Pumpkin Head Ale - Silver Moon Brewing

GreenCard

Oregon

3.08/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Appearance: copper, good clarity, thin layer of off-white foam that collapses to a scant crown

Aroma: pumpkin loaf, vanilla, malt, banana bread

Flavor: mellow malt backbone is the platform for a vegetal pumpkin-flesh taste speckled with clove, cinnamon, and ginger; finishes semi-dry with a lingering clovey medicinal aftertaste

Mouthfeel: medium body, gentle carbonation, crisp, slightly "rough"

Other comments: Another example of how pumpkin ales are usually better in theory than in practice. However, this is probably one of the better ones I've tried. Still, not my bag.

Serving type: bottle

01-31-2009 01:34:27 | More by GreenCard

flexabull

California

3.53/5  rDev +4.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Pours a cloudy orange color with a slight and small white head.

Aromas are of pumpkins, spices, nutmeg, gingerbread, and sweet cream. Nice smelling beer.

Taste is lighter than expected. Not as much spice as I usually taste in a pumpkin ale. Lighter spices, a bit of nutmeg, pumpkin pie sweetness, and some creamy malts. Finish has a bit more hops than expected, with some mineral bitter notes.

Mouthfeel is light, feels a little too light for my liking.

Drinkability is ok. This is a decent pumpkin ale, but I have had better. The lighter feel does lend to more drinkability though.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2009 02:07:18 | More by flexabull

djeucalyptus

Oregon

3.95/5  rDev +16.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I've had a fair share of pumpkin ales this season, and Silver Moon's is definitely on my list of ones worth drinking again.

It pours a beautifully clear golden pumpkin color with a decent caramel head that fades leaving some decent lacing... not a bad looking pint. It's definitely got the pumpkin spices, with cloves and nutmeg standing out in both the aroma and taste, but it's not to the point of being cloying like some tend to be. I do detect a bit of the pumpkin/squash flavors and while subtle, they add another dimension beyond pie spice flavor. Mouthfeel is fairly light with a decent creaminess, and there's no bitter spice aftertaste that other pumpkin ales have left.

I split a bomber of it and truly enjoyed it, both as a beer and as a pumpkin beer. I could have had more, which puts it ahead of most of the pumpkin spiced beers out there. Definitely worth a shot if you're in the mood for a good pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2008 18:42:19 | More by djeucalyptus

RedDiamond

Oregon

3.35/5  rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I'm told this fall seasonal is brewed with roast pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, and clove. There's certainly no shortage of clove in the nose. It's very strong, as is the roiling carbonation. It shows a soft, velvety head and is almost pumpkin colored though perhaps a bit more golden.

The trouble with pumpkin ales is they never taste particularly pumpkin-like, but more like pumpkin spice such as this one. I can still enjoy a beer like Pumpkin Head, but I think of it as either a spice beer or simply a novelty, and I wouldn't want to make a session of it. Of course, I like Halloween too, but I'm glad it only comes once a year.

In the end, it's hard to judge Pumpkin Head in the usual terms of malt and hops, but it is at least momentarily fun.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2008 02:41:16 | More by RedDiamond

SurlyDuff

Oregon

3.88/5  rDev +14.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled in 220z, or on tap. I've had both. The tape seems a lot spicier, whereas the bottle is a bit watery compared.

Liquid Pumpkin Pie, with rich smooth malt (toasty caramel and a light ocktoberfest feel). Light to medium mouthfeel sends the spices flowing around the mouth. Its a fairly crisp and refreshing to start with, some carrot cake and cinnamon, sweet richness. It gets a bit dry in the finish, and the pumpkin spices linger on for a little while in the aftertaste.

One of the better punkin' ales ive had. Downright tasty.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2008 22:42:41 | More by SurlyDuff