Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Cigar City Brewing

oline73

Maryland

4.08/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle into Chimay goblet.

Pours a reddish amber that is mostly clear. There is a layer of off white head that fades to a ring around the edge of the glass.

Smell: Sweet from lots of grain and pumpkin. Graham cracker shows up too.

Taste: More bitterness than I would have expected from the smell, but still very nice. Graham cracker, pumpkin, and some caramel. Not much pie spice to be found, but very good.

Mouthfeel: Medium body with very smooth carbonation and a slight dryness in the finish.

Overall: A really nice change from the pumpkin spice beers. I really enjoyed this.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 22:22:45 | More by oline73

brystmar

New York

4.35/5  rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

A: orange-gold with less white head than expected. Decent retention, though, and leaves a beady lace.

S: fresh pumpkin that's smooth and mellow. Truly smells like pumpkin pie. Cinnamon, nutmeg, sweet malts, hints of Challah bread too.

T: smooth mixture of sweet malts, spices, and fresh pumpkin. Great balance here: not too sweet, spicy, or pumpkin-y. Finishes with a delicious, lingering pumpkin pie aftertaste and just a tiny hint of bitterness.

M/D: nice & creamy and nearly full-bodied. Velvety texture is sublime. Could drink this entire bottle myself.

Practically every brewery in the country makes a pumpkin ale these days, and nearly every one of them misses the mark. Even beers from top-rated brewers seem to miss more often than they hit. Good Gourd is a hit!

That said, it still falls short of my top tier. Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin by Hoppin Frog and Devious Imperial Pumpkin by Bethlehem Brew Works tie for top honors among pumpkin ales. But Good Gourd ranks a solid #3, snugly above ST PumKing and DFH Punkin. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2011 02:58:22 | More by brystmar

TheFightfan1

Pennsylvania

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

Poured a hazy orange color with a thick off white almost brown colored heading. Retention is good but does settle to a thin edging. Decent lacing a few globs here and there.

To have this in sequence with Pumking is unfair as the nose just doesn't really add up to the Southern Tier offering. Nice allspice aroma with a touch of nutmeg.

Taste however is better than the offering of Southern Tier not bad at all. Nice caramel maltiness going on with a good deal of cinnamon,allspice and nutmeg.

Medium bodied and fairly balanced. Easily drinkable and not boozy at all coming in at 9%.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 18:52:24 | More by TheFightfan1

IdrinkGas

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I'm glad pumpkin beer season is coming to an end. I keep buying them but I've never found one that stands out above the rest.

A: Golden caramel in color with a small white head.
S: Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and some sweetness.
T: Cinnamon and cloves mainly but it has a fresh gourd taste to it. If you have ever broken a gourd in half and smelled it thats exactly how this one finishes. Sort of odd after taste.

Drinks a little bit bigger than your typical pumpkin ale. Decent beer but nothing that really sets it apart from the others.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2011 03:40:57 | More by IdrinkGas

fields336

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottle dated August 29, 2011
Poured into SN Snifter, 750 mL bottle

A: Pours an Auburn reddish, brownish, gold, with 2 fingers french vanilla colored head. Carbonation is streaming off of the bottom, little haze.

S: light pumpkin, spices, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, Caramel, bready malts. little hop scent.

T: Bready, with pumpkin sweetness, Almost pumking like in its "crust-yness" they managed to get the crust in there with the sweet pumpkin, cardamom, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Has a nice earthy, citrusy, grassy hop presence as well, but not as prominent as Smuttynose Pumpkin. Really delicious.

M: Medium-heavy mouthfeel, nicely carbonated, drinkable, but I can definitely feel the alcohol in it.

O: This may be the best pumpkin beer I've had. Smuttynose is excellent, but slightly too hoppy, Pumking has just a little too much breadyness and sweetness, This is balanced, delicious and has a touch of what makes each other pumpkin ale great in it.

Serving type: bottle

10-18-2011 00:24:11 | More by fields336

AgentZero

Illinois

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

A - Fairly orange colored beer with a little bit of brown on the edges. Moderate head that left some decent lace and spots on the sides.

