Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Cigar City Brewing

rudzud

Massachusetts

4.78/5  rDev +11.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

Shared with jlindros after purchasing this gem up in Vermont. Poured into a Palm tulip.

A - Pours a crystal clear copper hue with a nice offwhite head that leaves a nice thick blanket and great side lacing.

S - Wow, this is quite the pumpkin beer. Lots of nice cinnamon and nutmeg along with roasted pumpkin and some clove too. This really, really smells like pumpkin pie.

T - Oh my god is this tasty. Super pumpkin pie flavours. Creamy pumpkin puree, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This is exceptional in all aspects of the taste. There is no over the top flavours with this, its pure home made pumpkin pie mix liquified into my glass.

M - Lower carbonation resulting in a smooth creamy mouthfeel though there is a slight crisp finish. Flows very nicely along the tongue.

O - Overall holy cow is this spectacular. Hands down my favorite tasting pumpkin beer. Excellent flavours with a very nice appearance and nose. Its worth saying again that the flavours are spectactular. Really wish I could get my hands on another bottle of this stuff.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 00:11:44 | More by rudzud

cosmicevan

New York

4.72/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

was shocked to find this locally the other day. supposedly got the last bottle of a single case that the shop got. we've always gotten cigar city, but never saw good gourd anywhere.

a - opened the bottle and filled my ccb snifter. beer poured a thin pumpkiny orange with a bubbly oily head that bubbled away quick. in the glass, the beer was lush and rich and transparent.

s - as soon as i opened the beer an AMAZING aroma filled the air. upon closer inspection...just marvelous. picture pumpking but better. pumpkin, cinnamon, apples...autumn.

t - wow, tastes just as good as it smells. very potpouri. festive. literally tastes like autumn. pumpkin, subtle balanced sweetness.

m - very smooth and medium bodied. booze is invisible.

o - overall, i think i may have just tasted the best pumpkin beer i've ever tried. it really is phenomenal...but if you don't like pumpkin beers, don't expect to like this one. here's hoping i see it again soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2011 02:55:45 | More by cosmicevan

merc7186

New York

3.93/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I had this beer poured from a bomber into a pint glass.

A: Deep Orange/Amber Hue, Passes Little Light, Thick Off White Head, Good Lacing

S: Yams, Cinnamon, Nutmeg

T: Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove

M: Heavily Carbonated, Light to Medium Bodied, Clean, Crisp, Mildly Sweet

Overall, a really good pumpkin ale with more of a focus on the pumpkin flavor than being over spiced. A great beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-18-2012 01:25:36 | More by merc7186

Brenden

Ohio

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I reviewed this a while back and am just getting back to some tasting notes.

This beer is a hazed medium-orange color and forms a fluffy white head just over a finger tall. There's some substance to this one, as the sturdy head can attest to as well as the good, patchy lacing left behind by a thick foam about half the size of the original head that does fade further, but slowly.
This pumpkin beer is spiced but balance, something that can be difficult to achieve. Spices are not as though someone dumped some bottles from the cupboard, they're much more thoughtful. They balance with nice light sweetness and fleshy aromas. Cigar City could do bigger, but this is a great smell.
The same could be said for the flavor though, interestingly (especially for C.C.), it comes off as being a bit more muted than it could be. That doesn't mean it's not very good, that just keeps it from fantastic.
The body is medium, and this brew is smooth and creamy coming off a crisp bite. It really flows and fills the mouth without being too heavy.
This is another of the better pumpkin beers out there.

Serving type: bottle

12-19-2011 21:46:50 | More by Brenden

chinchill

South Carolina

3.08/5  rDev -28.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Pours an orange-amber with a off-white head that has decent retention.

Aroma: Pumpkin nose with malt taking a background role. Hints of spicing; certainly not overdone.

Promising aroma is not followed by good taste. There is a nice bit of pumpkin/squash flavor, but it is surrounded by a rather unpleasant earthy gourd flavor.

