Boxcar Pumpkin Porter - Starr Hill Brewery

blackie

Virginia

3.33/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

a: deep brown in color, served in a wide chalice, head thin and short lived

s: pumpkin spice - nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove in particular, over a decent base porter aroma that carries dark roasted grain and some dark bitter chocolates, smooth and lacking any char, the combination reminds of sweet wooden tobacco boxes, some sweet toffee and maybe a buried ginger aroma, a bit underwhelming at first but more welcoming as it warms

m: lightly carbonated, body a lighter medium, maybe a touch thin to finish

t: aforementioned pumpkin spices, roasted grain with a touch of soured wood, some sweet toffee flavor, earthy, not quite up to par with the aroma, but decent

o: a little sloppy and/or gratuitous use of spice imo, not the best style application, but a drinkable effort overall, doesn't really combine to make it worthwhile

Serving type: bottle

04-05-2013 04:52:02 | More by blackie

Treyliff

West Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A- pours a dark brown with just a hint of light coming through, good size creamy tan head with good retention and just a bit of lace.

S- pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin gourd, it smells very similar to a regular pumpkin ale. The only porter aroma I notice is just a bit of roasted malt.

T- the taste pretty much follows the aromas. If I was blind tasting this it would almost seem like a pumpkin ale. The finish leaves just a bit of chocolaty roasted malt on the linger but not much.

M- light body, low carbonation, slightly creamy finish, mouthfeel seems a bit thin for a porter.

O- I was a little dissapointed in this one. Porters and pumpkin ales are two of my favorite styles but this beer didn't mesh them very well. I've had home-brew pumpkin porters that blow this one out of the water.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 03:15:43 | More by Treyliff

DrDemento456

Pennsylvania

3.13/5  rDev -4.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I have had a pumpkin stout already and it was pretty lackluster. I have some hope for this porter despite the low rating.

A - Really fizzy and what little 1/4 inch of off white head I got fizzed into nothing. Not a great start. Color does seem to be a fairly dark brown. Almost pitch except for the base with a mild red hue.

S - Very inviting I get my spice (cinnamon and nutmeg) yet the porter seems a bit muted only giving me a mild roast.

T - Kind of mediocre. On one hand it's a very lacking porter, mild chalky yeast and almost not chocolate. On the other hand it doesn't have near the amount of spice that I smelled.

M - Thin and lacking.

Overall I can confirm this is an average porter with mild (if any) spice. Pass on it if you can.

Serving type: bottle

12-06-2012 01:05:49 | More by DrDemento456

BeerForMuscle

New Jersey

3.88/5  rDev +17.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Virtually black bodied beer, with a small beige lacing ring. Looks just like a schwarzbier.

S - Fall spices, nutmeg and cinnamon. Prevalent like in an imperial pumpkin beer, and tangled with the porter nuances. Dark, roasted malt, with a burnt/coal scent.

T - A mild dash of those fall spices, blended nicely with dark malty porter. Toasted black malt, a dry grain sweetness. The amount of spice is perfect, not overwhelming. The robust, toasted malty porter is rich and smooth.

M - Medium bodied and drying, the rich and bitter black beer feels smooth with the soft fizzy carbonation.

O - A really nice combination here. I'd say this tolerable amount of fall spices in this roasts brew is perfect alone or with a nice meal, on a cold day.

Serving type: bottle

11-11-2012 03:30:29 | More by BeerForMuscle

Zraly

Virginia

2.9/5  rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured two-finger head into Lagunitas "mason jar" glass. Fluffy mocha colored head atop of dark, almost opaque, ale. Smells a bit of spice, with predominate notes of cinnamon and pepper. Smells and looks good.

Taste-wise, this is much less than I was expecting. I detect a faint presence of gourd. The porter notes are not fully realized on the palate, and overall the flavor is not fully supported by enough pumpkin. There is some semblance of a porter: coffee and rich malt notes. But these thin out in the finish and there is an odd, slightly funky sour note in the finish, along with some spice notes. Not as smooth as it could be. This is a great idea on paper, but I would say the execution missed the mark. If it was a bit more balanced by way of the spice (i.e., add a bit more grain and gourd to the bill) , I'd say this would be a mighty fine VA ale. As it stands, it is a mediocre porter with some spice added. Mouthfeel is thin and lacks body.

