Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co.

JGargano

Connecticut

4.74/5  rDev +62.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

This one of my favorite fall pumpkin offerings. It has a nice balance of pumpkin flavor, sweetness, and a slight kick. It tastes "pumpkin-y" without being overwhelming. I can easily drink 2 or 3 before having to switch to something lighter. This is the beer I most look forward to around late August, and the one I drink most frequently throughout the season.

Serving type: on-tap

03-16-2013 18:39:50 | More by JGargano

AJ01923

Massachusetts

1.58/5  rDev -45.9%
look: 1.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.25 | overall: 1.5

Still can't fathom how this seems to be Shipyards most popular beer while being their worst? Pugsley's is a much better version but when it comes to pumpkins, however if im looking for Pumpkin I steer clear of Shipyard. Still enjoy plenty of other beers in their lineup including Export and Chamberlain. Great brewery in Portland, worth a visit every time.

Serving type: on-tap

03-13-2013 02:44:57 | More by AJ01923

codysjb

Florida

3.15/5  rDev +7.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25

Shipyard Pumpkin
Poured from a bottle into a pint
A: Generic, straw orange color with a small head. But the head doesn’t dissipate.
S: Musk, spices, some minor pumpkin notes but lots of nutmeg.
T: Spiced, flavored beer. Some nutmeg, some cinnamon maybe? Not like a pumpkin, a little watery but not bad.
M: Better, nice spices that melt together
O: Generic, sure, but not terrible for the style. Kinda right in the middle.

Serving type: bottle

01-29-2013 01:52:44 | More by codysjb

GossageBrewery

Missouri

1.39/5  rDev -52.4%
look: 1.75 | smell: 1.75 | taste: 1 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 1.75

Poured this Pumpkin Ale from a 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. Poured a clear pale yellow color, produced a thin white head, poor retention and it left no lacing on the glass. The aroma was very light, some barley and a bit of spice. Light in body, this ale was very thin, watery, not much of a grain base- there was some spice, perhaps a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. Overall, very poor example of the style- I thought Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale was better, and I hated Buffalo Bills. This brew should be avoided.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 18:00:36 | More by GossageBrewery

Huffs

New York

2.94/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Poured into a Sam Adams glass and a nice frothy head developed and dissipated quickly with no lacing. Appearance was cloudy with a straw to dark yellow color. Aroma had strong spicy notes of allspice and cinnamon. Taste was also of the same spices with hints of citrus and indeed pumpkin. Mouthfeel was light and aftertaste was of spice and lingering.

Serving type: can

01-12-2013 22:39:11 | More by Huffs

Amish_Ambush

2.4/5  rDev -17.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2.5

Reviewed on: 09-07-2006

Nice little design on the front of the bottle. A pumpkin head riding on a horse. Bottle says Pumpkin spice added. There is a metallic note in the aroma that detracts from an otherwise sweet cinnamon smell. The mouth feel is pretty thin. Not a lot of body here folks. It is just a bit above watery. There is a hint of pumpkin and cinnamon in there but nothing pronounced or special. Not a very good beer at all.

Serving type: bottle

01-06-2013 02:10:13 | More by Amish_Ambush

Maxwell

Massachusetts

3.48/5  rDev +19.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a golden orange with a big white finger-width head on top that lasts awhile. The body is clear and translucent, but is marked by numerous fierce streams of carbonation bubbles. On the nose, the beer smells sweet and spicy with a warming (but not overwhelming) touch of cinnamon and nutmeg, alongside a fruitier malt character, with light hints of biscuit. On the tongue, the beer tastes light and warmly spicy with a light hit of watery flavoring. The beer begins with fiercer spices and transitions into softer and warmer spicy notes with a blossoming of biscuity notes and watery finish that still rings with sweet cinnamon and nutmeg. On the mouth, the beer feels smooth but thin, sitting very watery in the mouth, though it does have some heavier notes to it. The mouth is left clean with a light spice tingle, and some torrents of spittle sitting on the sides of the mouth and calling for more. Overall, this is the classic pumpkin beer, whether you like it or not. It is easily accessed and available nearly everywhere and it is really not offensive to the palate. I feel like a lot of people like to hate on Pumpkinhead because of its mass-production ways, but let’s be honest, it is not bad. Is it the best pumpkin beer? No. Is it a little watery? Yes, but that helps with the drinkability. This is a decent beer that is readily available, and a nice introduction to pumpkin beers.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 23:55:30 | More by Maxwell

CaptJackHarkness

New York

4.83/5  rDev +65.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

Twelve ounce bottle freshness dated to March 2013.

