Stingy Jack Pumpkin Ale - Lavery Brewing Company

ujsplace

Pennsylvania

3.4/5  rDev -7.9%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into a chalice (goblet) as suggested on the bottle.

The initial pour has absolutely no head. The brew is a deep, hazy burnt orange caramel color. This is a 750ml bottle, so I will let it warm a bit and rouse the sediment at the bottom a bit on my next pour. The second pour yielded a much dirtier brew, but again with virtually no head. The brew is now loaded with yeast sediment.

Smells of pumpkin, bread and caramel malts and spices.

Tastes predominantly of pumpkin and caramel malt with a dose of cinnamon, nutmeg and some clove.

Medium bodied brew, little carbonation.

The lack of any head on this brew made me wonder about the age of this one. Nevertheless, it was a pretty tasty pumpkin ale. Not overly spicy and highly sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

12-07-2012 02:05:13 | More by ujsplace

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

3.18/5  rDev -13.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

22oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a clear copper, with ½ fingers of fizzy off-white head. This maintains some foamy edges, leaving back a cascade of spotty lacing. The aroma has a twang to it, with notes of pumpkin, citrus, toffee and light spices. This is very ripe and earthy feeling overall in the nose.

The taste is raw, vegetal pumpkin flavor, earthy bitter hops and then a malty backbone of sweet grains and some tangier caramel character. The finish is lingering ripe earth and some scattered spices. I’m actually getting a bit of pepper on the backend of this. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, with firmness on the tongue that turns into more of a smooth creaminess that spreads out.

This was just OK. The combination of pumpkin and hops put off a bit too much of a raw and earthy vibe that was brought out even more by the malts. I split this bottle and that was still too much for me.

Serving type: bottle

11-27-2012 16:07:48 | More by Kegatron

angrybabboon

Rhode Island

3.5/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for sharing this beer

Appearance: A light brown with some orange highlights - pours with a very small, off-white head - cloudy, with some clarity around the edges that I typically associate with barrel-aged sour fruit beers... odd

Smell: Fleshy, cooked pumpkin flesh - like canned pumpkin pie filling - very mild on the spices, but the usual suspects are still here - nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, ginger - bready malts with some caramel

Taste: Cooked pumpkin flesh and pumpkin seeds - not remarkably fresh tasting or potent, but the sheer quantity of pumpkin is notable - lightly spicy with the aforementioned pumpkin pie spices - some hints of hops - light bready malts - very minimal sweetness - a little watery

Mouthfeel: Medium body, minimal carbonation, oddly watery

Overall: Some good aspects, not great overall

This has a nice amount of real, fleshy pumpkin. Unfortunately, there is not much else remarkable here. Overall, it could use some balance and some more interesting malts. Not bad, maybe worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 03:38:02 | More by angrybabboon

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.6/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Thanks to Beergod1 for the bottle. Split with angrybabboon.

Appearance: Rusty orange brown. Minimal head. What does remain is a tiny white collar. More brown than orange. Unique.

Smell: Squashy pumpkin and spice potion. Nice balance of nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, clove, and hints of vanilla. Dry caramel malts. Slight biscuity undertones. Nice underlying caramel sweetness. Nicely balanced. Great use of pumpkin. Fleshy vegetable. Mild earthiness.

Taste: dry pumpkin on a graham cracker. Snappy cracker sweetness from the malts. Light caramel sweetness. Nutmeg blends through the background. Some cinnamon spiciness on the back of the swallow. Nice big hit of real pumpkin. Squashy, real pumpkin flesh. Light roasted edge coupled with toasted malts. Pulls pumpkin seeds. Spices never become aggressive, but the nutmeg is dominant. Mild maltiness. Some lingering herbal hop notes. Mild earthiness.

Mouthfeel: Crisp and dry, but incredibly clean. Light carbonation. Moderately light body. Refreshingly dry.

Overall: One of the more unique takes on the pumpkin ale.

Incredibly dry for the style. Nice use of pumpkin. Falls a little short overall as the malts are so dry and offer little complimenting sweetness. Ends up drinking like pie crust with some pumpkin remainder.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 03:25:00 | More by Goblinmunkey7

rfgetz

New Jersey

3.65/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a copper tinted orange, muted head with little retention. Scent is all about the pumpkin with some notes of pumpkin seed, biscuity malt and a muted spice profile (mostly cinnamon). Taste is pumpkin forward, moderate notes of cinnamon and biscuity malt backbone, a hint at the ABVs towards the end. A bit light on carbonation, medium bodied. A decent brew, unique in its makeup, still some things could be adjusted.