I've eyed this several times before but always ended up buying something else. My Mom and her beau were in town for the weekend, and he loves a good porter; we thought we'd give this a spin. We bought a six pack and I think I can help finish it. But I don't think I will re-purchase it in the future.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 22:13:51 | More by Zraly

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.08/5  rDev -6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a deep and dark but still clear ruby in the glass, topped with a couple fingers of thick and foamy light mocha colored head. This retains with a smooth thin creaminess that dots the sides of the glass with spotty lacing. The aroma smells of spice and pumpkin up front, which then gives way to a combination of roast and sweetness that give the overall nose a dark and sticky feel in the back of the nostrils.

The taste is raw pumpkin up front, segueing into some sweetness and an earthy hop presence across the back. Spices and dark roast ride throughout the profile, with this finishing leafy, bitter and smoky on the finish. Those hops and roast really start getting raw and burnt feeling on the finish the more this warms up. The mouthfeel is medium bodied and tight on the tongue, giving way to more of a firm creaminess across the back. The overall fee here is equal parts crisp and smooth.

This was just average. While initially feeling balanced this got a bit too aggressive feeling the more this warmed up and in the end I just wasn’t nearly as impressed with this as I was hoping. There are better Pumpkin Ales out there on the market right now.

Serving type: bottle

10-25-2012 19:21:38 | More by Kegatron

sommersb

Tennessee

3.23/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Tasted On: 10-15-2012
Freshness: Not indicated
Packaging: 12 oz. brown bottle, twist-cap
Glassware: Balloon glass
Purchased: Single from Midtown, Nashville

Appearance: Black and opaque, capped with a nicely sized tan head. Very good lacing and head retention.

Smell: Sweet, dark malts, with some fruit/citrus character. I also get some sour and tart aromas.

Taste: Toasted malts and coffee flavors you'd expect are in this porter, but there is also the sourness as noted in the nose. I really don't taste any pumpkin or pumpkin spice traits.

Mouthfeel: Has a smooth and creamy texture and medium-to-high levels of carbonation. Body is medium. The finish is dry and combines roasted and smokey malts with some tartness.

Overall: This is an odd beer -- not what I expected based on the description of a pumpkin porter. I got some porter qualities, but no pumpkin, and then there was the unexpected sourness. The sour quality wasn't bad, but I don't think it was supposed to be there -- my guess is that this batch/bottle got infected by a bug.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2012 03:34:21 | More by sommersb

beer2day

North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev +10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Dark brown pour with significant red and orange tints. 1/2 finger medium cream head. Not much retention. Thin sheets of lace.

Nose is lots of pumpkin and nutmeg. Hints of chocolate underneath, but really more about pumpkin.

The porter style of the beer hides deep beneath the stronger pumpkin flavor. Comes on strong and finishes stronger. Lots of nutmeg, too, along with pie spice. Chocolate comes through ever so slightly and would have liked that a little more in balance.

Feel is pretty substantial for the lower abv. More heavy than thick.

Overall, a nice addition to the pumpkin beer lineup and worth a shot if you like the style.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 01:07:13 | More by beer2day

bensbeers

Maryland

2.6/5  rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Let me start by saying I'm not sure why this was called a porter. Was more ale-y than a porter or stout and should have been labeled an ale. Color was that of dark chocolate with a moderate sized head. Smell was sweet and spicey - brown sugar, molasses, nutmeg, cloves. Also thought there was a nice hint of roasted malts in the smell...then I drank it. The taste was similar to other pumpkin ales but completely overpowered by smoke flavor. I get that this is intended with the rauchbier style, but i'mnot sure that they were going for this. The pumpkin was evident in the taste but I was expecting more. Had a moderate amount of carbonation.

Overall, too smokey for my taste buds. The smell was the highlight of this brew. There are other pumpkin/fall seasonals that I prefer abd I probably won't try this one again. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-08-2012 01:41:12 | More by bensbeers

micromaniac129

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -8.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

The website calls it brown ale and the bottle say porter. I don't know.
Meanwhile...

Pours a rustic brown with a slight beige head. Though small it looks dense.

Aroma has a spicy pumpkin malt bill, but also has an off aroma. I don't think the aroma mesh all that well.

Taste finds a slight pumpkin pie spice pumpkin and some nutty brown malts. The aftertaste has a medicinal off taste that,really, runs through the whole experience.