Medium body with moderate carbonation

Serving type: on-tap

10-04-2011 22:28:31 | More by chinchill

cbutova

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -17.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to my cousin from Tampa for getting me this. Reviewed from notes on Christmas Eve.

A- Dark brown body poured into a pint glass with some red around the edges. Creamy off white head forms and a nice ring does too. Decent cap retention and a few spots of lace here and there.

S- Pumpkin, nutmeg and a bit of cinnamon. Dark fruit and raisin as well as some toasted brown malts. Medium spice level.

T- More like a pie here with a sweet, somewhat dessert creamy feel. Spice like nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger at a moderate level. Dark fruit is slightly medicinal. Pumpkin, toasted malts and brown sugar hints round it all out.

MF- Creamy and fairly thick body. Carbonation has a silky feel and is on the lower-medium level. A bit of alcohol warmth.

Solid for a higher ABV pumpkin ale. Not too spicy and a pretty good balance.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2012 06:11:19 | More by cbutova

jsanford

Georgia

4.2/5  rDev -2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

On-tap at BA Hunahpu's release. Poured into a CCB Snifter.

Pours a nice copper-orange with a thin white head that settles to a slight haze and ring. Nice pumpkin aromas mixed with brown sugar and the usual Pumpkin Pie spices. Moderately sweet, the brown sugar/molasses character comes out nicely. Taste is similar to the nose, but with a very pronounced pumpkin flavor. This is probably the most "pumkin-y" Pumpkin Beer I've had in a while, it's definitely more pumpkin then spice. Mouthfeel is smooth, slightly creamy, with a touch-over-medium body and good carbonation. Overall one of my new favorite Pumpkin beers, love that you can really taste the pumpkin!

Serving type: on-tap

10-02-2011 15:32:50 | More by jsanford

CuriousMonk

Virginia

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750ml bomber into a tulip glass. Pours burnt orange along with a frothy off-white head that laces decent throughout. Aromas are crisp toast and caramel, vanilla and toffee, biscuits, and pumpkin puree, a bit sweeter with decent pie spice. Flavors of allspice, nutmeg, mild vanilla, and some caramel. Some crispness. Fairly balanced for a sweeter beer, spice and vanilla, sweet malts. Finish is nice, gentle spice and sweetness linger. It’s not complex, but it’s tasty, sweet slanted without being anywhere near cloying. Fairly balanced and quite a smooth pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

01-19-2012 18:50:48 | More by CuriousMonk

CampusCrew

Florida

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

At Kickbacks with a gramham cracker crust rim. wasn;t my choice, but hey it turned out awesome.

appearance: hazy cloudy coper color

smell: Could totally smell those pumpkin pie spices. Huge nose and even a little graham craker aorma proably from the rim.

taste: really nice balance with great pumpkin and spice flavor. not over sweet at all. This is probably one of the best pumpkin beers I have had.

mouthfeel: medium bodied

drinkability: great pumpkin beer, probably one of the best I have had. Amazing nose and flavor.

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2010 00:12:46 | More by CampusCrew

birchstick

Missouri

3.83/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - pours a nice orange color without too much of a head

S - nose is a little weak, however there is some light spice and subtle pumpkin

T - starts off with sweet pumpkin flavor with a bit of caramel malts. These fade to a light spice flavor, predominantly cinnamon and all spice. This strikes a nice balance between the pumpkin flavor and the spice.

M - medium body that leaves a dry finish from the spices

D - pretty solid pumpkin ale here. As mentioned, good flavor profile but a little lighter on the nose and palate than I would have hoped.

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2011 20:40:57 | More by birchstick

SaCkErZ9

Florida

3.88/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this one at Total Wine about 1 month ago and have looking forward to trying this one. I got two bottles; one for before Halloween and one to consume on Halloween. Lets give er a go.