Serving type: on-tap

10-08-2012 19:10:52 | More by rfgetz

Fordiesel69

4.5/5  rDev +22%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I mostly use a 12oz frosted pilsner glass. I prefer mine between 36 to 38 with an ice cold glass.

A- Pours much darker and more amber colored then other pumpkin beers. Typically right out of tap head is 1" and dissapates fairly quick. Appears unfiltered.

S- Smells very stong of awsome spices, a hint of grahm crackers, nutmeg, cloves, possibly allspice, and some ginger. I honestly do not smell much pumpkin but afterall, people relate pumpkin smell with that of pie. Which contains all the spices...

T- Tastes more like a spiced beer. Is not overly sweet or fake. Has all the flavors of the commonly used spices with a perfect finish of hops that are not overly bitter. Very easy to drink a lot of.

M- Feels medium bodied, at a temp of 36-38 degrees F the carbonation is about medium and matches the style of beer quite well. I am quite surprized to find the carbonation fade quite quick after it approached 45 degrees & bitterness seems to increase. Alcohol content is well matched for the style.

Overall a top 10 favorite of mine. I have it on tap as we speak and it is great. Lavery's products are always affordable and easy to find locally. Hopefully they don't tweak the receipe too much for 2013 as this year in my opinion is the best so far. If you cannot find Pumking or think it is just too overpriced, you will not be regret trying this.

Serving type: on-tap

09-18-2012 01:42:54 | More by Fordiesel69

brentk56

North Carolina

3.93/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Pours a murky tea color with a very modest head; very little retention and almost no lacing

Smell: Real pumpkin aromatics, with a bready character, as well; subtle hint of nuts and pie spices

Taste: Real pumpkin flavor dominates, up front, with the breadiness and subtle pie spicing adding a nice dimension in the middle; very nicely balanced, with a minimum of brown sugar and molasses sweetness; the spices come on a bit stronger, after the swallow, with clove being dominant

Mouthfeel: Rather flabby, with a medium to full body and low carbonation

Overall: There is a lot to like in this year's Stingy Jack; a lot of natural pumpkin and nut flavor and a deft hand with the spices; I have had mouthfeel problems with some of the other Lavery beers (more as a result of overcarbonation, ironically) so if this one were just a bit crisper, it would really be in the top echelon for the style

Thanks, kbuzz, for the opportunity

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 01:17:00 | More by brentk56

justintcoons

Pennsylvania

4.05/5  rDev +9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a tulip.

Appearance
Murky mahogany with caramel colored highlights. Half a finger of tan head is produced and rapidly dissipates. Much darker than your typical Pumpkin Ale.

Nose
Toasted pie crust, caramel, graham crackers and brown sugar. Light whiffs of pumpkin meat, nutmeg and allspice.

Taste
A whole lot of pie crust, graham cracker, caramel and pumpkin meat. Brown sugar and light nuances of nutmeg throughout. A touch of allspice, clove and cinnamon as well as an earthy presence.

Mouthfeel
Medium bodied, slightly crisp and smooth.

Overall
Boasts large amounts of bread and toasted pie crust. Excellent notes of pumpkin meat with artfully blended spices. A worthy adversary to Southern Tier’s Pumpking. Incredibly easy drinking. I am quite impressed!

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2012 12:54:12 | More by justintcoons

beergod1

Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +11.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a cloudy burnt orange, with a quickly disappearing tan head.
Smells of Strong pumpkin with typical pumpkin pie type spices. But the real Strength of this brew is the Taste. Full bodied with good sweet smooth finish. Like pumpkin pie, a good dessert beer with a creamy body.

Serving type: bottle

02-04-2012 21:05:06 | More by beergod1

WVbeergeek

Ohio

4.22/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

I've had the Lavery beers at the Penn Fest this past summer, but this is my first purchased offering I'm always stuck at sticker shock. If they were available on draft for 4 to 5 bucks a pint I would have tried them all, but starting at 8 bucks for even their standard offerings seems weird to me. This was marked down to 6 so I could justify the dive into their bottled offerings. A really nice pumpkin ale, and I'm not a big fan of the style in general. This one comes off balanced with a nice amount of pumpkin gourdiness and spice offerings, with a warming alcohol level that fits for the beer. Appears a clouded orange tinted amber glow with a faint cream head, forms uneven scattered lacing on the sides of my nonic pint. Aroma warming pumpkin spiced tea, hints of cinnamon clove and pumpkin gourds leaving a vegetable imprint on the whole beer. Creamy pumpkin pie notes, with warming spice and festive holiday notes. Earthy vegetable pumpkin with a sweet biscuit malt tone. Not overly done in anyway this quite the excellent spiced pumpkin beer with real pumpkin and it makes it. Mouthfeel is medium bodied some might say the spices are too much but I feel it finishes balanced between sugary malts, dry spices, and vegetable earthy notes of pumpkin. Overall easy as hell to drink this beer when normally I can't finish a 12 ounce bottle of the standard pumpkin ale out there.