Aroma has a malty sweet scent slight trace of grassiness. Pours a hazy orange yellow with large off white head. No lacing of glass. Clean pumpkiny taste, not over spiced or pumpkin PIE flavored. No bitter aftertaste, very crisp.

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2012 00:03:46 | More by CaptJackHarkness

FratyardVines

Italy

4.08/5  rDev +39.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I enjoyed this light yellow-amber colored seasonal pumpkin ale out of a 12oz bottle as well as out of a Sam Adams Brewery glass. It pours a small half finger head that dissipates quickly leaving a very slight lace. The taste follows the nose in that it is quite sweet with hints of spices like cinnamon and nutmeg with a hint of malt. It is my favorite pumpkin ale out of all that I have tried because it is light and sweet and reminds me of a slice of pumpkin pie. I highly recommend it because of its versatility, as it has the excellent taste that a pumpkin seasonal should without the heaviness that others do, thus one can easily enjoy multiple bottles of this ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 17:24:45 | More by FratyardVines

stakem

Pennsylvania

2.38/5  rDev -18.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3

12oz can into a snifter. Thanks go to Kegatron for not only gifting me with this but also continuing with being my source of 90% of my can reviews. A pumpkin ale in a can, well that is unique. The brew appears a very pale golden color with a finger of slightly off-white head that rests atop and fades leaving some spotty patches of lacing effect. There is a very mild haze to this but it is borderline more light and clearer than any other pumpkin brew I have had.

The aroma is interesting. It opens up with a pumpkin aspect that is somewhat like pumpkin flesh and a bit of a seedy to earthy aspect but doesn't really carry with it that vegetative aspect I have come to expect in pumpkin ales. There is a very mild spiced aspect going on in this and a bit of a fruity tinge. There is something just very different about this brew's aroma but it is strangely familiar and quite similar to the essence found in timmermans pumpkin lambic. It is almost like a scent that you would expect to emit from green tea.

The taste is a bit shocking. You get the feel of pumpkin flavors but it just seems to be fake and strangely reminiscent to the previously mentioned timmermans. I think it is strangely similar with almost a green tea sort of feel to it. Spices like cinnamon and zesty almost lemony ginger are present. There is no base grain and no essence of hops. When a bigger sip is taken, this has a feel about it more like soda than beer. The aftertaste is a bit like cinnamon toast crunch and the overall profile is quite lacking. I dont want to point fingers and make accusations but I would not be surprised if you told me that this beer was made with Torani pumpkin spice syrup.

This is a light bodied brew with a lively amount of uplifting carbonation. It is easy drinking and unique. I had no problems throwing some of this back but it really is lacking in beer qualities. It is enjoyable in a strange sort of pumpkin spice carbonated green tea and pumpkin cocktail, not a beer. As a beer it is a failure and I am sad to say it because there is nothing horrible or off-putting about it, it is just not what you would expect/want in a pumpkin beer or a beer at all for that matter.

Serving type: can

11-29-2012 03:13:24 | More by stakem

VoodooBear

Puerto Rico

1.8/5  rDev -38.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

Presentation: 12 oz. brown bottle. No freshness date. Served in a Samuel Adams sensory glass.

Appearance: Thick two finger head that holds fairly well. Very clear, dark yellow color. Lacing is very nice all the way to the bottom.

Smell: Smells very strongly of allspice. Seems to me it's meant to remind you of pumpkin pie but it's just too strong.

Taste: The smell carries over into the taste. The allspice is very strong on the palate. There's a bit of malt in there but that's about it. It's very sweet and does not taste like a beer at all.

