Highballer Pumpkin Ale - Grand River Brewing

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.7/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Bottle: poured a clear deep copper color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and not much lacing. Aroma of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg are well balance. Taste is also a well balanced mix between some ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg with not much pumpkin per say abut a nice and easily drinkable caramel malt backbone. Body is about average with good carbonation. Very well done with great balance and easily drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2009 17:25:58 | More by Phyl21ca

cratez

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Bottle at Chancey Smith's in London, Ontario. Packaged on October 13th, consumed three days later. Very fresh!

Appearance: dark orange body with brown hues and a thin layer of white film on top. Not much head or lacing, but the colour is intriguing.

Smell & Taste: aromas of pumpkin pie, buttery crust, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with hints of clove. Taste is identical, though the pale and caramel malts produce some wheat cracker and biscuit flavours towards the end. Nicely balanced malty-sweet aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: medium palate with spicy carbonation. Smooth in the body, drying parched finish.

Overall: a tasty, straightforward pumpkin ale with appetizing flavours and aromas. No real twists, though, aside from the crackery-wheaty-biscuity flavours. I think a stronger hop presence would add more complexity, and distinguish this brew from other pumpkin ales. Still, this is well worth a quaff in its current form.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2009 18:45:23 | More by cratez

HopHead84

California

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Consumed on 8/28/09 and poured into a snifter. I received this as an extra somewhere along the road so thank you to whoever gave this to me. The beer pours dark gold with a creamy white head and scattered lacing.

The nose comes across as authentic and is one of the best I've beheld on a pumpkin ale. Notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice are immediately noticeable. This smells like fresh pumpkin pie. The malt is crackery and biscuity.

The flavor isn't quite as good. It's spicy like the nose, with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and some clove. The malt is biscuity and the finish is dry. No alcohol is noticeable.

Serving type: bottle

09-02-2009 01:53:30 | More by HopHead84

markaberrant

Saskatchewan (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

A - light amber, very clear, some sediment chunks (could be settled out spices), white head, good retention, some lacing

S - big pumpkin spice nose, the usual suspects, peppery, not hot, but almost phenolic-like, some sweetness backing it up, no hops

T - very dry, almost no residual sweetness, spices are balanced and not bitter, which is surprising considering how dry this is, but still have that phenolic taste, and low bitterness. Almost no aftertaste. This honestly tastes like a really bland, bone-dry ale, with almost no hops, and some spices.

M - body is medium, carbonation medium, creamy, overall ok.

D - This really doesn't deliver on what I'm looking for in a pumpkin ale

The spices come off as phenolic, and there is absolutely no sweetness to round things out, which is absolutely critical to me with a spiced beer. I realize this isn't the freshest example (7 months old), but this is a huge letdown.

Thanks to Viggo for the bottle!

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2009 02:39:03 | More by markaberrant

DrJay

Massachusetts

4.43/5  rDev +16%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Nice orange/gold colour with faint haze. A hard pour produced a one inch cap of off-white foam, but this settled fairly fast to a collar with some spotty lacing on the glass. Pie spices were evident in the aroma as soon as the cap was popped. Cinnamon, allspice, and clove along with some caramel and malt, plus a bit of vegetal pumpkin character. Same in the flavour, but with more of a biscuity malt character and fruity sweetness in the finish. Light bitterness overall, but it was certainly present. Light, lingering spices. Great balance. Medium bodied with light carbonation that ended up giving it a pleasant creaminess. Fairly dry. This is easily one of the best pumpkin ales I've had, and I make it a point to try them whenever I can. I've waited quite a while for my first beer from Grand River and I hope they're all this good.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2009 01:54:28 | More by DrJay

demcorhip

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Another 500ml bottle courtesy of Derek. Thanks man! Another good looking brew from Grand River, with a nice, clear, bronzish amber body. Managed 1 finger of off white head that subsided to leave a thin yet decent collar.

A very nice nose on this brew. Pumpkin, caramel malts, and pumpkin spice, led by allspice, then cinnamon and a hint of ginger and clove.

A nice tasting pumpkin as well. Slightly nutty with a touch of caramel, as well as a nice touch of pie crust. A decent yet somewhat mild flavour of roasted pumpkin is enhanced by the use of spice as described above regarding the aroma. A nice clean kick of hop bitterness comes through at the finish.

Almost medium bodied, and quite nicely balanced, especially in terms of spice and hops. Pumpkin spice is strong without being annoying or overpowering, and the nice clean bitterness with a slight woodiness helps, along with the spice, to balance the caramel malt sweetness. A touch more pumpkin and this would be the pumpkin beer bomb.

