.

It could also be the market has caught up. Pumpkin beers were more of an anomoly even just 5 years ago (Brooklyn's Post Road being one of the few "old school" pumpkin beers) and maybe Pumking just seemed better back then because it blew away its competitors, which, wasn't too hard at that point in time.