Mouthfeel: Almost no carbonation. It's very light and easy to drink. Feels more like a soda that's gone flat than a beer.

Overall: For a beer called "Pumpkinhead Ale", you'd expect, firstly at least some pumpkin and secondly, an ale. This "beer" is disappointing on both fronts. There's no pumpkin to be smelled or tasted at all. On the "ale" part, well I'm just not sure where that comes from. It's more like an allspice soda, I guess. Not the worst beer in the world, but most certainly one of the worst pumpkin ales out there. If you see these on the shelf at your local store, just skip right over it, you're not missing anything.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 22:45:28 | More by VoodooBear

Bookseeb

Washington

2.8/5  rDev -4.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance has a light orange amber color with a thin dissipating head leaving no lace. Not a lot of aroma to this one, very faint of the malt and hops. Taste is watered down malt with pumpkin spice that really comes out tasting like a flat cola. Mouthfeel is light with light carbonation. This one was really not worth saving till thanksgiving, but I do have a backup.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2012 01:12:53 | More by Bookseeb

mdaschaf

Washington

3.08/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Review from notes.

A: Pours a golden amber color with a small white head that holds as a thin cap on top with moderate lacing.

S: A very faint aroma of spices, some cinnamon and nutmeg.

T: A very light flavor profile, some more spice, cinnamon and nutmeg, a little bit of vanilla, and some bready malt.

M: Light to medium bodied with medium carbonation.

O: A very basic pumpkin beer, pretty boring. Excited to try the BBL version though..as of now at least.

Serving type: bottle

11-21-2012 02:29:07 | More by mdaschaf

facundoCNB

New Jersey

2.95/5  rDev +1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

a light pee yellow with a finger of head which quickly diminished.
smells of apples, cinnamon, nutmeg.. very sweet on the nose.
yikes... i'm getting a slight (VERY SLIGHT) flavor of the spices, and that's it. it's almost like a spiced bud light :(
light body, high carbonation.

i feel this isn't AS bad as some people make it out to be.. i mean, the majority of pumpkin ales are very artificial tasting.. and this fits right in. granted, this is lighter than most, it still tastes slightly like pumpkin pie and is still something i'd rather drink over some shitty malt liquors and bud/miller/coors. ehh, actually i'd take high life over this any day.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2012 02:57:44 | More by facundoCNB

Jadjunk

Georgia

2.73/5  rDev -6.5%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Shipyard's Pumpkinhead arrives relatively early for fall beers, this year it was in stores by June. Pumpkinhead is brewed in the Pumpkin Ale style. Date ticked on the bottle is March 2013. No information on the label, this beer has gathered some notoriety for very shallow pumpkin flavor and heavy spice presence.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to a pint glass. Served at 43º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a near white crispy head over a golden yellow body with a mild haze and ample carbonation. Head retention is average at best- a shallow frothy surface. Body color is pale and thin for the style and the head quality is poor by comparison to other beers of this style. 2

(Smell) Aroma is pleasing, although pumpkin doesn't come to mind over cinnamon applesauce. Malt presence is clean and one-dimensional. The aroma is overall sweet and crisp. Potency is medium. There's not much pumpkin to be found in the aroma of this beer, but there is an enjoyable enough, if not misleading aroma overall. 3

(Taste) Flavor is not as enjoyable as the aroma predicted. Dry cinnamon spice with a slightly less sweet malt base is lacking in substance overall. Fruit is barely audible. Pumpkin, if present at all, is limited to rinds and tart, unripe meat. It would be a stretch discerning this beer from a malty hard apple cider, which is problematic for defining the beer style. Amongst other Pumpkin Ales, this beer is a very light drinking option, and many are likely to feel shortchanged for what they'll get. 2.5

(Mouthfeel) Crisp, lively carbonation throughout. Body is light for the style and light overall. Alcohol presence is light, masked partially by the cinnamon. A bit crisp and lively, which is okay for this beer in particular but not your robust pumpkin ale. 3

