Devious Imperial Pumpkin - Bethlehem Brew Works

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Capone's Restaurant. Amber coloured body with a little head; a lace sheet. Very pumpkiny. OK, but another beer that adds to being pumpkined out. Spice up front, including lots of salt and coriander. So-so drinkability.Could be better spice mix, would like more cinammon and nutmeg.

Serving type: on-tap

12-09-2012 21:51:22 | More by northyorksammy

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.18/5  rDev -16.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Picked this up at Capone's a month or so ago. Shared at our big pumpkin tasting.

Pours a slightly-pale and hazed orange color with a really nice, lasting off white head. Nose is pretty plain, with a bit of spicing and hints of pumpkin in the background. The taste also brings on a bit of pale malt. Really quite plain in general. Feel is light with fairly high levels of carbonation for the style. This goes down pretty easily for its strength, but there's nothing too memorable about it.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2010 11:48:01 | More by Thorpe429

drabmuh

Maryland

3.43/5  rDev -9.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

One of the bottles shared at a recent pumpkin tasting, at least pumpkin beers come around once a year.

Beer is orange and slightly hazy with an offwhite head.

Spicy aroma but there is definitely some pumpkin in there, its average smelling.

Beer is kind of sweet and mild, heavily carbonated in the palate but the flavors are muted. Mouthfeel mediocre and overall, even for a pumpkin beer, its quite average.

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2010 20:43:32 | More by drabmuh

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

4.22/5  rDev +11.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Devious is a really good fall brew. Grabbed a bottle as soon as I could to try this one. The normal pumpkin ale I tried on tap at the brew works and wasn't overly thrilled with it. This brew dropped a bomb on the other pumpkin ale. This one poured out as a deep copper color with a thick white head on top. This beer has a nice lacing on it. The smell of the beer is full of spices and pumpkin aromas. The taste is loaded with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and pumpkin. Had a light vanilla flavor in the aftertaste too. The mouthfeel had a hefty bite to it. Overall the beer is a good one, really enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

07-20-2011 01:15:56 | More by Knapp85

Gavage

New Jersey

3.33/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Appearance: pours a clear reddish orange color with a wispy head that disappears immediately.

Smell: nutmeg, cinnamon, and a bit of earthiness creates an aroma that is not as pleasant as one would like.

Taste: caramel, nutmeg, cinnamon, alcohol, and a moderate bitterness creates a decent flavored pumpkin ale.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied. Lightly crisp to start, smooth and a touch dry at the finish. Alcohol and spices linger a while after swallowing.

Drinkability: this is a slow drinking beer, and the bomber bottle is a bit much for a single session.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 20:40:53 | More by Gavage

Slatetank

Pennsylvania

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this up as part of a mix-a-six from Al's of Hampden, enjoyed chilled from a tumbler shared with octopus87.

The color is firey golden red with a good level of clarity with a crust of tan cream with tight bead and lace that sticks lazily. The smell is dominated by pie spices - lots of clove right off with a hint of nutmeg nuttiness and slight bitter citrus tinge with nutty malt and subtle brown sugar scent. The feel is moderately spiced in texture which is good considering I expected spice overload judging by the scent with good carbonation level which is moderate and mild creamy feel with a light bitterness and moderate amount of sweetness with semi-dry finish.

This Imperial Pumpkin has a nice blend of pumpkin pie spices with plenty of clove and cinnamon giving a woody earthy element and adding to the layer of caramel malt body underneath with some slightly slick sweet and smooth yeast accents. The alcohol comes into the taste late, but it is still there but the spice distracts for the most part and it doesn't seem hot or really apparent until the last taste. I enjoy this beer for what it is - a pretty decent pumpkin ale, not strong flavored even though the spices are assertive and the alcohol is not hot and malt stays away from cloying so I generally enjoyed this. A good strong pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

07-25-2011 20:39:46 | More by Slatetank

oline73

Maryland

3.1/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

Poured from a bottle into a standard pint glass.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy reddish amber with a layer of off white head that goes away completely.

Smell: Very sweet. Some malt and a very strong molasses note. Some pumpkin and pie spice, but it's in the background compared to the sweetness.

Taste: The sweetness is still there, but not as overpowering. Stronger notes from the spices, mainly cinnamon and nutmeg. Just a little pumpkin and some bitter alcohol in the finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with tingly carbonation and a dry finish.

Overall: A bit too sweet in the smell and too boozy in the finish. Not bad, but I wouldn't have another.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 23:28:45 | More by oline73

claspada

New Jersey

2.88/5  rDev -24%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Pours a clear dark orange color with a wispy eggshell colored head that disappears immediately.

