Pumpkin Ale - O'Fallon Brewery

LimoBarbie

Illinois

3.85/5  rDev +6.4%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

It has a STRONG spice flavor and a LOT of pumpkin flavor and a LOT of alcohol kick. I liked it but I wouldn't want to drink it every day. It was great for Thanksgiving and I drank a six-pack over the Thanksgiving week. Would I buy more? Not right now, but next year I would probably buy more.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2010 00:56:24 | More by LimoBarbie

StlHopHead77

Illinois

2.9/5  rDev -19.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

A-Pours a slightly,hazy burnt amber with a quickly dissipating one-finger,off-white crown that left decent soapy lacing.

S-Caramel,light spice,some Hefeweizen-like scents of ripe banana and clove.

T-Typical amber ale with some sweet caramel flavors and dull spice but no real pumpkin to speak of.

M-Thin and slightly sweet mouthfeel with an overall impression of underachievement.

D-Go into this one planning on drinking an amber ale and you'll be fine but from a pumpkin ale standpoint it falls short.

Serving type: bottle

11-22-2010 12:48:20 | More by StlHopHead77

Thorpe429

Illinois

1.35/5  rDev -62.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 1 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 1 | overall: 1

Poured into a pint glass. Bottle picked up from Siciliano's.

Pours a light apricot color with quite a bit of hazy. Thin, single-finger white head that falls down and has just a ring around the edges. No lacing. Some of the galaxy swirl going on top. Nose opens up as a BUTTER BOMB. Whoa there, why does this happen so often? Why are so many pumpkin beers shoddily made? Some very mild spice in the background, but damnit is that nose disgusting.

Taste is buttered pumpkin pie and not quite as bad as the nose as there is a slight sweetness that, when combined with a tad bit of pumpkin, actually reminds me a bit of candy corn. On the other hand, this might ruin candy corn for me. The feel is quite bad and creamy. I can't stomach much of this. Drainpour and...F.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 02:41:18 | More by Thorpe429

NODAK

Tennessee

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Aroma has good notes of cinnamon and allspice on it...a little sweet. Pretty solid for style.

Taste seems a bit thin, though. There's definitely some cinnamon and classic pumpkin pie spices there, but they are pretty light and fleeting...there is hardly any sweetness to this beer either. After the initial spices fade, the backend of the beer has a small bitterness there along with a bit more cinnamon and a note of tartness as well.

Fairly middle of the road for pumpkin ales, in my opinion. It could use to be bolder.

Serving type: bottle

11-12-2010 01:43:17 | More by NODAK

sixerofelixir

Ohio

4.08/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle. Bottled-on Julian date of 2170.

Pours an ever-so-slightly hazy gold with a tan head. Carbonated OK. Smell is mineral and pumpkin, with a hint of sweetness and a sharp spiciness. Taste is very well-rounded; I really like the fact that I taste more pumpkin than spices. The finish is dry and smooth, with more pumpkin flavor and a nice dash of cinnamon right at the end. Drinkability is as easy as eating a piece of pumpkin pie.. All in all, my favorite pumpkin ale I've sampled yet.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2010 05:37:08 | More by sixerofelixir

buschbeer

Ohio

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I poured into a pint glass to half a finger of off white head. This beer is orange/amber in color. The smell is caramel malt with pumpkin spice. The initial taste is pumpkin pie. It later fades to caramel malt. It is an alright beer. It's worth a try.

Serving type: bottle

10-28-2010 22:49:53 | More by buschbeer

Khazadum

Illinois

2.85/5  rDev -21.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Big thanks to Bill (?) on sending me this in a trade not too long ago. Decided I would spend my Saturday ticking off beers that are long overdue from my fridge. Had this previously and remember enjoying it, hope that wasn't a fluke... Poured into my Hopleaf pint glass.

A- Frothy toothpaste like head with random dispersion of not quite white, bubbles. Average amount of time to dissipate left me with a thicker than normal skin and a solid collar that has bubbles reminiscent of cooking pancakes.

Body the color of orange peel revealed tons of carbonation. Many bubbles, no streams, all dancing their way up in various sizes.

S- Ketchup.. no joke. The intial note was sweet and confusing, but definitely similar to ketchup. Further investigation revealed the classic odor of pumpkin and the barest hints of nutmeg.

T- The opening is ketchup! What the hell? I thought it might be the glass, so I took some swigs from the bottle and it definitely is ketchup flavors to begin with. It flows forward to reveal the pumpkin flavor. This slowly ebbs away giving a finish that could be of earthy, meaty, squashes mixed with nutmeg. Unfortunately it is too faint to truly enjoy.

