Pumpkin Ale - Williamsburg AleWerks

Chaney

District of Columbia

4.7/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I've heard a lot of good buzz about this one from many of my beer friends. Some say it's even better than Schlafly's, so... I'm doing a comparison tasting and drinking a Schlafly at the same time. Here goes:

A: Pours pretty thick, with a slight bubbly head that quickly withers away to nothing, and a beautiful dark dark orange-red (almost bronze) color. The carbonation is moderate.

S: Deep smell of pumpkin. And I mean HUGE! All the standard spices are there (nutmeg, brown sugar, etc.), but the smell of the actually gourd is prominent.

T: Much sweeter than Schlafly and not as much pumpkin "roast" overall. I really love the crispness. The spices are a little more muted than the Schlafly, and the sweetness is a bit more "tart."

M: Really good. Nothing offensive about the sugar content. It feels exactly the way it should for this style.

D: Since I love pumpkin ales and the harvest time of year in general, I'll drink this again. Definitely in the top 5 pumpkin ales available!

UPDATED REVIEW! The 2011 version is much better than Schlafly's (the local phenomenon). It's richer, creamier, and more pumpkin-like.

Honestly, I couldn't imagine a better pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2010 00:26:45 | More by Chaney

thampel09

New Jersey

5/5  rDev +19%

05-20-2013 20:14:29 | More by thampel09

pk18

Wisconsin

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

05-13-2013 01:45:03 | More by pk18

Dreamer

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

05-10-2013 17:38:46 | More by Dreamer

tectactoe

Michigan

4/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Someone gave me this as an extra and I forgot who it was... My apologies, but thank you to whomever you may have been. Drinking a pumpkin ale in April doesn't seem so out of place when it's still only 37 degrees outside... Thanks, Michigan. This one pours a muddled copper, barely letting any light through. The off-white head grows to about an inch before settling quickly to a mere skin atop the brew.

Aromatics for pumpkin ales tend to get a little repetitive at times since they almost all essentially contain the same spices and ingredients. This brew has a bit of the normal things you'd expect - nutmeg, cinnamon, and some bready and caramel malts to tie it all together, giving that "pumpkin pie" feel to it. This one, however, contains a slight apple spice aroma to it, along with a a decent amount of leafy hops, slightly segregating it from the rest of the somewhat tiresome pumpkin ales out there. Nothing is really too overpowering, either - nice mix of all components.

The first sip leans heaviest towards nutmeg with a secondary nod to cinnamon, yet neither of them overshadow the other. Hops are present, just like they were in the aroma, giving a slight bitterness up front that fades over time. There's a delicate sweetness that hits almost immediately, reminding me more and more of apples. A dash of ginger makes its way in and molds with the bread and cookie-like malts to radiate a solid "gingerbread spice holiday" vibe. The finish contains a little bit of caramel with a solid nutmeg and cinnamon spice combination still resonating enough to be relevant. I love how the maltiness gives a graham cracker and cookie feel. Very festive. Medium bodied, medium carbonation, lightly creamy mouth feel.

Overall, very nice pumpkin ale, even though they typically aren't my "thing". Good addition of spices to remain strong but not too fatiguing. Malts play a huge role in providing a biscuit, cookie, and shortbread type of flavor profile. Certainly one of the best pumpkin ales I've had.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2013 22:27:19 | More by tectactoe

AngusOg

Maryland

4/5  rDev -4.8%

04-02-2013 10:57:32 | More by AngusOg

ZoomnWahoo

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

03-19-2013 02:59:54 | More by ZoomnWahoo

thebouch01

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

03-02-2013 03:07:40 | More by thebouch01

UnderPressure

South Carolina

2.3/5  rDev -45.2%
look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Crystal clear copper colored beer. Little to no head. No lacing.

Heavy spice in the aroma. Cloves and allspice. It's hard to pick up anything else. Maybe a little sweet malt in the background.

Heavy cinnamon in the flavor. Hard to get past all the spice flavor.

Decent medium bodied mouthfeel. Fizzy carbonation. Clean finish.

Slightly below average pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

02-26-2013 13:06:32 | More by UnderPressure

gtermi

Texas

4.75/5  rDev +13.1%

02-10-2013 07:24:22 | More by gtermi

dtx00

Pennsylvania

5/5  rDev +19%

01-27-2013 22:51:44 | More by dtx00

Jspriest

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

01-14-2013 22:19:23 | More by Jspriest

Auror

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

01-09-2013 06:02:18 | More by Auror

AlexFields

Tennessee

4.14/5  rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Pours a lovely light pumpkin color.

Smells very sweet, more pumpkin than spice in the nose which is encouraging.

Lots of real pumpkin flavor, very sweet, there's subtle spice but it doesn't dominate or distract. This is exactly how I want pumpkin beers to taste.

Great beer, one of the best pumpkin ales I've had, one of the few I would buy to drink repeatedly if I had access to it.

8.4/10

Serving type: bottle

01-08-2013 03:57:10 | More by AlexFields

Mattyb79

Virginia

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

01-02-2013 01:28:53 | More by Mattyb79

derricksmalls

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

01-01-2013 13:38:25 | More by derricksmalls

Archemedies

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.8%

12-25-2012 03:31:10 | More by Archemedies

jdhasse

Illinois

3.75/5  rDev -10.7%

12-23-2012 20:47:02 | More by jdhasse

mrterdferguson

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

12-17-2012 03:07:30 | More by mrterdferguson

KAP1356

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -4.8%

12-11-2012 18:54:28 | More by KAP1356

TribeBeerDrinker

Virginia

4.25/5  rDev +1.2%

12-07-2012 21:28:08 | More by TribeBeerDrinker

ElderPuma

Wisconsin

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

12-07-2012 13:06:16 | More by ElderPuma

scm2787

Texas

4.5/5  rDev +7.1%

12-03-2012 23:05:27 | More by scm2787

Vonerichs

Illinois

4.03/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The body was an autumn-esque clear burnt orange. The head had a tan hue and lacing cascaded through the whole glass.

The aroma has a heavy dose of nutmeg up front. The pumpkin scent is that of real pumpkin, not a pumpkin spice.

The real pumpkin flavor carries into the flavor along with nutmeg, cinnamon, and carmalized sugar.

Slightly dry mouthfeel with good carbonation.

It's a really good pumpkin beer. It does have a good dose of spices yet still keeps a good sweet balance to it.

Serving type: bottle

12-03-2012 02:38:06 | More by Vonerichs

jaasen64

Massachusetts

4/5  rDev -4.8%

11-30-2012 14:34:17 | More by jaasen64