Aromas begin with allspice, cinnamon and a bit of earthy nutmeg. Sweet toasted bread maltiness underneath with emerging fusel alcohol that is in no way pleasant. Almost like a spicy pumpkin spiced liquor.

The tastes begin with caramel maltiness but immediately you are greeted with the earthy nutmeg, spicy cinnamon and boozy alcohol. For how high the ABV is on this there is little malt flavor to backbone the spice additions.

The mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium-light carbonation. Finish is lightly crisp to start, smooth and a touch dry but the alcohol and spices linger too long.

Overall this is subpar as a Pumpkin ale goes. Numerous better examples and I hate to hate on a local brew but the spices and alcohol are just too much to enjoy. Couldn't finish the entire bottle. Not sure how/why this is so much different than the lower ABV non-Imperial version from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 20:17:09 | More by claspada

philbe311

Pennsylvania

3.55/5  rDev -6.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A - Two plus fingers worth of orange tinged audibly fizzy tightly packed head that quickly fizzes away leaving a splotchy uneven lacing... The color is a deep rich amber... A slight bit of small bubbled moderate paced carbonation rises within...

S - The nose is predominately autumnal spices... Nutmeg... Cinnamon... Clove... A touch of all spice... Freshly cut pumpkin... Some very faint notes of caramel... Wonderful balance and nice complexity for the style...

T - The spices are also at the forefront of the palette... Cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove blend nicely and dominate... A hint of all spice... Some bready crust-like malts... The pumpkin is subdued... Any notes of sweetness are very muted and lie well beneath the surface...

M - Medium bodied... A slightly awkward carbonated fizziness... Sleek... A "thin" syrupy coating coats the mouth...

D - A very solid Pumpkin Ale... The spices outweigh both the pumpkin and sweetness in this one... It also packs a little bit of a punch... Very respectable, but not top tier...

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2011 00:58:38 | More by philbe311

birchstick

Missouri

3.88/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The Devious pours a darkish rustic orange with a white head on it. The nose has, surprise surprise, pumpkin malts mixed in with pumpkin spice notes. The taste starts off with caramel malts that part ways to reveal a lot of nutmeg spicing on the tongue. Spicy clove is mixed in with the nutmeg and ultimately give way to the pumpkin malt before retiring. Creamy body but some carbonation burn on the backend. Overall, this is a good pumpkin beer with a nice flavor profile.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2012 14:10:35 | More by birchstick

facundoCNB

New Jersey

2.7/5  rDev -28.8%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5

a very deep amber pour with a finger of head which diminished entirely within seconds.
smell of sour apples, pie spices.. very sour/apple-ish.. kind of weird for a pumpkin ale
a very harsh malt taste.. bitter but in a dark roast type way, the spices do NOT work well with this beer. really not enjoying this at all. has a sweet-like aftertaste, but still the roasty harsh bitterness is very off putting for this "sweet" of a beer.. definitely getting the apple taste i was smelling.

medium body, slight carbonation.. almost flat.. no head, no lacing, nothing.

i'm getting a bad feeling about this brewery. this is the second beer i've had by them and both totally repulsed me. it's very hard for me to not want to finish a beer.. hell, i've sat through plenty of bad beers in hopes that by the end i'll find something i like about it, and most of the time i do... this, however, the only thing i can hope for is that i can sit through the rest of the glass without pouring it down the drain.. hell, it was $2.50.. totally not worth it.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2012 00:45:09 | More by facundoCNB

n2185

North Carolina

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours a clear, dark orange with two fingers of beige head that recedes into a a thin ring with no lacing.

S: Some spice notes up front--cinnamon, clove, nutmeg--followed by a good bit of vanilla. There are some light hop aromas as well with some sweet citrus notes.

T: Similar to the aroma, spice notes up front along with vanilla flavors. Light, sweet bready notes follow along with sweet citrus hop notes. There's a light alcohol burn as well.

M: Medium body with fairly high carbonation, this beer feels fairly crisp, which is nice.

O: Quite a good pumpkin ale. I'd like a bit more pumpkin flavors and possibly less alcohol presence, but at least they don't overdo it with the spices. Very enjoyable, overall.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2011 03:04:15 | More by n2185

brystmar

New York

4.38/5  rDev +15.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

A: roars to life with copious amounts of carbonation and thick, white head. Not the best retention, however, and halfway through the drink I'm left with no traces of head or lace. Lack of retention is the reason this doesn't get a 5.

S: fresh pumpkin, sweet malts, spicy cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon. Many beers smell like pumpkin pie, but this one smells like really good pumpkin pie.

