Punkin Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery

JimmyK77

Delaware

4.97/5  rDev +25.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

I normally love Punkin Ale anyway, but they had it cask-conditioned at their brewpub a few weeks ago. Oh Heaven, you have found me! Same great punkin ale with flavors of brown sugar, spice, and autumn. But with superb creamy smoothness and a hint of maple syrup from the cask conditioning. Just line them up!

Serving type: cask
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

10-13-2009 14:52:08 | More by JimmyK77

JGam115

New York

4.71/5  rDev +18.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

From my Untappd history. Poured at The Yard House in Yonkers.

A: Kind of a muted brown hue mixed with amber. Off-white head. You would think the beer would be opaque, but this one was rather clear.

S: You're immediately hit with the spice blend - I think cinnamon and allspice. Don't think there's any nutmeg in there. The pumpkin fruit they use is crazy good though because it comes through without being too sweet or overpowered by the spices.

T: This always reminds me of the fall and I also use it to benchmark other pumpkin beers. The alcohol comes through even though it's 7%, but it's a pleasant flavor. The malts work with the organic pumpkins extremely well.

M: Great feeling on the palette and even better finish. I crave cider doughnuts and a campfire immediately after swallowing.

O: This is my quintessential pumpkin/fall beer. It's the perfect mix of fruit and spices.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

05-14-2013 18:51:56 | More by JGam115

THErealDK

Georgia

4.9/5  rDev +23.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First of all Finding this beer was impossible so when I did you would have thought I won the lottery I was so happy. This beer is actually what made Dogfish head Famous, they served it at a festival that was based around lobbing pumpkins with crazy contraptions.

Lets get to it!

A: The over all appearance is nice, a dark amber color almost brown. The head is light, but creamy and went way to a thin layer after a few minutes.

S: The smell is where a lot of the money is made here. This brew has a lot of natural fresh spices, and you can tell when you take a sniff. On top of that, the fresh smell from the pumpkin meat used comes through as well making this a very enjoyable beer. I recommend taking a nice whiff before sipping this.

T: If the smell wasn't good enough, the taste is. This has a nice warm and yet refreshing taste. The fresh spices, and pumpkin make you feel like your eating moms pumpkin pie after a Thanksgiving dinner. The warm tones from this brew compliment the cold weather, and of course the holidays.

Overall this is probably the best Pumpkin Ale I have had. I have hunted down many but this takes the top pick for sure. The smell alone makes this beer enjoyable, and it hits a one two punch with its smooth flavor. This is a great evening beer, when you are relaxing after a long cool Fall days work, or enjoy with a big Thanksgiving meal.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

04-14-2013 07:03:56 | More by THErealDK

MNishCT77

District of Columbia

4.21/5  rDev +6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle purchased in the greater Washington D.C. last Fall, poured into a Weyerbacher tulip glass, drank 3/26/13 over ~one hour.

A: 3.75 - dark amber-brown coloration, mostly opaque (probably secondary to the extra additions into the mash like pumpkin and spices), tight small bubbles pouring off the bottom of the glass, light alcohol legs

S: 4.25 - lots of spice, nutmeg, cinammon, brown sugar; no hop aroma

T: 4.5 - brown sugar pops on first taste and lingers on the anterior tongue; lingering all-spice flavors on the back of the tongue, making me wish that I had a piece of pumpkin pie and whip cream to go along with this

M: 3.5 - pretty thin mouthfeel but adequate carbonation; slightly above average

O: 4 - I'm not really crazy about pumpkin beers but this is one of the best of the Fall crop as I prefer the spicy pumpkin beers to the more pumpkin sweet forward options on the market; a solid pumpkin that is generally above average for style; I'll continue to buy a four pack every Fall

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

03-27-2013 01:22:04 | More by MNishCT77

JGargano

Connecticut

5/5  rDev +25.9%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Hands down my favorite seasonal offering of the pumpkin variety. Punkin is complex with multiple, delicious flavors throughout each sip. There's coriander, cloves, and, of course pumpkin flavor that dominate each sip. What's so fantastic about this is that you don't all these flavors at once; they wash over your mouth individually. It's like eating a delicious pumpkin spice-cake. My only complaint is that each bottle is 250 calories! I only drink one per sitting due to the calorie count. Other than that there's nothing I can fault this delicious beer over!