(Overall) I constantly got the impression that I was drinking fermented cinnamon applesauce throughout the beverage. It isn't terrible, but it's very misleading. If there is pumpkin in this beer at all, it falls through in nearly every way imaginable, and the resulting beer is very light in taste and shallow in flavor. This isn't a terrible result all-around, but for those looking to settle into the fall flavors of a fuller-bodied-pumpkin-heavy beer, this may feel more like a summer cider than you hoped for. 3

Shipyard Brewing Company's
Pumpkinhead
2.73/5.00

Serving type: bottle

11-19-2012 19:53:52 | More by Jadjunk

zeledonia

Minnesota

3.08/5  rDev +5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

I don't drink many pumpkin ales, but this was in a friend's fridge, so what the hey. Tasted 12 October 2012, reviewed from notes.

Pours a pale yellow, with a bit of orange. A tiny little cap of head, not much. Clear. Little lacing.

Smell is more spices than anything else, but it's the right kind of spices. Slightly sweet, with a squashy juicy chewy fullness. Clove, cinnamon, other soft slightly sweet spices.

Taste is half pumpkin and half spice. Pumpkin flavor isn't all that potent. Kinda bland.

Mouthfeel is thin and really (really) highly carbonated. After the bubbles fade, it feels watery.

When it warms up, it tastes like watered-down pumpkin pie. That suggests how heavily spiced it is. Could be worse. I might drink it again, as it's not actually offensive, but I certainly wouldn't seek it out. Just rather dull - thin and light, both in feel and flavor.

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 02:55:13 | More by zeledonia

mackd27

4.38/5  rDev +50%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I was one of the folks that thought the world was over when Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale disappeared. Love this beer a lot more. Great smell, flavor and went down nicely. I was amazed at the low ratings. I bought 6 different 6 packs this year of different kinds of Pumpkin beer and this by far was my favorite. The others included

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Ale
Buffalo Bills Pumpkin
Lakefront Pumpkin Ale

My TODO for 2012 is Terrapin Pumpkinfest

Serving type: bottle

11-09-2012 06:28:41 | More by mackd27

IronLover

Pennsylvania

2.3/5  rDev -21.2%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pale orange in color with a reddish hue and slight chill haze. Poured with a fizzy white foam that quickly.disappeared. Sweet syrupy aroma with a hint of cinnamon. Fizzy, robust, soda-like carbonation and a slighty syrupy feel. Light, pale malt flavor with a hint of cinnamon. This was like drinking a light beer flavored with sweet syrup and cinnamon. Wasn't worth finishing.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2012 21:06:58 | More by IronLover

jjamadorphd

Florida

3.1/5  rDev +6.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 3.5

For a seasonal beer I found this to be surprisingly good. Sometimes when I try these microbrews, the label sometimes gives it away - marginal label = marginal beer (and the lable on this one is just plan weird.) But this time, I was reminded to never judge a book by its cover (or a beer by its label.)

Pumpkinhead poured out with a golden color, with a tinge of orange. The head was perfectly white and airy, and held on longer than similarly airy heads I have experienced. Mouthfeel was less than what I like - the carbonation was extremely high with this brew. I was pleasantly surprised with the distinct pumpkin taste to the beer, wihch mixed very well I thought with the hops and barely.

Nothing outright spectacular, but for something to take in on a hot Halloween night - I would do again.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2012 21:23:13 | More by jjamadorphd

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.98/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12 oz can into a pint glass.

Pours a clear paler gold with several fingers of rich slightly off-white looking head. This retains with a thin creaminess that hangs some sudsy swathes of lacing down the sides of the glass. The aroma smells of ripe fruit, butter and sweetness with more of a spicy and green feel crammed along the back. The fruit from the yeast is VERY strong here.

The taste is mellow green pumpkin, green crisp hops and sweetness. A smattering of light pumpkin spices are scattered throughout. The greenness of the pumpkin and hops do shine through here. The finish is dry and lightly bitter. The mouthfeel is lighter to medium bodied, with a firm prickle up front and then more of a smooth foaminess across the back.