A nice, drinkable pumpkin ale. I didnt try to many this year, mostly because i didnt notice my favorites from Smuttynose and O'Fallons this year. This brew ranks right up there with them. Highly recommended to fans of the style, as mentioned earlier, the only thing that would take this over the top would be a greater pumpkin presence. Another very solid beer from Grand River. Hopefully we can find a way to get a few cases of their offerings sent up to the Northwest.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2008 02:02:39 | More by demcorhip

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

4.22/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: Copper-bronze with an off white head, some retention, great lacing.

S: The pumpkin pie spicing is bang on, with some nice biscuity malt (somewhat reminiscent of pie crust).

T: Not as quite as bitter as last year, the hop flavour isn't upfront, and the spicing is perfect. Nice biscuity malt & a slight fruitiness. I think this has surpassed the Great Lakes Double Pumpkin, making it the best local pumpkin of the year. Their water really brings the bitterness forward, and I'd prefer a little residual sweetness (with perhaps a hint of vanilla), but this damn good.

M: Lighter than moderate body with a crisp, fairly dry finish.

D: VERY drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2008 20:53:18 | More by Derek

CAMRAhardliner

Ontario (Canada)

3.83/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Had this at C'est What at the Fall Beer Festival.

The pint is served cloudy with a creamy smallish head. Loads of lace coats the glass. The mouthfeel is incredibly smooth, I need to drink more cask ale. The aroma is nutmeg, pumpkin spices and thick sweet malts. The taste is spicey and very much like a pumpkin pie. Pithy, vegetal pumpkin flesh has a subtle presence. Hops are very restrained with a mild bittering effect on the malty finish.

This is a very nice pumpkin ale. Very full bodied and creamy. The pumpkin spice tends to take too much focus away from actual pumpkin flavors though.

Serving type: cask

10-08-2008 01:43:57 | More by CAMRAhardliner

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I tasted this at the C’est What? fall beer fest, and found it to be a good brew. Lovely orange colored pour with a frothy white head. Abundant peach and pumpkin in the nose. Sweet pumpkin and fruit in the flavor, and a smooth finish. A nice fall drink.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2008 19:40:01 | More by bobsy

funkengruven

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Fresh Growler from the brewery, dated today (October 21, 2007)

This poured a nice dark amber with some head that dissipated quickly. Smell is floral, with some spice in the nose, Pumpkin Pie comes to mind. This is also reflected in the flavor, very fresh, lots of pumpkin in the initial flavor, aftertaste contains an affirmative malt aroma with a touch of hops. Mouthfeel is a touch astringent, likely from the pumpkin, but still very nice.

Drinkable, flavorful, a very good example of this style of ale. I wish Ontario brewers would take on this style more.

Serving type: growler

10-21-2007 23:45:39 | More by funkengruven

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.1/5  rDev -18.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

A malty-spicy aroma. A slightly brown appearance with lace and decent head. High carbonation. Sourish taste that barely let out the spices. Not much of any flavour came out, indicative to me of injection and end of batch or not good batch at all.On-tap at Cask Ale Fest Volo 2007.

Serving type: on-tap

10-21-2007 21:18:17 | More by northyorksammy

pootz

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Fresh sample from the brewery:

A shimmering dark amber-gold in color with a decent 2 finger white cap

Aroma is distinct and interesting...you get spice (cinnamin/nutmeg) over some fruity esters ( peach-strawberry) and a nice whiff of crystal malt that carries the musty botanical tones of pumpkin.

Pumpkin is less defined in the flavor which is a very tasteful blend of spices and savory hops, bready-sweet malts with light fruit/pumpkin tones...all in a extraordinary balance where none over power the other. Finishes slightly bitter but pleasant. The 5.2% ABV makes this a satisfying and more substantial ale.

A very decent ale and a good attempt for this brewer’s first specialty offering. My favorite ale from GRB so far.

Serving type: growler

10-01-2007 20:33:48 | More by pootz

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -11%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

On tap at C'est What? Festival of Small Brewers. Nice to see brewers here doing some pumpkin beers for the fall.

Pours a slightly hazed golden orange, thin white head, few lace spots, head disappears to a thin wispy ring. Smell is sweet, caramel, light pumpkin, spices, not bad but slightly weak. Taste is more of the same, light caramel and pumpkin, spice, weak finish, just spicy, pumpkin doesn't really come through in the flavour. Mouthfeel is thin, light bodied, low carbonation. Not bad, but leaves me unimpressed.

Serving type: on-tap

09-29-2007 19:29:12 | More by Viggo