Terrapin Pumpkinfest - Terrapin Beer Company

Chaney

District of Columbia

3.15/5  rDev -16.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I've been wanting to try this one for quite a while and I'm now taking the plunge. Observation: It seems that most of Terrapin's stuff sold in 4-packs is money!

A: Poured out clear as a bell, dark orange in color, and with a solid white foamy head with teeny tiny bubbles.

S: True to its title, I got pumpkin spices imbedded in a German mothball-like concoction. A Marzen, if you will.

T: I had problems with this one. I didn't like how this has all the makings of a pumpkin pie brew, but instead of getting the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc., this was spoiled by the German malt additive.

M: The carbonation was fine, but this was far too hoppy to be a great pumpkin ale to my mind. Quite bitter indeed. The lacing left on the glass was ridiculous.

O: This was an interesting experiment, but it proved one thing to my mind: Don't mix pumpkin and Marzens... the ingredients just don't mesh well together.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2012 20:24:03 | More by Chaney

twenty5

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

05-17-2013 15:24:53 | More by twenty5

tommyguz

Pennsylvania

3/5  rDev -20.4%

05-10-2013 12:57:59 | More by tommyguz

BGsWo22

New York

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

05-01-2013 19:34:11 | More by BGsWo22

ajtorres311

Florida

4/5  rDev +6.1%

05-01-2013 15:19:29 | More by ajtorres311

dbrelsfo

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-21-2013 21:22:56 | More by dbrelsfo

rjknyy

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-14-2013 18:29:23 | More by rjknyy

aLenwell

Florida

4.75/5  rDev +26%

04-14-2013 03:40:20 | More by aLenwell

bacasnax

Florida

4/5  rDev +6.1%

04-01-2013 23:50:10 | More by bacasnax

Rwainman

South Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +12.7%

03-30-2013 23:08:44 | More by Rwainman

rfbenavi80

Missouri

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

03-24-2013 07:06:35 | More by rfbenavi80

irish01980

South Carolina

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

03-23-2013 20:13:48 | More by irish01980

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

03-12-2013 01:14:21 | More by DaPan

PStriedl

Maryland

4/5  rDev +6.1%

03-02-2013 21:13:53 | More by PStriedl

t0rin0

California

3/5  rDev -20.4%

02-27-2013 13:06:49 | More by t0rin0

jerefreakinmiah

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

02-24-2013 16:53:26 | More by jerefreakinmiah

Dope

Massachusetts

3.85/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a very nice super cloudy dark orange. Medium sized fizzy tan head despite the aggressive pour. Fades slowly with decent retention. Surprisingly decent thick waves of lacing everywhere.

S: Really nice mild pumpkin and associated pumpkin spices. Nutmeg and cinnamon are prominent. Nice sweet vanilla along with it.

T: Pumpkin with caramel and vanilla up front. Spices kick in as the sweetness fades, leaving the bitter nutmeg primarily, but with hints of cinnamon. Spices linger in the crisp finish, long into the aftertaste.

M: Medium bodied, smooth and crisp.

O: A nice pumpkin lager, but a little simplistic. Lagering seems to have made smoother and easier drinking, however. Nutmeg stands out a little strong but I enjoyed it.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2013 03:54:10 | More by Dope

mjenkins5

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +6.1%

02-20-2013 03:20:23 | More by mjenkins5

beernads

Florida

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

02-08-2013 10:36:02 | More by beernads

elchingen

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -7.2%

02-08-2013 04:16:20 | More by elchingen

Jadjunk

Georgia

3.76/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

"Pumpkin beers have been an American tradition since the Pilgrims hit Plymouth Rock while Oktoberfest lagers have been brewed in Germany since Prince Ludwig got hitched in 1810. Now Terrapin is 'Carving out a fall tradition' by combining these two great styles into a unique PumpkinFest beer." Brewed in the style of a Pumpkin Lager, this beer is in a style of its own.

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle to my Terrapin pint glass. Served north of 43º Fahrenheit.