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

03-16-2013 18:45:14 | More by JGargano

Pencible

Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: This poured a clear gold with some white head.
S: It smelled like copper hops and roasted barley and pumpkin seed, with some coriander and clove and nutmeg.
T: It tasted like spicy clove and coriander and nutmeg and cinnamon, with some roasted pumpkin seed and copper hops and pie crust. It had a clean and sweet and spicy aftertaste.
M: It was somewhat thick with moderate carbonation. Nice full body.
D: This was a nice overall pumpkin beer. The scent and taste and body were all perfectly good, although nothing special. It had a smooth finish, so it was easy to drink. If you enjoy pumpkins ales, this is a solid and easy to find (east coast) example of the style.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

02-24-2013 20:30:25 | More by Pencible

Jadjunk

Georgia

4.03/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

"A full-bodied brown ale brewed with real Pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg." Brewed in the style of a Pumpkin Ale. Bottled in 2012. Available in seasonal 4 packs as Dogfish Head's fall seasonal.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served north of 53º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a creamy off-white head of a frothy cream consistency. Body color is a medium-hazy copper orange with medium sediment. Retention is well above average. Lacing is medium and patchy but doesn't stick. Overall it's a nice appearance, meeting my expectations for how the style should look but not spectacular by any means. 3.5

(Smell) I don't often get very pumpkin-forward pumpkin ales so when my first note was sweet roasted pumpkin I was pleasantly surprised. A nearly ripe pumpkin meat with a slight roasty tone and a touch of sticky, residual sweetness in the aroma. Malt profile is forward, some toasted caramel and biscuity malt presence doesn't muddle up the aroma much. The spice presence is very mild here, just enough to accent the pumpkin and malt character. Yeast notes are also a prevalent change to my expectations for pumpkin ales; there's a lot of clean, fruity character to be had here, reminiscent of some Belgian yeast qualities. A mild herbal and citrus hop bouquet balances out the aroma in lieu of a pumpkin spice assault. The yeast profile and roasted pumpkin presence is one of the most unique parts of the aroma. Potency is medium at best, doesn't improve much with warming. Nice, approachable aroma. 4

(Taste) Mild ripe pumpkin sweetness with a matching roasty breaded malt finish. Very faint spice profile, some nutmeg and allspice are the most potent spices here, and even those are in trace amounts. Some mild fruity esters, trace acidity and fruity hop notes define the mildly dry but clean finish. In terms of pumpkin flavor preservation, this beer has much more going for it than expected. I actually wouldn't mind a bit more spice diversity and strength as the rest of the flavors are right on par with this beer. The balance between the existing flavors is right on. 4

(Mouthfeel) Low carbonation, with a mild slickness and a semi-dry, mildly acidic roasted finish. Body is medium for the style, medium overall. Alcohol presence is low, pretty well hidden by the roasted pumpkin body as well as the hop flavor and bitterness. The carbonation is right on, nice and mild to better showcase the pumpkin flavors. 4.5

(Overall) This beer much better showcases in-season, full pumpkin flavor and sweet malt character than many other commonly available pumpkin beers. Spice character is very relaxed as well, but a nice yeast profile more than makes up for the difference with some fruity tartness and dryness of its own. The clean flavor profile makes the drinkability very high for this beer. This is one of the more enjoyable pumpkin ales out there, and I personally found it very much to my liking. Recommended as a fall seasonal go-to. 4

Dogfish Head Brewery's
Punkin Ale
4.03/5.00

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

02-20-2013 04:03:03 | More by Jadjunk

neophilus

Massachusetts

4.35/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brown colored pour with an off-white head, hazy. Aroma has a wonderful balance between spices and malt with Cinnamon the refreshingly dominant scent. There is a good dose of ginger in the malty sweet flavor with some brown sugar bringing up the rear. Great balance between a solid malty body and restrained spices. Nice to see some underdog spices like cinnamon spices get some love, although the ginger notes fall into line with most ordinary pumpkins.

Still the dark brown malty lager is the best vehicle to carry this pumpkin taxi all the way to flavorville.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

02-09-2013 18:52:46 | More by neophilus

bcsbeer

Florida

2.8/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 2.75

A: Hazy amber with a off white Dogfish Head. Reduced down to a ring with spotty lacing.

S: Not a lot for the nose.