S - Has some nice pumpkin notes with some cinnamon and nutmeg. Not a whole lot else to say, but pretty solid.

T - This is actually pretty nice. Some good pumpkin flavor with nice spice and caramel. Very smooth tasting with a bit of brown sugar.

M - Pretty nice carbonation, velvety, full bodied.

O - A nice beer for a pumpkin beer. Good flavor, not cloying. Would drink this occassionally without a problem.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 03:50:15 | More by AgentZero

Trilogy31

California

4.55/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a pretty brown amber with nice clarity. Thin finger of foam leaving very little lacing. The nose hits with nutmeg, a dry vegetal pumpkin quality, cinnamon candy and baking spices - it is very much like pumpkin pie, spices are prevalent with almost a creamy pie crust scent. The nose is what gets me - multilayered complex chocolate notes - this beer looks like Theobroma and drinks like what Theobroma wishes it could be. Straight pumpkin pie in the mouth, full of spices and rich pumpkin flavor that finishes with nice carbonation and a dry vegetal quality at the end. Almost a touch astrigent on the finish and not a huge fan of the vegetal quality it presents but this is by far and away the best pumpkin beer i have had.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 02:42:03 | More by Trilogy31

warnerry

Michigan

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy orange-brown with almost two fingers of tan head. Head fades to a collar pretty quickly, but leaves some lacing.

S - Nice aroma. A bit of sweetness, but not too sweet. Smells of a bit of pie crust, with some cinnamon and other pumpkin spices coming through. Also some subtly sweet pumpkin note and a bit of brown sugar.

T - All of the notes of the smell are there, but with a nice subtlety. Tastes of a nicely spiced beer up front, with the pumpkin coming later. I like that this isn't overly sweet, or overly spiced. All the elements of a pumpkin pie, but in good balance with each other, and with the malt profile.

M - Medium mouthfeel. Has the mouthfeel of a spiced lager. A bit of creaminess.

O - A very nice pumpkin beer, one of the better examples I've had. Not too sweet, not overly spiced. Just a nicely balanced flavor profile that has the spice elements of a good pumpkin beer in combination with more of an earthy pumpkin profile.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 03:12:46 | More by warnerry

Sean9689

Illinois

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

Thanks to Chris (spycow) for this one. Poured into Bell's tulip.

A - Pours a orange-brown color, cream-colored head, thin cap, thin collar, some slight spotty lacing.

S - Pumpkin, sweet pumpkin pie notes, brown sugar, cinnamon. Not overly sweet and not overly pumpkin...a nice mix of both.

T - Similar to the nose, less spice and more pumpkin. Still, a nice mix of the sweetness in the pumpkin pie notes without being overly so. Pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar.

M - Medium, good carbonation, creamy finish.

O - Solid pumpkin brew but not as good as my favorite, Schlafly Pumpkin. That said, I would def have it again and it's on the better side of my experiences with this style. Recommend.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2011 17:41:59 | More by Sean9689

TKEbeerman

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Changing it up a bit, I poured this ale into my SA Perfect Pint. This brew pours a pretty pumpkin orange with a cream colored head.

S: The aroma is definitely amplified. There is a depth to the complexity of this brew that many others lack. Notes of pumpkin spice (as opposed to raw pumpkin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a delicious tinge of nutmeg.

T: The flavor profile is equal as complex with pumpkin shining through. I love how all the spices in the nose come together on the pallet.

MF: Mouthfeel is medium and creamy.

Overall, this is a great pumpkin ale. Definitely top 5 for me, and one of the most noticeably complex pumpkins that I've had. On a side note, I noticed the bottle was a little better than on tap, and definitely better served a little warmer.

Serving type: bottle

10-09-2011 22:42:13 | More by TKEbeerman

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

claspada

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -7%
look: 3 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an opaque blood red orange with a very small white soapy heady. Small off-white soapy cap lingers ever so slightly on the top of the goblet of beer. Some light soapy lacing remains as the relatively small head quickly dissipates.