Pours from a 750ml bottle into a Stella Artoios chalice type glass. Fills the glass with a chocolate amber colored beverage. There is a small wispy head that disappears almost immediately. There is no lacing and no retention. This was a bit of a bummer.

Aroma is very nice. Filled with the potpourri of pumpkin spices such as nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, molasses, even a hint of chocolate and toffee. Rather complex. However, there is a bit of vegetable/cabbage that slightly detracts from the overall pleasantness of the aroma.

I liked the flavor. I still think Pumking is the king of pumpkin beers, but this one follows suit nicely. Slightly synthetic pumpkin flavors. There is a nice pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookie and pumpkin donut thing going on with the flavor. Very heavy on the spices, certainly the limit of spice flavor has been reached with this one. Quite bready. Kind of sweet and gets a little syrupy as it warms.

This was very enjoyable overall. Notmy favorite of the pumpkin beers, but this is definitely a solid beer in the category. Nice body, medium in the feel. Carbonation could be a little higher, but a nice ber.

Serving type: bottle

10-27-2012 00:17:33 | More by SaCkErZ9

inlimbo77

Delaware

3.93/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

750ml bottle into pint glass split between 3 people. 2011 version.

A: Pours a orange brown color.  About a half finger of off white head that fades quickly.  There is some lacing on the swirl.  Some alcohol feet seeing as its 8.5 ABV.  Carbonation isn't that crazy.

S: This smells of more natural pumpkin flavor then some of the others I have tried this season.  It's very subtle all around: mild pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove.  For a person, me, who isn't a big fan of seasonals....this smells good.

T: Much like the nose, a very nice subtle flavor on this one.  Natural pumpkin notes are there.  The spice bill is very nicely hidden and doesn't overpower.  You do get a little alcohol in the back of the throat, but again not overpowering.  It's just a little warmth. 

M: Medium bodied beer.  Doesn't COAT the mouth like a porter or stout but it lingers.

O: I'd go B+ or A- on this one.  Mainly because I don't like pumpkins.  It's Bette than the artificial flavored ones for sure though.

Serving type: bottle

10-31-2011 02:13:48 | More by inlimbo77

PorterLambic

Florida

2.78/5  rDev -35.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Arrives a dark amber/ light brown color. Clear and brigjt with a small, off-white head that dissipates to a ring rather quickly. Some light, scattered lacing.
Smell is faint with notes of malt, root beer and naught else.
Taste is malty with some slight pumpkin and hop notes as well as the same root beer-like spices. Balance is good but lacking in depth and complexity.
Full body, lightish effervescence. Slighty drying finish with a hatsh, almost peppery burn on the tip of the tongue. Nutmeg perhaps? Not up to the usual standards of CCB.

Serving type: on-tap

09-28-2011 15:51:45 | More by PorterLambic

Alieniloquium

Florida

4.13/5  rDev -4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

750 mL bottle poured into a goblet.

Appearance - Slightly hazy deep amber body. Not as dark as other pumpkin ales. A nice healthy head also distinguishes it from other pumpkins. And finally, it's got lacing! It looks like a real beer.

Smell - A great balance of pumpkin and spices. It's not dominated by spices, but they complement the pumpkin nicely. Nutmeg especially, I think.

Taste - Good pumpkin flavor up front, but the spices are less involved. The pumpkin flavor seems to fade and come back in the end. Maybe even a bit of earthiness with it at the end and possibly some bitterness.

Mouthfeel - Thick, but not as creamy as I'd like. I imagine a perfect pumpkin ale like drinking a pumpkin pie and it comes close, but just not quite creamy enough. Are my standards too high?

Overall - The best pumpkin ale I've had to date, but not perfect. The smell is wonderful but the taste is not quite as good.

Serving type: bottle

09-21-2011 21:55:17 | More by Alieniloquium

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.53/5  rDev +5.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A-murky dark orange with a nice cream colored head. good lacing.