T: healthy doses of malt backed up by strong spices. Tons of clove and other spices here, much moreso than its peers. The pumpkin itself is there but isn't the central focus and balances well with everything else. Mild boozy warmth as it descends leaves the familiar (and pleasant) caramel flavor, reminding you this is an imperial brew. Devious is impressively crafted, and top-notch for the style.

M: medium-bodied, more carbonation than I normally like, and not creamy enough. But this is all nit-picking: this is a fantastic pumpkin ale!

D: great flavors and balance mask this imperial pumpkin's strength well. I could happily take down this entire bomber and still beg for more.

Overall, this is a first-rate pumpkin beer. Not sure why its average rating here is so low -- this truly is a pinnacle of its style. The only other pumpkin beer on par with Devious is the Frog's Hollow Imperial Pumpkin from Hoppin Frog. I think I slightly prefer that brew to this one, but it's close. Really, really close.

*** The Pumpkin Beer Hierarchy ® ***

Top Tier: (in order, separated only by marginal personal preference)
- Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale by Hoppin Frog
- Devious Imperial Pumpkin by Bethlehem Brew Works

2nd Tier:
- Good Gourd by Cigar City

3rd Tier: (tied)
- Punkin' by DFH
- PumKing by Southern Tier

...and then there's everything else. Seek Devious out! Buy multiples! It's rare that pumpkin beers get this good.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2011 02:44:12 | More by brystmar

jtierney89

New Jersey

1.65/5  rDev -56.5%
look: 1.5 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Deep tarnished orange hue. Thick off white head that settles down rather quickly. smells like a pumpkin candle. cinnamon clove allspice wax and soap. some unfermented malt extract smells as well.

Thinner body than expected. Good deal of sweetness but nothing too cloying. Extremely faint detectable alcohol. Starts bold on the tip of tongue with pumpkin pie flavors which fade to just pumpkin flavors and finally to a grainy dry malt like flavor with the addition of a touch of soapiness. Dark fruit becomes a little present as the beer warms. Figs and raisins, touches of caramel. The beer eventually turns to a misunderstood mess of flavors that try to work together but just cant. Interesting at best.

In the world of great pumpkin beers, this overpriced one doesn't stand much of a chance.

Serving type: bottle

08-19-2012 00:23:37 | More by jtierney89

bigfnjoe

Pennsylvania

3.28/5  rDev -13.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured from a corked & caged bottle into a DFH snifter

A- pours a nice shade of orange with a two finger, very puffy offwhite head. No lacing

S- cinnamon and nutmeg, and I'm smelling some alcohol in here as well. Aroma is a little weak

T- tastes like fall....cinnamon, nutmeg, and a lot of sugar comes to the forefront in this one. It's really sweet too...moreso than many of the other pumpkin beers I've tried. There's also a little bit of an apple cider vibe to it

M- the texture is very thin and watery, which I really didn't expect from an IMPERIAL pumpkin ale at 9%

O- no thanks. I'll take a Pumking for two bucks more

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2011 01:02:06 | More by bigfnjoe

FeDUBBELFIST

Pennsylvania

4.5/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle to snifter. Sampled 9/5/11. $3.75 for the single.

A: Pours with a large finger and a half cream colored head, thick and frothy, with excellent retention. The body is dark ruby colored, much darker than most other pumpkin ales. Wonderful lacing.

S: Malt forward nose. Notes of caramel, cookie and toasted bread. Pumpkin pie filling. Complex and layered with spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice - and further notes of cardamom and clove.

T: The notes translates onto the palate - and just as well - with deeper flavor in the form of toffee, cola and spicy apple. Finishes really strong with with great flavor and big alcoholic notes.

M: Very full body and extremely thick and chewy. The flavor lasts long and is moderately sweet.

O: Devious Imperial Pumpkin is an excellent BIG pumpkin beer - and easily the most memorable of the year. Well done guys.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 04:05:01 | More by FeDUBBELFIST

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

3.53/5  rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Pours a crystal clear dark amber/orange with 1 finger of head that dissipates quickly. Moderate carbonation and some pretty good lacing slides down the side of the glass.

N: Nutmeg, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, pie crust and maybe some caramel apple.

T: Caramel, pie crust and nutmeg upfront. This is followed by candy sugar, cinnamon, hints of pumpkin and very subtle notes of citrus. Finishes with lingering spices, some burnt sugar and a little booze.

M: Medium bodied, smooth and dry.

O: There's a lot of spices up front but I feel like it helps to hide the 9% abv. The caramel and pie crust flavors underneath it all are very nice. There's only a hint of actual pumpkin flavor and the beer could benefit from having a little more. Overall it's very tasty and dare I say somewhat juicy.