T: Medicinal with a big alcohol presents. Clove and cinnamon with some pumpkin in the back round.
M: Was a little syrupy with low carbonation.

O: This was the last one of the 4 pk I bought in the fall. I have been avoiding it in the back of my refrigerator for several months, nothing changed. Not a good year for DFH. I have have had it in the past and liked it, and will give it another try this year.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

01-28-2013 04:48:19 | More by bcsbeer

GossageBrewery

Missouri

4.44/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured this Pumpkin Ale from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. This Ale poured a burnt orange color, produced a average off white head, and featured average retention and lacing. The aroma of this ale contains fresh pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and sweet brown sugar. Full bodied, this ale has a foundation of malted grain, fresh roasted pumpkin, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg and allpice. Well balanced, this pumpkin ale has a perfect amount of pumpkin pie spice, the mouthfeel is exceptional, smooth and creamy. One of the finest Pumpkin Ale's that I have sampled- Prost!

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

01-21-2013 18:49:25 | More by GossageBrewery

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.91/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12oz Bottle from Total Wine Tampa FL for 2$

Appearance - Clear copper colour with an average size fizzy beige coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation showing and there is some faint acing. The head lasted for 3-4 minutes.

Smell - Caramel, pumpkin, all spice

Taste & Mouth - There is an average amount of carbonation and I can taste caramel mixed with pumpkin and all-spice. There is also some breads/grains/yeast. It ends with a spicy aftertaste.

Overall - One of the better pumpkin beers I've had. It has a lot of flavour but it isn't cloying in any way. I could actually drink a few of these. I'll but this again next fall.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

01-19-2013 03:51:43 | More by spinrsx

KingSlayer

Mexico

4.08/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 fl oz bottle
brown roasted color semitranslucent, 3 finger white persistent head, nice lacing
nose composed of brown sugar, pumpkin, spices, mild roasted malts,
palate same as nose, nice hop balance, cinammon spices afterfinish
medium full body nice carbonation
very pleasant, not too sweet just a touch, pumpkin blends well with spices and hops, alcohol well masked. nice seasonal beer.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

01-15-2013 00:58:01 | More by KingSlayer

mjurney

Texas

4.16/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance:
Burnt orange color, a little haze. Lots of bubbles rising up. Nice frothy head.

Aroma:
Bready, pumpkin, spices, brown sugar.

Taste:
Mostly bready, rich, toasted, nutty. Cooked pumpkin, almost like a pumpkin pie, spices, cinnamon, nutmeg. Faint crisp-bitter towards the finish. Body is medium, creamy, slight sharp carbonation, smooth.

Verdict:
This beer is exceptional. Tasty, very smooth, alcohol is well hidden.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

01-14-2013 01:22:02 | More by mjurney

Amish_Ambush

4.8/5  rDev +20.9%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Original Review: 09-21-2006

Notes:

Appearance: Light orange. Creamy head that turns into thick lacing.

The tasting profile included Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. All this was accompanied with a slight hop bitterness and a gentle smokiness after It warmed up a bit.

The ale itself was creamy and full-bodied. The complex aroma includes brown sugar, malts, squash, caramel and a slight butter/biscuit note.

Let it sit out for about 15 minutes after pulling it out of the fridge.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

12-31-2012 01:46:38 | More by Amish_Ambush

yamar68

Minnesota

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Big thanks to blastbeats for this one!

Creamy honey gold body topped with a modest paper white head, laces moderately.

Pumpkin pie. Nutty, spicy and earthy, smells like Minnesota mud in mid October... cinnamon, gourd puree, everything autumnal.

Fresh squash, nutmeg, dry baking spices, pie crust, faint caramel and vanilla... nothing overpowering about this... smooth, well executed.

Nice.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

12-30-2012 01:32:03 | More by yamar68

macrosmatic

Florida

3.25/5  rDev -18.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes. Poured from 12 oz. bottle (into a pint glass? Didn't write it down).

A: Deep gold, nearly clear. Good amount of visible carbonation leads to a thin white head.

S: Pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, spices, sweet malt. The spiciness on the nose is nice, but the pumpkin smell really doesn't seem right - it strikes me as artificial, although the bottle clearly says they use "real pumpkin".

T: Sweet chewy pumpkin, bitter spices, bready (or crusty?) malts. Not much else. Nothing off-putting, but nothing to draw me in here.