(Appearance) Pours a thin crispy frothed caramel white head that recedes quickly. A little bit of spotty lacing is left behind on the sides. Color is a deep bold orange with mild haziness. Medium carbonation. Not bad but the head and lacing could vastly improve. 3.25

(Smell) Aroma is forward with mild pumpkin, medium nutmeg and allspice. It certainly leans this beer far more to the pumpkin beer category than it does an Oktoberfest, although the lager yeast gives it a clean, crisp smell. There even seems to be a tiny bit of clove and cinnamon to the aroma as it warms. Potency is medium. Aroma is crisp and clean beyond the pumpkin and spice, and there isn't much else to discern beyond a stable malt and pumpkin sweetness with a complimentary spice blend. If you're into pumpkin beers, this will be an enjoyable fragrance to behold. 4

(Taste) There's a mild nutmeg and bolder allspice front, a light malty caramel and pumpkin interior and a toasted caramel and cinnamon sugar finish.The pumpkin is surprisingly well utilized in this beer. Nonetheless, the spices make for a drying finish and could be toned down a touch to make way for the pumpkin and the pumpkin increased a notch. I get slight interpretation of this as an Oktoberfest, but I find that to be due to the clean finish, which is slightly muddied by the pumpkin and spice blend, it's probably difficult to pull off completely. Nicely done and very flavorful, this beer is on the right track of a style that could be done horribly wrong. 3.5

(Mouthfeel) In addition to a mild perky introduction complete with spice, alcohol, this beer has medium carbonation throughout with a dry, mildly tart finish. Alcohol is well hidden. The body is a solid medium amongst pumpkin beers, medium amongst all beers. The carbonation is very good for the beer, just enough to mildly accentuate the pumpkin spices while keeping the malt base in tow. It could increase a notch but it's well fitting for between a pumpkin beer and a märzen. 4.25

(Overall) I've had some over-spiced and under-pumpkined beers in my experience, but this one comes really close to finding a decent balance between the two. It's probably an Oktoberfest in texture and body alone at this stage, but the pumpkin beer component is great. Worth trying. 4

Terrapin Beer Company's
Pumpkinfest
3.76/5.00

Vintage Notes:

2011 (1 year, 6 months aged):
Head quality and consistency is identical to the fresh, although a touch lighter cream tone in complexion. Body color is identical as well, no color loss and similar haze tone. Most of the potency of the spices has been lost to time, some evident tartness from the yeast or pumpkin is the most notable flavor difference, although there's still decent body to it. Due to a repeal in spice presence, the malt flavor has been revealed significantly as the spices have died down and the pumpkin has been revealed as a presence in this beer, and the finish is far more clean than in the fresh batch. In terms of flavor, this is where the Oktoberfest flavor comes in, deep malty caramel with a mild bitterness, it's still very fall-like. Carbonation is still mild like in the fresh batch, although the milder spice in this age makes it seem more lacking. I was glad to have saved a bottle of this, and recommend that you do too!

Recommended Vintage: Try a bottle at 1 year!

Serving type: bottle

02-07-2013 03:38:07 | More by Jadjunk

jheezee

Texas

3.75/5  rDev -0.5%

02-04-2013 18:07:05 | More by jheezee

jopezu

Georgia

4/5  rDev +6.1%

01-27-2013 23:48:08 | More by jopezu

GossageBrewery

Missouri

3.34/5  rDev -11.4%
look: 2.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3

Poured this 12 oz bottle into a pint glass. This Pumpkin Ale/Oktoberfest hybird poured a hazy orange color, produced a small off white head, poor retention and it left an average amount of lacing on the glass. The aroma consisted of fresh roasted pumpkin, caramel and pumpkin pie spice. Medium in body, this ale had a malted grain base, pumpkin, caramel and a nice amount of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice- in fact it borders on being over spiced. With that said it is a very worthy Pumpkin ale- Nice session beer = first example of a Oktoberfest/Pumpkin Ale I have sampled.

Serving type: bottle

01-27-2013 17:55:17 | More by GossageBrewery

protton

Florida

4/5  rDev +6.1%

01-19-2013 01:13:04 | More by protton