"Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Ale brewed with pumpkin and pumpkin seeds and fermented with spices."
I had some family over at the house on Halloween night to just hang out, have a good time, and take my almost 5 month old daughter to her very first door-to-door trick-or-treat experience. I stuck around to pass out candy. When it was all over and everyone could just chill, it was time to crack open a beer and enjoy it. Considering that it was Halloween, I thought it would be nice to get my hands on a pumpkin beer.
The beer was poured into a shaped pint. It had a hazy amber shape to it. I could see traces of sediment in the glass. Maybe one finger of off-white colored head. Average retention, left traces of lacing but not much else. Very sweet on the nose with aromas of pumpkin, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, honey,
Sweet tasting, but not as sweet as some other pumpkin beers I've had. Not cloying. Full of pumpkin flavor, along with tastes of cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, ginger, and even a little bit of cola. Light to medium bodied with average carbonation. I expected this one to be more lightly carbonated.
Maybe it was too late in the night or something, but this one just wasn't connecting with me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for something that tasted like liquid pumpkin pie. I forced myself to drink it down, but I ultimately found it to be unsatisfying. I know this was an older bottle, so maybe I made the mistake of letting it sit too long. That said, while I likely won't buy myself another bottle (primarily because of price), if I get a chance for a second smaller tasting, I'll give it another go.
Grade: C-
Price Paid: $10.99 (22 oz bomber)