S-pumpkin with a spicy and tangy aspect to it. the spicyness isn't the typical autumn spices though. it reminds me more of belgian witbier. smells really tasty and unique, though faint. actually there are some autumn spices too...i don't know...this is complex.

T-wow this is going to be talked about for years to come. this is great. comes in with a great taste of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and sweet potato! its a great taste with strong flavors. it goes in to a slight bitterness then ends with a long lasting after-taste of pumpkin, brown sugar, and sweet potato. this is amazing.

M-creamy low carbonation with a semi-dry finish

O-as far as pumpkin ales go, i've only ever liked pumpkin and pumpking. i've now added good gourd. in fact, this puts punkin to shame. its such a complex and balanced blend of great flavors.

Serving type: on-tap

09-25-2011 05:38:30 | More by AdamBear

beerwolf77

Wisconsin

4.47/5  rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Growler courtesy of my CCB hook up fogdog. Thanks again Kevin.

Poured into my duvel tulip.

A: Dark orange brown, about one finger of light beige head, tiny soapy lace ring

S: The aroma is rather sweet pumpkin pie with subtle spices come through as well. Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and vanilla. The abv gives off a touch of heat reminding you it's present.

T: The malt is a bit more agressive in the flavor. Smooth pumpkin pie with hints of pie crust and tiny bit of black pepper in the finish. No bitterness that tends to ruin most Pumpkin ales. Huge bonus points for that. Nothing but a trace of the high abv can be picked out in the taste.

M: velvety creamy body that seems to slowly slide off the tongue. Modest to low carbonation.

D: This is an absolute winner of a pumpkin ale. Finally a pumpkin beer that rivals pumpking. I hope they end up bottling this one. I would love to stock up every fall.

Serving type: growler

10-08-2010 23:47:35 | More by beerwolf77

bonkers

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I picked this up in secret halloween '11, thanks Michael. I poured from a bomber into a snifter, deep orange pour, big white head. The aroma is strong with pumpkin pie spice, especially allspice. The flavor is in good balance, good amounts of pumpkin, and spices are mixed, it has a dry finish. The body is medium, light alcohol notes, good carbonation. One of the better pumpkin beers I have ever had.

Serving type: bottle

10-30-2011 14:40:30 | More by bonkers

jmarsh123

Indiana

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

Pours a red tinged orange with a thin wispy head.

Pumpkin spices dominate. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg. Don't get too much real pumpkin out of this.

More pumpkin in the flavor. The spices are more subdued than the nose. A bit of nutmeg still comes in, but pumpkin is the featured flavor. Finishes with a little nutty aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is pushing toward medium as is carbonation level.

I like when my pumpkin beers aren't overwhelmed by spices and this one fits the bill. It's nothing mind blowing, but a good large format pumpkin ale to share.

Serving type: bottle

12-12-2011 19:07:10 | More by jmarsh123

THECPJ

Delaware

3.03/5  rDev -29.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Reviewed from notes:

appearance: copper orange with a 1 finger off white head

smell: nutmeg, cinnamon,

taste: pumpkin spices, sweet, malts

mouthfeel: mild carbonation, thin to medium body

overall: rather disappointing the beer needed some more body in my opinion. glad I got to try it just doesn't stand up to the better pumpkin beers.

cheers,
The CPJ

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2011 20:59:48 | More by THECPJ

Treebs

Illinois

4.38/5  rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle shared at the UFC tasting. Thanks guys! Poured from a 750 ml bottle into my Deschutes snifter.

A: Pours a very solid orange with some darker hues intertwined. Splotchy lace followed the beer down the glass.

S: Big pumpkin. Very pure in nature, definitely the best pure pumpkin smell I've got from a pumpkin ale. Light cinnamon and some pie crust were also present.

T: The pumpkin is integrated very well with the spice and neither dominates. The pure pumpkin is nicely woven with the cinnamon and slight hint of nutmeg as well. This is laid nicely on a pie crust backbone that is leaning towards the sweet side.