M: Body is on the thin side, decent carbonation sensation, low alcohol presence.

O: Pumpkin beers are generally not my favorite. But this one falls short of expectations still.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

12-17-2012 02:56:24 | More by macrosmatic

scvance

South Carolina

3.58/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a light copper color with a thin white head. Poor retention and minimal lacing. Smell is very light, not nearly as spice laden as some other pumpkin beers. There is a nice note of caramel malt, as well as a light "holiday" spice mix. The taste is slightly sweet, almost no bitterness at all, and a noticeable alcohol characteristic at the end. Medium carbonation and body, the beer is quite drinkable for it's strength. Finishes fairly clean, overall a refreshing beer, not very much pumpkin flavor to speak of. It's also fairly difficult to find and expensive, so try it if you like, but there are better pumpkins in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

12-09-2012 22:24:30 | More by scvance

LeRose

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev -6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Nice orange color with small head. Nice spice level - not too much, just enough and some actual pumpkin taste to it. Not as overwhelmingly pumpkin pie-like as some, but the spices are maybe a touch too intense. Not a huge fan of the style, but this is pretty decent stuff. Wife likes it giving it an extra thumb’s up - she actually went and bought her own stash. Hooray beer!

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-27-2012 16:46:22 | More by LeRose

Treyliff

West Virginia

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Thanksgiving 2012 Beer #2

A- pours a bright slightly hazy copper with some ruby/orange hues, creamy white head with some pretty good lace.

S- pumpkin spices, raw pumpkin, brown sugar, and creamy vanilla

T- starts sweet with highlights of the brown sugar, transitions into a creamy vanilla extract flavor , finishes with some meaty cooked pumpkin and a bit of biscuity malt. Finishes sweet with just a bit of hop bitterness.

M- medium body, low carbonation, velvety mouthfeel.

O- this one goes beyond most brewers concept of a pumpkin ale. The flavors are more complex with notes of vanilla sugar really sticking out and given the ABV, this one is very drinkable. If it wasn't for the 7%, I would call this a session worthy beer. Very good!

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-22-2012 22:07:21 | More by Treyliff

sarajayne

4.18/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Dogfish Punkin Ale is the perfect beer for the changing season. It is only available from September first until around Thanksgiving. This award winning full-bodied brew is made from only the finest ingredients, which include pumpkin meat and brown sugar, make the perfect recipe for a cold fall night - not for the light drinker. A bit more pricey than most, but well worth it. If you haven’t had it before nows your chance.

Collage girls GOOD drink beer:
www.brewreviewboston.blogspot.com

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-18-2012 22:58:01 | More by sarajayne

SkeeterBoganski

Colorado

4.2/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Been stashing this for a couple months, and have now found myself with plenty to share!

A - it's kind of deep golden, or really light brown; certainly not typical brown ale-looking; very small head; unretained lacing

S - brown sugar; nutmeg; pumpkin bread; sweet malt

T - caramel; pumpkin; cinnamon; candy corn; nutmeg; more brown sugar; some bitter hops

M - it's a little sweet up front; cloying pumpkin through and through; a little boozy but well-concealed bc of all the other flavors; pretty smooth but a little bitter on the back end; bitterness stays on the back of the tongue; pleasant carbonation

O - this has for years been my go-to fall beer; I'm not a big fan of Oktoberfests and this beer always makes me welcome fall; it's up there w some of the best pumpkin beers, although I've had better for sure; in terms of balance, flavor, and accessibility...this beer stands strong.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-13-2012 01:33:28 | More by SkeeterBoganski

schoolboy

Ohio

4.33/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I know I have had this bottled before (I need to review that) but today I had a very nice glass on draft at the Winking Lizard on Coventry.

It has a very nice moderate aroma. The taste matches this closely but with a nice ale balance. Like the best of this style, I could have had another. The aftertaste is very nice as well.

As I remembered it, this is much better on tap than the bottle was.