Aromas begin like no other pumpkin beer I have ever had. This literally smells like a piece of Pumpkin pie candy (I don't think that even exists but I guess the closest thing would be those pumpkin candy-corn candies with spices added in). You get the bready crust, brown sugar sweetness, cooked pumpkin pie flesh and of course the traditional nutmeg, clove and lighter cinnamon and allspice. You can get a little phenolic yeast smell in there as well as it warms. It becomes a bit sweet as you attempt to consume the entire 750ml.

The taste directly follows the nose, which isn't totally a good thing. I get some banana yeast initially with some lesser clove notes also possibly from the yeast. Plenty of toasted graham cracker/bready notes with brown sugar and supported by a nice cinnamon/allspice lingering bite on the finish. As you make your way through the 750, the overall taste profile becomes a bit cloying and sweet, more so than any Pumpkin beer I have ever had. While this was beneficial on the nose to add to the whole Pumpkin Pie theme, it really hurts the flavor profile in the end.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium to low carbonation. The finish teeters on being cloyingly sweet with a mild spice bite on the back end of the palate.

Overall this is a very good Pumpkin beer for me. Definitely on the sweeter side like many Cigar City beers tend to be, so if you are opposed to the sweeter end of beers, this may not be for you. That being said this is still quite impressive, recommended and worth seeking out for fans of this style.

Serving type: bottle

10-07-2011 00:05:01 | More by claspada

phichifiji00

California

3.53/5  rDev -17.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured into tulip glass.

Appearance: Orange/Caramel in color, pours a slight white head, has some lacing.

Smell: Nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla and pumpkin, just as it promises.

Taste: Not quite as strong as the aroma, but definitely taste nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, vanilla and pumpkin.

Mouthfeel: Light-medium bodied, good carbonation, fairly dry, smooth.

Overall: A good pumpkin beer. A bit light on the spices and lighter in body than I prefer in a pumpkin beer. Very smooth, and very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

10-05-2011 15:41:22 | More by phichifiji00

Thorpe429

Illinois

3.78/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Got this bottle from Leuken's. Served in a Pumking goblet.

Pours a moderate orange-copper with a good off-white head. Decent retention and some spotty lacing on the way down. The nose carried a lot of squash and pumpkin with a bit of cinnamon and miscellaneous spice in the background. The flavor didn't have quite as much spice and really focused on the squash element. Not too sweet, which was nice. Chewy medium body with moderate carbonation and a bit of spice zest in the finish. Good brew.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2011 17:27:38 | More by Thorpe429

Heatwave33

Florida

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

Poured from a 750 mL bottle to a Dogfish Head Snifter.

Color: Dark hazy orange.

Smell: Cinnamon, pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice. A lot of cinnamon.

Taste: Just like the smell cinnamon is the superior taste. Then pumpkin, nutmeg and allspice.

Mouthfeel: Smooth with a dry finish.

Overall: A very good pumpkin ale. I had the pleasure of drinking this with my wife's best friend. She enjoyed this ale a lot too. I am impressed with every Cigar City brew I try. Whatever it is they do there I hope they never stop! This is my second favorite pumpkin ale next to Dogfish Heads. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

10-01-2011 22:07:44 | More by Heatwave33

harrymel

Washington

3.6/5  rDev -16.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

bottled: 20AUG11

A: pours an autumnal orange with really no head production and only some sheeted off-white bubbles. Hazy with spotty lace.

S: cloves, nutmeg, yams, sweet

T: Sweet malts with plenty of spices. Just what you would expect. Nothing really special here, I guess it's what people are after in a pumpkin.

M: Medium body with slight carbonation, it is nice with a slightly dry finish.

O: Well, this taste pretty much like pumking to me. I can tell it's high quality, but I'm still not on board pumpkin beer should be anything but a stout.

Serving type: bottle

09-29-2011 08:50:35 | More by harrymel

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

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

hopking311

Florida

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

Finally.. thank you CCB.. for bottling this amazing brew.

Poured into my CCB snifter.. half finger of head disspates to thin white lace around inner glass.. dark amber orange color.. lacey

smells like real fresh pumpkin, sweet hints of cinnamon, clove and all spice.

medium body, rich creamy, well balanced carbonation

Rich creamy pumpkin, taste.. immediately destroys the palate, subtle cinnamon, nutmeg undertones with a slight alcohol twinge to indicate its presence.