Serving type: bottle

01-22-2012 05:22:46 | More by WVbeergeek

Cylinsier

Pennsylvania

3.63/5  rDev -1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

22.

Pours a hazy brownish color with a slight orange tint. Small head is off-white and retains as a lacing.

Smells of brown sugar, coppery malts, pumpkin and cinnamon.

Tastes of spices like cinnamon and pepper followed with some pumpkin pie sweetness and a hint of vegetable bitterness.

Body is medium to thick with very mild carbonation.

Overall not a bad brew, but I've had a few other pumpkin ales I would take before this one. Still, nothing to turn your nose up at. If you have a craving for a pumpkin brew and can't get some of the premier offerings, this will hit the spot. Just a bit too coppery and bitter to be top tier.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2011 02:28:49 | More by Cylinsier

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean orange-ish to amber color with an off white head. In the aroma, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. In the taste, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a dry fruitiness of pumpkin. A spice like bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a dry cinnamon like spice in the aftertaste. A nice big spice but not overwhelming, very enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

11-04-2011 12:23:53 | More by OWSLEY069

jrsully77

Pennsylvania

3.95/5  rDev +7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This is the first beer I have had from this brewery and I was impressed.

It poured a cloudy orange and smelt of spices and light pumpkin.

The taste was well balanced and there was not a taste of alcohol like some imperial pumpkins.

This is a good pumpkin beer if your like Saranac or Post Road...not to spiced or sweet...you still know you are drinking a beer.

Serving type: bottle

09-23-2011 20:24:39 | More by jrsully77

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Lavery Stingy Jack Pumpkin

Pours a clear copper color. Aroma of pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and some malt body underneath. In the taste, nice and pumpkin like, vanilla is strong and roasted malt makes for a nice combination. Pumpkin, vanilla, and nutty, roasted malt. Even balance, and quite tasty. Medium bodied, smooth. Overall, a well made pumpkin ale that stands up to the other better examples of the style. Dig the roasted malt body.

Serving type: on-tap

09-21-2011 04:35:20 | More by Stinkypuss

Morey

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

***Note...this is an edited review. I reviewed this last Halloween (2010), and gave it a C+. I'm going to leave the 2010 review at the bottom. Now onto the 2011 review!

Pours an extremely hazy orange-brown color. One finger of cream colored head following a medium pour. Moderate head retention, and the head has now settled to a thin and spotty layer after about 6 minutes.

Aroma is tamed a great deal from last year's alcohol bomb. It's not in your face, but the spices are definitely present. I'm also getting some actual pumpkin as well. Very nice.

Taste- A smooth blend of malts and spices up front. Just a touch of bitterness towards the middle. More spice and a smooth combination of pumpkin and malty goodness in the finish.

Medium bodied with a carbonation that falls somewhere between mild and moderate.

This is much improved from last year. The brewer used only fresh pumpkin last year. This year they froze some from last year so that they could brew this earlier and allow sometime for this to sit in the bottle.

Morey's Bottom Line: I know that I've already said it, but the difference between 2010 and 2011 is huge. Lavery has created a balanced and drinkable pumpkin ale here. Not overly spiced, not overly hopped, just a super enjoyable fall brew.

2010 Review below...

Poured out of a 22oz bomber, this brew poured a very hazy brownish-amber color with a one finger cream colored head that has since settled to a thin layer covering the top of the beer. Minimal head retention.

The aroma is honestly dominated by alcohol. I get some spices, but they are hidden behind a wall of alcohol.

Taste is light on spices, but they are definitely there. Alcohol and malts are the most dominating, but it smooths out towards the end making for a surprisingly smooth finish.

Medium body with a good carbonation level.

One bomber is enough for me.

Morey's Bottom Line: My least favorite Pumpkin Ale of the night, and I'm several bottles in. It's a local beer and I want to support it, but it could honestly use a little tweeking.

Serving type: bottle

11-01-2010 00:16:19 | More by Morey