M: Light bodied, very drinkable. Nice sweetness is left on the palate. Nice carbonation.

O: This is definitely the best pumpkin beer I've had to date. The pumpkin was purest in this one and nicely integrated in with the spices.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 15:56:14 | More by Treebs

KickInTheChalice

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -16.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 750 mL bottle into a tulip. Thanks to Dunt for bringing this over.

Appearance: This has a dark amber color, cloudy, with a frothy white head.

Smell: Pumpkin and spice really dominate the aroma. Some other spices in the periphery.

Taste: Some light caramel malt lead into the main attraction - strong, spiced pumpkins. Cinnamon and nutmeg are the most dominant.

Mouthfeel: This only has a medium body despite the high ABV. There is what seems to be an off-feel to it, maybe some pumpkin residue. The finish is a little bit grainy and my mouth feels coated in plastic after my glass is done.

Overall: There was something about this beer that struck me as off. The feel was a little bit light, and there is some pumpkin residue flavor that is not appealing

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 22:50:22 | More by KickInTheChalice

Shaw

Florida

4.05/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

My first pumpkin ale of the season.

The first time I've had this beer in the bottle. Last was a growler in 2010.

A lovely orange/amber in color with lots of carbonation and a short tan head.

Big aroma of spices like cinnamon.

It's sweet, but not cloying, with lots of spice and pumpkin flavors.

Big body is great.

Overall this is one of the better pumpkin ales out there. Seek it out.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2012 04:27:46 | More by Shaw

alpinebryant

Connecticut

4.18/5  rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Good Gourd has arrived on the Northeast Coast. Glad to see this as I had stared at this in wonder last year if it would ever make it up.

Smell of caramelized sugars, roasted malts, light english yeast I presume by lack of any real character outside of the spices.

Taste of fresh light cinnamon, sweet spices, buttered sweet potato, a bit of Jamaican allspice in moderation and tons of caramelized sugars.

Medium to light body with a creamy buttered slick mouthfeel.

Overall I really enjoyed this. The closest pumpkin Ale I can compare it to is Weyerbacher imperial pumpkin ale which I have not had since last year but I really enjoyed that beer. I like pumpkin ales a lot but after having a few pumple Drumkin , this just blows it out of the water and I had thought it was only mediocre on the low side. Good Gourd should probably be renamed Great Gourd? or maybe that is for the sequel that has been aged in bourbon barrels.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 02:14:42 | More by alpinebryant

n2185

North Carolina

3.95/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

A: pours orange with a finger of beige head that recedes into a thin ring with no lacing.

S: pumpkin spices up front with creamy vanilla aromas followed by yam and pumpkin notes with a sweet bready aroma.

T: again, pumpkin spices at first with some vanilla flavors. Slightly bitter pumpkin and bread flavors follow. Very slight alcohol presence.

M: medium body with lowish carbonation, this beer is a little watery.

O: a good pumpkin ale that could use a creamier body and more depth of flavor. Still, it smells great and is tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2011 02:04:01 | More by n2185

Patrick

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to Todes for this one.

The beer pours a hazy ruby/orange color with not a whole lot of head or lacing. The smell is very subtle. Notes of earthy pumpkin and subtle spice, for some reason I expected more though when it comes to pumpkin ales, less is more. The flavor is similar to the aroma in that the spices are subtle. Cinnamon is the most dominant one, but some nutmeg is in there too. Something is spicy, maybe some clove, though it could be the cinnamon. There is also a sweet and bready backbone to the beer. The mouthfeel is pretty creamy though the spiciness in the back of my throat kind of detracts from it a bit. There is a bit of stickiness and astringency as well. Overall the beer is very drinkable and doesn't taste like 9% at all. Nice beer.

Serving type: growler

09-16-2010 22:51:21 | More by Patrick