To be quite honet it was pretty tough to get through and chucking it was an option but did not happen.
Boxcar doesn't work for me and the recipe should be tweaked in my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2012 10:55:27 | More by micromaniac129

ianjsullivan

Maryland

3.23/5  rDev -1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

ST: 12oz poured into a pint glass.

A: Dark, almost black, brown with a thin, but fully covering, light brown head.

S: Earthy pumpkin and sweet malt match slight cinnamon and sligh smoke.

T: Malt, smoke, coffee, and a hint of pumpkin and smoke on the finish. It reminds me of pumpkin coffee.

M: Medium and dry

O: Every year I think I have had every pumpkin beer, and every year I find six more to buy. I know that most will be okay, though not great. A pumpkin porter appealed to me beyond the alliteration involved; a porter with a touch of earthy or sweet pumpkin seemed like a good idea. And it is; well, at least the idea is not bad. The pumpkin is present, slightly, in the finish. Otherwise, the smoke of the porter takes over most of the flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 20:42:05 | More by ianjsullivan

ckollias

Maryland

3.5/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Enjoyed a sample of this beer at the What’s up Chesapeake Beer Madness 2012

A: Poured a dark brownish-amber hue –with not much of a head – but it was a little sample.

S: Great malty pumpkin aroma with hints of pumpkin all-spice in the background.

T: More sweet than bitter with a malty pumpkin flavor with a some ginger, nutmeg, and all-spice in the backbone.

M: Medium body and medium carbonation.

O: This was a decent pumpkin porter – I like the smoothness and flavors.

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2012 03:25:59 | More by ckollias

johnnybgood1999

Virginia

2.3/5  rDev -30.1%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

Phenominal smell to this one. I get roasted pumpkin and a bunch of spice. On first sip the spices are almost gone. Still trying to figure out how so much spice is in the smell, but not in the taste. There is virtually no chocolate and little roasted malt, which I would expect in a porter. There is plenty of roasted pumpkin that doesn't mesh well with the rest of the beer. Mouthfeel is too thin and too carbonated and that's a bad combination.

Overall, just not pleasant. I might buy if I'm hard up for a pumpkin beer. This is too bad, as I love pumpkin beers and had high hopes for this. I tried it on multiple occassions, but it's not getting any better.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2012 01:07:59 | More by johnnybgood1999

Hopfenpeter

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Could not wait to try this interesting approach of a pumpkin inspired beer.
Poured into my crystal mug, the beer is dark brown in color and produced a bubbly dark tan head about one finger high. It dissipates fast and leaves little lacing.
The smell is of pumpkin spice and roasted malts.
Tasting the beer he pumpkin spice flavors dominate the front, quickly to be replaced by a good dose of roasted malt. In the finish here are faint dark chocolate flavors, but they are veer powered by the roasted malt.
Overall a medium bodied beer, very drinkable and a good seasonal fall beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2012 02:04:12 | More by Hopfenpeter

claspada

New Jersey

3.75/5  rDev +14%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a translucent darkish brown color with a modest tan head that had some minimal retention and left some minor lacing.

Aromas begin with pumpkin pie spicing and a toasted brown bread presence. Lesser armounts of dark chocolate and roasted malt emerged more as it warmed.

The tastes begin with toasted brown bread with the pumpkin pie spice mixture once again (mace, nutmeg and ginger) kicking in by mid-palate. The starchy pumpkin flesh flavor builds, after the swallow, along with a minimal bitter generic dark roasted maltiness.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Finish is gently spicy and minimally roasty.

Overall, this is a decent attempt at a sessionable pumpkin alternative beer. A bit heavy on the roasted, bitter flavors don't work quite right with the pumpkin spicing. A more balanced chocolate malt flavor would have been a better complement. Wouldn't turn it down if offered to me during the fall seasons but won't seek it out either.

Serving type: bottle

09-17-2012 16:40:10 | More by claspada

teromous

Virginia

2.05/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2

A: The body of the beer is a dark opaque brown color, with a cappuccino colored head.

S: I pick up some spicy notes, like cinnamon and possibly clove. Other than that, I was surprised that it didn't have a real porter smell to it. It actually reminded me more of a Belgian Dark, when it comes to scent.

T: I don't like this at all. It tastes very watered down. I guess that I am tasting the pumpkin, because it has a definite vegetable taste to it. The spices are there and seem to be just right...but the rest of the beer is just wrong.