Serving type: on-tap
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-12-2012 02:36:25 | More by schoolboy

TheBrewo

Michigan

4/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

We pour a rusty orange brew. It holds a two finger head of creamy tannish bubbles, showing nice retention. The bubbles slowly recede, leaving clumps of big bubbles atop the liquid, along with sticky, spidery lacing sticking to the glass. Haze is moderate due to finite chunks of sediment suspended throughout the drink, and carbonation appears slow, yet active. The nose is fresh, with big pumpkin spice, light clove, metallic vanilla bean, nutmeg, cinnamon, cumin, and baker’s yeast. The malts are pale, with caramel and a light toast. Our first impression is that this is one of the best pumpkin beers we’ve ever had, with bold, serious flavoring. The flavoring opens with sweet malts and raw pumpkin flesh. There is a bitterness of a menagerie of autumnal spice, along with yeast, and a light phenolic back. To the peak comes more bittering malt, with a white sugar flash to cut, along with more of that serious pumpkin flavoring. Smooth nuttiness adds depth, as does a light caramel, to the malts. This marks the transition to the finish, with enhancing sweetness by sugary pumpkin cream, orangey citrus, more pumpkin spice, and a souring pale malt. The aftertaste breathes of metallics, syrupy pumpkin sugars, toasty malts, bittering yeast, booze, and a light citric hop. The body is medium, and the carbonation is lighter. There is nice slurp, smack, cream, and froth to each sip, with a mild astringency down the throat. The light coating left is metallic, and adds to the dryness. The abv is appropriate, and this beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this was how serious the flavoring was. The “realness” of the flavoring really adds to the experience, as it can be easy with the style to use extracts and other additive flavoring. Here we are presented with a full flavor brew brimming with spice and fruit, making this a top competitor for the style.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-05-2012 23:54:02 | More by TheBrewo

ilkelma

Pennsylvania

4.23/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a "pint" glass from the bottle.

A: Very nice golden amber color with not even a finger of light colored head (from a bottle).

S: Appealing spice laced scent with more than a hint of yeasty aroma. No overpowering pumpkin smell or even much sweetness to the smell.

T: Tastes like a fall pumpkin beer should, rich almost maple syrup like depth of flavor not too bitter and above all not too sweet. Tastes like pumpkin but not so much that it is overwhelming.

M: Light carbonation, very smooth but a bit heavy (as its ABV belies) just shy of dangerously drinkable really.

O: I'd say this is the best "pumpkin beer" I've ever had but this is in a real class of its own. Whereas nearly everything else we are assaulted with in fall that claims to be "pumpkin" often bears little resemblance to the actual gourd; this beer packs all of that earthy vegetal flavor of the real deal into a beer that is eminently drinkable and a real treat on a cold fall day.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-04-2012 02:27:12 | More by ilkelma

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured into a flute type glass.

A: Pours a cloudy, light amber colour, not much fizz with a initial decent creamy off white head , some retention for awhile before it leaves a nice lacing floating on top of the beer.

S: On the nose I get really earthy pumpkin aromas, almost a bit damp & musty (like you'd describe some earthy wines) and hints of the malt and sugars. Not sure if it's the glass I'm using, others better nose, an off batch or just cause it says on the bottle "brewed with allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg" that means it smells like it, but I don't get that much spice on the nose, and neither does the other person having this beer right now. (this was our 3rd pumpkin ale of the night and those smelt plenty spicy...)

T: There isn't much I can say over the other 1000's of reviews, but what I can add is that my tasting seems to be more inline with how DFH describes their beer, and as with the aromas, again I don't get near the amount of spice that others are, on that note.... On first sip you are greeted with nice, roasty, burnt sugary malts providing a well done undertone to what follows. As it goes down beautiful roasted earthy pumpkin flavours come out that are wonderfully balanced with a trace of alcohol, and for once I get a bit of nutmeg spice coming out.

M: The beer has a nice balanced level of carbonation, just enough fizz on the tongue, and a heavy enough body of 7.0% abv keeping you interested, but also inline to make sure you're not guzzling it.

O: Even with the lack of spice, I am perfectly fine with that because Punkin does not sell itself as a spiced, pumpkin pie latte ale... this is truly a pumpkin, as in the orange/green/blue gourdes that grow in fields, type of ale, and it is beautifully done. Surely one of the best pumpkin beers I've had yet that really tastes like you've just roasted a pumpkin in the oven, pureed it and drank it down, and have it taste delicious. Where others have left it too light, this one hits the sweet spot in malt sweetness, complexity and hearty pumpkin goodness. I'd definitely hunt this one down another fall and recommend it as nearly everyone else does as a top of the notch pumpkin flavoured ale.

Serving type: bottle
@ Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, 320 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach

11-01-2012 04:15:51 | More by 4ster