Serving type: bottle

07-31-2011 01:34:47 | More by justintcoons

SolipsismalCat

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a snifter.

A: Clear red-brown with a one-and-a-half finger, off-white head that lasted a minute or two. Not much lacing.

S: Strong aromas of weet pumpkin and spice.

T: Moderate to high sweetness and light bitterness. Lots of pumpkin and spice just like the nose. Wonderful. Slight taste of alcohol too.

M: Medium bodied with lively carbonation. Slightly dry and alcoholic.

O: The look and feel of this beer are just average, but the aroma and taste are really nice.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2012 00:48:59 | More by SolipsismalCat

IronLover

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Sampled from a bottle with no freshness date. Dirty copper orange with an amber hue and a deep haze. Poured with a short, frothy, off white foam that quickly reduced to a wispy cap that leaves wet lacings on the glass. Sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and sweet caramel malt aromas along with the perfect amont of clove spiciness. Pumkin aromas tended to strengthen as the beer warmed a bit. Medium bodied and wet feel with assertive, fine textured carbonation. Nice combination of sweet pumpkin, cinnamon and clove spice from beginning to end. Spices intensify toward the finish. Finishes semi-dry with the imperial abv showing thru as the beer warms. One of the best pumpkins I've had.

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 02:42:24 | More by IronLover

chefhatt

Pennsylvania

4.33/5  rDev +14.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

This beer has a nice dark orange body with a 2"whtite head that dispates quickly to a thin lace. The smell is of pumpkin pie spices(clove,nutmeg, cinnamon) also a nice pumpkin aroma come up also. The taste very dominate of pumpkin and clove. Also a very nice pumpkin taste, almost like a fresh baked pumpkin pie. This beer has a very nice mouth feel and rolls off the tonuge very nicely. Overall one of the better pumpkin beers i have had.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2011 03:48:58 | More by chefhatt

bbeane

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A- Poured into a snifter... starts with a weak head sitting on top of a cloudy mahogony colored beer

S- Very aromatic. Mostly spices... nutmeg and cinnamon. Obviously some pumpkin aroma with a well pronounced alcohol smell

T- Very nice. Mild pumpkin flavor with spices... mostly nutmeg. Bit boozy
M- Medium body with light carbonation

D- I like it. It's not ridiculously pumpkiny but has a nice flavor. Bit expensive, but gotta expect it with the high abv

CHEERS!!

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2010 01:50:11 | More by bbeane

cvm4

Mississippi

3.3/5  rDev -12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - Pours a dark amber with a 2 finger tan head.

S - Yams, spices and malt.

T - The spices come to the forefront and calms down into sweet potatoes & pumpkin.

M - Light to medium body & good carbonation.

O - Comes off sweeter than I care for and is slightly thin.

Serving type: bottle

12-22-2012 23:59:36 | More by cvm4

vande

Illinois

4.15/5  rDev +9.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

a - a coppery looking auburn color with a thin, quickly receding head...

s - Nose is in the immediate throws of fall spices and pumpkin -- cinnamon, gingerbread, clove..

t - follows the track the nose has created... A very nice mixture of spices producing a warm, pumpkin flavor...yet, the alcohol is definitely present..., but quite tasty

m - medium-to-light-bodied beer with a good dose of carbonation...

o - a pretty good pumpkin beer, and definitely one that was new to me! Shared this with co-workers, to which all enjoyed!

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2011 17:54:33 | More by vande

JWU

Pennsylvania

3.93/5  rDev +3.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12oz. bottle poured into a snifter

A- a hazy dark amber with orange and ruby highlights, a thin ivory head sits on top and dissipates very quick. Little lacing.

S- A nice balance of pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, and fruity esters.

T- Straightforward and balanced. Follows the smell pretty much exactly. I get a hint of vanilla on the end of the sip as well.

M- A bit thin for as big of a beer as it is. Little carbonation, and a bit sour on the end, which I get from a lot of pumpkin ales.

O- Nothing to really knock it for, but it does lack that something special of the top tiers of pumpkin ales. Pleasent, tasty, and drikable for 9% ABV.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2012 00:14:11 | More by JWU

drcarver

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - great creamy standup head. long lasting. good lacing.

S - mix of spices. more nutmeg and creaminess. vegetable pumpkin in the back.

T/M - bitter initially then sweetness takes over. low on the spice level but what little there is hangs at the top of the mouth and in the nose. creamy texture with a bit of heat.

O - nice work... 9% is a bit excessive, but pretty good.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2011 01:26:11 | More by drcarver