This is the catalina wine mixer of Pumpkin beer this season!!

get you some!! PaaaaHHH

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 03:29:11 | More by hopking311

ryanonline

Florida

4.1/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

pours a deep fiery orange with a very hazy look, and some big and fluffy off white head. not a lot of lacing.

smells deliciously pumpkiny and it has lots of cinnamon and clove notes. even what seems to be a slight chocolate scent as well.

the taste is slightly less pumpkiny and more beer like, even has a bit of sourness and a touch of that trademark cigar city funk.

the mouthfeel is very creamy with a slightly foamy and prickly carbonation. full bodied with a dry finish.

moderate drinkability and it has quite a bitter finish and is very full bodied, leaving you a bit full half-way through.

delicious pumpkin beer but it is a bit bitter in the finish, the smell however is totally where it's at. love cigar city beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-27-2011 02:28:06 | More by ryanonline

babaracas

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy reddish orange with one finger of cream colored head, settles to a thin ring, couple thin rings left on the glass. Smell: pretty substantial cooked (canned) pumpkin, sweet... a little butterscotch, nutmeg and allspice, with mild toasted and twangy grain in the back. Really mild note of clove. Taste: pretty close to a liquid bite of pumpkin pie with a little whipped cream on it. The pumpkin is the star but with ample doses of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon, and a little clove in the finish. Mild spicy + earthy hopping (get the impression of a belgian pale -ish base beer) mixes really well with the pie spices. Very good.

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2011 02:32:27 | More by babaracas

mcallister

Ohio

4.43/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Deep shades of orange with a semi fluffy yellow colored head that fades very quickly into a foamy topper.

Cinnamon, nutmeg, lots of clove, hints of corriander, all spice, brown sugar and what I would assume to be some pumpkin like squash type aromas.

Man just a lovely pumpkin ale here. Very round, soft, and velvety on the palate. So soft and feminine in mouthfeel and flavors. Things meld greatly with out being overly spicy. Cinnamon, cardamon, nutmeg, quince, clove, pumpkin flavors, some graham cracker, all spice, nutty flavors and more. Just a fantastic pumpkin, rivals pumking....it's a close one.

Serving type: bottle

09-25-2011 19:16:11 | More by mcallister

Beerisheaven

Pennsylvania

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

Had this last night side by side with Elysian Great Pumpkin. I am actually a big fan of most of the Cigar City offerings, so I was interested in trying their pumpkin presentation. Thanks to Bryanole for shooting this my way.

A - Pours nicely, a dark orange red with a fairly strong white head that rises up and quickly pulls back.

S - Pretty standard pumpkin fare in that it presents a strong profile of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspince, what you would normally expect in a pumpkin beer.

T - Again, pretty standard in that it focuses on the traditional spices although there is a slight bitterness towards the end, almost a hoppy profile on top of the pumpkin beer.

M- Pretty good, not thick in any way, pretty much what you would expect.

O - Against the Great Pumpkin, this one came out the loser. I would say that CCB has done a nice job but it sits there with most other pumpkin offerings. Nothing allows this one to stand out versus the Weyerbacher and others. A good effort noting noteworthy here.

Thanks again to Bryanole for shooting these my way. I have a couple of extra bottles for the fall football tailgating season that will come in handy.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2011 13:18:15 | More by Beerisheaven

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

hmf05

Florida

4.33/5  rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a deep amber with a one finger creamy head. The aroma is typical pumpkin pie spices like cardamom, cinnamon, all spice, etc. There is also a nice pumpkin/squash aroma behind the spices. The taste is heavy on the spices and I get a good amount of whipped-cream. The alcohol is hidden well for a 9% beer. The mouthfeel is medium with medium to high carbonation. I'd prefer this to be a little less carbonated. Overall, the second best Pumpkin ale I have ever had. I think this would benefit from some aging and I will try to review this some time next year. Highly recommended!

Serving type: bottle

09-20-2011 05:18:43 | More by hmf05