It’s been a long while since I’ve had this and my overall impression is a bit of a mixed bag.
The flavor and feel are on the lighter side for the style but that can be a good if you know, you’re into that or are looking for a more accessible example of a Pumpkin Ale to introduce someone to. My big gripe with this overall though is with the Ringwood yeast here. Especially in the nose, where it is nauseatingly prevalent. It’s just not my cup of tea, especially in this style. I do like seeing this in cans though, so points for that. I picked up a sixer, so I’ll end up giving this another try.

Serving type: can

11-02-2012 18:26:08 | More by Kegatron

jkeymaginnis

4.88/5  rDev +67.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

This is one of my favorite beers ever. It is not too pumpkin-y and still tastes like beer without being weak. I love the color, and every fall I look forward to it with bells on. Unfortunately hard to find on tap outside of new england. I have love the feel and if you take your time with this beer you'll understand how good it is. Only down side is for some people it may be too "drinkable". I like that personally.

Serving type: on-tap

10-30-2012 01:13:24 | More by jkeymaginnis

JonesBoy

4.58/5  rDev +56.8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

First off, the bottle labeling is very cool, one of my favorites.

A: Light gold apperance with nice lacy head. This beer looks very enticing.

S: Has very subdued pumpkin spice smell. It's nice to pick up the light scent as it temps and is not overpowering.

T: Tastes light, smooth, and refreshing with a slight pumpkin pie finish that just makes you smile. Again, the taste is not over-powering or sweet. I think I could easily chug myself into intoxication with this stuff.

M: Mouthfeel is light, smooth mellowness, like should I savor each gulp or just down this whole thing now.

O: My overall opinion was I should have bought as much of this as I could find. I get this beer so cold, because it is so smooth to drink and erases all thirst. That being said, it still goes down very well as it warms up and the spices seem to dance. I think this is a great pumkin beer, and I'm proud to drink it and review it. Try it, it's a winner

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 02:45:03 | More by JonesBoy

jslice99

New York

3.23/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 2 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance- Poured a golden-yellow color. Kind of looks like a typical macro american lager. Has about a half inch white head that leaves little lacing on the glass.

Smell- Very, Very light pumpkin smell. Not much else. Maybe some nutmeg.

Taste- Very light. You can pick up some pumpkin and spice notes.

Mouthfeel- Smooth, light taste. Wish it had a little more to it.

Overall- To me, this is a pumpkin beer that would be a good beer for someone who has never tried a pumpkin beer. It's quite sessionable and easy to drink. It's not the best, but it's not terrible. If your a bud or coors drinker and you want to try a seasonal brew, you would like this.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 06:22:43 | More by jslice99

Josh

4.15/5  rDev +42.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Appearance – The beer poured a nice pale golden color. There was about a finger of head on top. I couldn't wait to taste it, so I have idea how long the head would have lasted. After my first sip a very thin white head covered the entire top of the beer and no lacing was left on the glass. A constant flow of small carbonation bubbles flowed from the bottom of the glass to the top thin layer of head.

Smell – The smell is nothing more than pure fall. It smelled of a very deep dark pumpkin pie spice. I could smell the entire pie. There was a strong nutmeg smell followed by a hint of cinnamon and the beer finished with the scent of burnt graham cracker pie crust.

Taste – The taste brings you though exactly what the smell does. It starts with alcohol and carbonation to nutmeg, to cinnamon, to burnt pie crust.

Mouth feel – The beer is very light and very carbonated. So much carbonation that the alcohol taste stands out until the carbonation subsides and reminds the mouth of spice.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 23:45:42 | More by Josh

Highvoltageism

Tennessee

2.5/5  rDev -14.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 1.5 | overall: 2

I'm into the short comments about brews and not a professional. This beer, or should I say malt beverage, which is on the label isn't worth having. Looks like a wheat beer and first impressions are OK, but then a swallow and you get a generic pumpkin spice taste then a low quality mouth feel and non-existent finish. I was disappointed because of the hefty price and attractive packaging.

Serving type: bottle

10-20-2012 18:12:48 | More by Highvoltageism