M: The mouthfeel is very bad. I was expecting a full mouthfeel from a porter, but this is very watered down. No real bitterness, no smoothness, no presence or oomph. Just very flat.

O: Overall I was pretty bummed about this beer. I expected it to be nice, considering that it is a fresh seasonal pumpkin beer. I was looking forward to a porter as well, but I guess I'll be left at the curb on that one.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 20:42:48 | More by teromous

mckenziac

3.03/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a Samuel Adams Boston Lager glass. Taken from a Starr Hill "Road Show" variety pack.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown, nearly black color. Has large, fizzy, tan head that dissipates quickly down to nothing and leaves some spotty lacing.

Smell: Smells strongly of pumpkin pie spices and faintly of pumpkin. I was hoping for a little bit more of a strong pumpkin aroma here but it's just not there. Also, being a "pumpkin porter," I was hoping for more a roasted malt smell, but the spices are really the only thing going on here.

Taste: Has a light hoppiness to it which gives way quickly to a strong pumpkin flavor complimented by the usual pumpkin pie spices. The roasty porter flavor I was looking for in the aroma is a bit more present here.

Mouthfeel: A little bit light and watery for a pumpkin ale and a fall seasonal.

Overall: Meh. It's not BAD, it's just not that great. It's a subpar porter but a decent enough pumpkin ale. I like the idea of making a pumpkin porter rather than a traditional pumpkin ale but I think it could be done better than this.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 20:16:47 | More by mckenziac

Justin23060

Virginia

3.58/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Let me preface this by saying that every pumpkin beer I have tried so far tastes like old man's after shave (some more than others). Because of this, it's a style I've stopped seeking out. This came to me as a freebie, though, so here goes (thanks again Mike).

A vigorous pour produced a half finger head that was gone in an instant. Almost no light gets through with just a bit of chestnut color at the edges. The spice smell is dominant but milder than other pumpkin beers. There is a bit of roastiness coming through as well. At first taste the spices are overwhelming aftershave like I mentioned. But about halfway through with a slight warm the spices burned off and the porter shinned through. Not bad at all. Mouthfeel is right about in the middle. I do appreciate the shorter linger thanks to the dry start and finish.

After trying this with some graham crackers I am really diggin' this stuff. If this beer had some of those qualities the graham cracker imparts it would be killer.

Although this style is not my favorite, Boxcar is definitely my favorite Pumpkin offering so far. I'd definitely recommend it, but only with the graham crackers.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 21:48:09 | More by Justin23060

DaveBlack

Virginia

3.1/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Dark, not a whole lot of head and almost no lacing. At the edges the beer has a reddish tint. Basically, it looks like a porter...

S: Lots of pumpkin pie spices dominate, and darkly roasted malts. There is a smoky and oak aroma as well, which compliments the pumpkin pie spices nicely.

T: Not at all what I was expecting. While the spices dominate on the nose, it's the malts that carry the flavor. Burnt toast and coffee up front, followed by malt bitterness and then the kiss of cinnamon and allspice.

M: The body is fairly light for a porter, and it is buoyed by a lot of carbonation.

O: Not a bad beer, but not a particularly good one either. The spices take a backseat to the malts, and the pumpkin is nowhere to be found. That being said, it's an easy drinking beer, and the smoky flavor and spices make it a pleasant fall beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-14-2012 16:50:48 | More by DaveBlack

Darkmagus82

Montana

2.65/5  rDev -19.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured from bottle into pint glass

Appearance – Poured a deeper brown color with a big tan head. The head had decent retention fading over time to give only a lighter amount of lacing.

Smell – The aroma is heavy of a sweet pumpkin smell. Mixed with the pumpkin is the presence of some chocolate, roasted malt and a little bit of nutmeg and allspice.

Taste – The taste begins of roasted malt with a light hint of chocolate. A big pumpkin flavor hits the tongue immediately after the initial taste. It doesn’t combine with the roasted and chocolate flavors very well and when mixed with a light spice of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice the flavors really don’t meld. In the end a somewhat rotten roasted pumpkin flavor is left to linger on the tongue.

Mouthfeel- The body of the beer was on the thinner side with a carbonation level that was rather average.

Overall – A beer I certainly won’t go to again. The flavors had no compatibility/melding in this brew and resulted it too off a flavor.

