This is an interesting ale. Not only is it a pumpkin ale, it is an aged pumpkin ale. Not only is an aged pumpkin ale, it is an aged pumpkin ale in oak barrels. Because of this aging process, the beer has a very high alcohol, at around 10.3%. The alcohol cannot even be tasted in this beer, but at what cost does this come?
Sight - This beer happens to be the darkest pumpkin ale I have ever seen. The barrel aged process in the reason for this. The spices are allowed to age within the barrel, and the barrels themselves. Oak barrels tend to leave beer darker than other barrels, outside of whiskey barrels. You can also tell that the beer also carbonates well from the size of the head.
Smell - Surprisingly, there is a great smelling beer. It has the aroma of not only pumpkins, but the fall spices that goes with pumpkin ale. It does not smell any different from the other pumpkin ales I have reviewed, but it still has a that great scent. Taste - Just as I stated earlier, you cannot taste the alcohol one bit in this beer. It is smooth with a malty finish. Yet, through out the entire beer is the taste of pure pumpkin, with just a hit of the spices you would expect in a pumpkin ale. Since it was aged in the oak barrels, I was expecting an oaky finish to the beer, but that is lacking from the beer. I am rather disappointed in this.
Overall - With this beer, you are paying for a very alcoholic beer that taste like light alcoholic beer. This is quite a feat of beer craftsmanship, but the actually taste is just run of the mill. It is good, but at the price you pay for one 750ml, one should expect something to brag about. A simple price drop would make this beer a classic, but it will have to suffer mundane status for now.
3 out of 5 Cheers!
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