Pumpkin Ale - Kern River Brewing Company

Etan

Illinois

3.71/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

22oz into a tulip.

A: Clear gold with a large white head.

S: Light pumpkin flesh and pie spice in the nose. Some graininess.

T: Taste is bready with mild pumpkin flavor. The allspice is there, but it's restrained. A little bit of crisp hop bitterness. Essentially an American blonde ale with some mild pumpkin and spice flavors.

M: Light-bodied with zingy carbonation.

O: The pumpkin flavor here is pretty nice, but I think that it would work better with a maltier base beer.

Serving type: bottle

02-17-2013 21:47:20 | More by Etan

Clem319

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-06-2013 21:47:26 | More by Clem319

IPAyForHops

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-03-2013 00:48:40 | More by IPAyForHops

DNICE555

Connecticut

4.5/5  rDev +19.4%

02-24-2013 03:36:53 | More by DNICE555

sdpaul

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

02-05-2013 18:55:53 | More by sdpaul

JPortillo

Illinois

4/5  rDev +6.1%

12-25-2012 20:50:25 | More by JPortillo

CheapBeerBuzz

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

12-20-2012 17:39:38 | More by CheapBeerBuzz

jgluck

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

12-17-2012 23:56:48 | More by jgluck

Lex_Talionis

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

12-13-2012 18:33:21 | More by Lex_Talionis

drewone

California

3/5  rDev -20.4%

12-05-2012 08:58:48 | More by drewone

Texasfan549

Texas

3.25/5  rDev -13.8%

11-20-2012 04:01:55 | More by Texasfan549

BeerHunter76

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

11-18-2012 19:49:32 | More by BeerHunter76

kjkinsey

Texas

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

11-17-2012 22:33:42 | More by kjkinsey

kojevergas

California

2.88/5  rDev -23.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

1 pint 6 fl oz brown glass bottle with standard pressure cap acquired in Beverly Hills, California and served into a New Belgium goblet in me gaff in low altitude Los Feliz, California. Reviewed live. Expectations are high given the reputation of this brewery. ABV isn't noted on the bottle.

Served straight from the refrigerator. Side-poured with standard vigor as no carbonation issues are anticipated.

A: Pours a 1.5 finger beige colour head of nice cream, pretty decent thickness, and pretty good retention. Colour is a hazy murky dull copper. Nontransparent. Non-opaque. Lacing is fair. I can't say I'm impressed with the appearance. No yeast particles are visible. No bubble show.

Sm: Pumpkin and spice - though I wouldn't have guessed it's allspice (per the label). Some pale malts; maybe some biscuit malt. No yeast or alcohol is detectable. An average strength aroma, but quite a pleasant one.

T: Pumpkin and spice over a murky malt foundation. The malts are uneven and poorly layered. A hint of brown sugar - or at least specialty dark sugar. Malty sweetness overpowers the second act and climax, intruding on the turf of the pumpkin. I'd like more pumpkin as well, and more spice to boot. Still, it's enjoyable if imbalanced. No alcohol or yeast comes through. Any hopping is minimal, with only floral character. No hop bitterness is apparent. It's weak and lacks sufficient body.

Mf: Unnaturally coarse and sugary. Seriously; what's with the coarseness? Strangely thick, even approaching syrupy - in the first and second acts. Weak and thin in the second act up to the climax. Carbonation is good. Pleasantly wet. I'd stop far short of refreshing. Suits the flavours okay. Severely flawed by any measure.

Dr: Drinkable but mediocre, especially for the style. There are far better pumpkin beers at this price point. I wouldn't get this again. A disappointment from Kern River. Hides its modest ABV well. This just suffers from too many problems to be fixed.

Serve a bit warm, actually. It gets better as it warms.

C

Serving type: bottle

11-14-2012 05:38:10 | More by kojevergas

srandycarter

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Clear copper. Small white head. Some spotty lace.

S - Light uncooked pumpkin, some spices. Malt.

T - Taste similar to smell. Has more bittering hops than in the smell.

M - Medium body. Somewhat meaty. Good carb, fair balance.

D - Not a bad beer. Fun to try.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2012 05:19:01 | More by srandycarter

APreacher

California

4/5  rDev +6.1%

11-10-2012 21:21:17 | More by APreacher

ThickNStout

Georgia

3.2/5  rDev -15.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle, extra from soughtbygod. No bottling info. Served in a Sweetwater snifter.

Pours pale orange hued yellowwith about one finger pale head. Plenty of broad white sheets of lace.

Smells of pumpkin, wheat, hay and slight spice.

Subtle pumpkin flavor leads. Followed by wheat, spice and a little bitterness.

Light body with lively carbonation. Pumpkins and that slight bitterness in the finish.

Not bad at all but a tad thin and subtle for my tastes.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2012 03:23:25 | More by ThickNStout

alwaysanswerb

California

2.5/5  rDev -33.7%

10-28-2012 03:54:37 | More by alwaysanswerb

leodarko

California

2.25/5  rDev -40.3%

10-27-2012 23:40:15 | More by leodarko

Rollzroyce21

California

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

04-09-2012 16:18:19 | More by Rollzroyce21

muchloveforhops3

Oregon

5/5  rDev +32.6%

04-04-2012 21:53:38 | More by muchloveforhops3

Drinkerofales

California

3.93/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours cloudy orange and brown.(I would have said pumpkin orange, but it's not quite there) A huge dirty orange tinted head forms to leave no lacing.

Smell is as advertised, pumpkin and allspice.

Taste is mellow, with not too much spice and a nice pumpkin flavor. Though there is a strange tangy aftertaste.

Feel is light bodied. Very tingly bubbles and easy to drink.

A fin pumpkin beer. Not over strong or overpowering. Only thing dragging it down is that strange tangy yeasty aftertaste.

DOA

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2012 08:20:07 | More by Drinkerofales

MrVonzipper

California

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

02-16-2012 17:21:50 | More by MrVonzipper

cosmicevan

New York

3.7/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

huge thanks to surlytwinsfan for tossing this one my way in the Math Trade #5 BIF. split it with my wife.

a - poured two snifters which both settled a murky orange leather with an ipa frothy white head. head was chunky and fizzled away leaving the glass looking like a milkshake was there. attractive.

s - subtle pumpkin cinnamon potpouri craft store...autumn smell. has a lager tint.

t - even more lagery in the flavor, with a hint of the pumpkin seasoning that the nose suggests. pretty decent. more subtle pumpkin than most others of the style. very enjoyable.

m - smooth and easy drinker.

o - overall not the best pumpkin beer i've ever had and not the worst. has a malty presence, but it is tasty and not gross. glad i got to try it. my wife dug it too. definitely not an in your face pumpkin explosion...although, tis way past pumpkin season now, so perhaps a different monster fresh?

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2012 01:23:49 | More by cosmicevan

Schlais

Minnesota

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

01-21-2012 16:15:56 | More by Schlais