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2012 00:45:41 | More by Darkmagus82

TappaKeggaBrew

Ohio

4.15/5  rDev +26.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A: Poured deep, dark brown (black unless I held it up to sunlight) with a light brown, fizzy head that was 1-finger thick, but with average retention and not much lacing.

S: With the first whiff, spices dominated -- cloves & allspice primarily. Next I detected the pumpkin fruit itself, with bready malt following. A final, deep whiff captured the hops far in the background.

T: Very nicely balanced. The sweet & grainy malt is first, followed by rich pumpkin notes. There are also the cocoa, coffee, and dried fruit notes that I often associate with porters, although more muted than I'd expected (which is why I rated taste a 4 rather than higher -- it isn't as faithful to the style as it could be). Hops made their bitter appearance late, and not in a big way -- just enough to balance out the malt. The spices which dominated the aroma are present throughout, but more as a pleasant background flavoring than the dominating force that many pumpkin beers fall victim to.

M: Very refreshing. Starts out very moist, until the ample carbonation bursts forth on the palate. It becomes crisper as it moves back in the mouth, and after swallowing has a dry finish. Really nice.

O: Although I marked it down slightly for failing to fully live up to the "porter" name, it was a tasty and refreshing beverage that came highly recommended from the beer cicerone at the store, and one that I'd recommend highly to anyone looking for a pumpkin beer. Sadly, I grabbed the last bottle on the shelf in the store, for I would have eagerly gone back for more of this excellent example of the style.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2012 19:07:58 | More by TappaKeggaBrew

RodneyFarva

Spain

2.58/5  rDev -21.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

12oz bottle into a pint glass

a: pours a deep dark chocolate color, one-inch tan head fading to a film

s: some pumpkin, but mostly cinnamon, a strong clove spice, and nutmeg. the spices really stand out here

t: fairly thin. some spice comes though, but far reduced compared to the nose. not much pumpkin. thin mouthfeel, pretty high carbonation.

o: I was wondering where Starr Hill was going to take this as a Pumpkin/Porter beer. I would not consider it a porter - almost no flavor of roasted malts, though obviously enough to make it dark. as far as pumpkin beers go, I divide them into two categories: spice-heavy beers, and pumpkin-heavy beers. This is a decent spice-heavy beer, though I think better described as a black lager with pumpkin spices.

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2012 01:23:20 | More by RodneyFarva

crwrunner

Virginia

2.8/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

Appearance- Very dark brown with a huge tan head.

Smell- Has a strong smell of something clove or nutmeg maybe. I can also smell some cinnamon. Whatever it is it has a nice crisp weather spice smell. It smells like a fall beer. I don’t smell anything that would usually resemble a porter.

Taste- Dosen’t taste anything like a porter. Has a strong taste of nutmeg and cinnamon and that is just about it. It leaves your mouth with a bit of a tingiling feeling the way mint would. I actually think I might taste a bit of mint in it. It also seems a bit on the light watery side in the after taste, kind of a little flat.

Overall- This is not really what I was expecting. I guess I was expcecting something with a strong chocolate taste that a porter usually has with a hint of pumpkin in it. Instead it just taste like water with cinamaon and nutmeg sprinkled in it. I am a little disappointed. This is my first pumpkin beer and hope I will find something better.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2012 00:49:12 | More by crwrunner

brewsadedotcom

Pennsylvania

3.48/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle poured into pint glass

A - Very dark with almost in inch of a soapy head

S - Noticeable aroma of spice, very pleasant

T - Very smooth, somewhat creamy. Malty flavor with notes of pumpkin and nutmeg

M - Creamy, not overly carbonated. Very Smooth

O - Very nicely done pumpkin beer. Highly enjoyable

Serving type: bottle

08-21-2012 00:34:19 | More by brewsadedotcom

kylehay2004

Florida

3.3/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Enjoyed at the brewery.

A: single finger head with decent lacing on a clear very dark brown body.

S: smokiness mixes with pumpkin to make a soapy aroma which you have to really focus on to separate the two out.

T: a unique beer with smokey, light roasted malts intermingled throughout by musty pumpkin flavors.

M: light to medium body and moderate carbonation.

Overall: a unique beer which is memorable but could be better. Overall a nice brew.

Serving type: on-tap

07-25-2012 23:23:32 | More by kylehay2004