M- Thin, over carbonated to distracting proportions, and not much lingering capabilities. This definitely falls on the watery side of beer. For a low alcohol beer, the ethanol definitely perks up to tingle in an unwelcomed manner.

D- Never again. It just is too mediocre to really want again. I can think of half a dozen other pumpkin beers I'd like to have in its place and that is just off the top of my head. Too many errors and things need fixing that I addressed above.

Serving type: bottle

10-16-2010 14:57:53 | More by Khazadum

trbergman

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12oz bottle poured into a tulip.

A - Ruddy orange with a very short-lived head.

S - Toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, a hint of ginger, and just a little squash-like aroma.

T - Biscuity and toffee malt, pumpkin pie spice, and subtle pumpkin flavor. Inoffensive, but not all that interesting.

M - Light-medium body, good carbonation, rather smooth.

D - A decent pumpkin beer, lacking in depth, but easy enough to drink. I certainly wouldn't turn it down if offered.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2010 00:19:37 | More by trbergman

EgadBananas

Louisiana

2.13/5  rDev -41.2%
look: 4 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Nice light orange in color with a pleasant, bubbly head. It looked rather nice...

Next to nothing on the aroma. Deep breaths brought up faint spice.

Initially I'm hit with this odd note of lemon zest. It was almost tart, ruining the rest of the notes. Not that the rest of it was anything to write home about: Slight spice notes with a predominant bread character.

Feel was a little more redeeming; smooth and creamy, upper-light body.

Too off to make this easy to put away.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2010 13:55:49 | More by EgadBananas

1fastz28

Illinois

1.9/5  rDev -47.5%
look: 4 | smell: 1.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 1.5

This beer pours like any other beer and looks like any other beer but unfortunately thats where it ends. It has a bad smell, but i don't like pumpkins so ultimately this beer review may not be fair. The smell of pumpkin and spice is over whelming, and not good. Taste is not as overpowering as the smell, and if i hold my nose and drink it isn't nearly as bad. Overall i really dont like it at all, it stinks, but to be fair to o'falllon i dont like fruit/vegetable beers.

Serving type: bottle

09-30-2010 02:49:03 | More by 1fastz28

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

4.38/5  rDev +21%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

WOW, this is almost like drinking a pumpkin pie it's so smooth and sweet. Upon pouring it's an opaque light brown with head that quickly disappears. As the beer warms up it becomes more clear. The aroma/taste are pumpkin with some spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. The body is dang near perfect for the style, not watery, nor chewy. It is very easy to down the whole glass and want some more, good thing the wife got a six-pack of it.
FYI, the current label has a cartoon jack-o-lantern on it.

Serving type: bottle

09-24-2010 03:31:47 | More by DesMoinesMike

AlCaponeJunior

Texas

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

Cloudy and hazy, orange in color, small head, some lacing. Pretty good to look at.

Smells quite good, very spicy, almost peppery, nicely pumpkiny, just like a pumpkin should smell.

Tastes pretty good, not fantastic but a solid brew. A bit of pumpkin, plenty of spices, but not very sweet at all. The aftertaste is more representative of the style, the initial flavor seems slightly grainy.

Feels nice, better than average for the style.

Drinks about average. There are other pumpkins I like better, but this one's not bad at all.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 16:49:28 | More by AlCaponeJunior

OldSchoolGamer

Ohio

3.05/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I have become a huge fan of Pumpkin Ales. Its a style that is hard to pin down, which ultimately leaves many breweries renditions of the style quite different from one another. This is my first Pumpkin Ale review of the season.

A: The appearance orange, just like a pumpkin. Also quite cloudy and hazy. Head is very minimal at best.

S/T: The aroma of this beer is just offputting. Very strong vinegar component. Also quite sweet. Smells rather disgusting to be honest. The taste is superior to the smell, but the offputting characteristics in the aroma make their way into the flavor as well. I am quite suprised that there is quite a bit of pumpkin flavor here. Its got a very sharp spicy pumpkin flavor. Definetly nutmeg and a touch of cinnamon. Pretty sweet as well. But the sour funk character in here is killer. Does not mesh well with the pumpkin flavors at all. I am certain this isn't an off bottle since this is the second time I am having it.

M/D: Another low point to the beer. The mouthfeel is pretty fizzy and carbonated. Very sharp feeling in the mouth. Pretty light mouthfeel, and leaves kind of a powdery feel in the mouth. Drinkablility suffers due to aroma, off flavors, and overcarbonation.

The pumpkin character is great in this beer. But it is just dragged down my everything else about the beer. I think this beer tried too hard to be the next Pumking, and it just comes off in an awkward fashion.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2010 04:04:01 | More by OldSchoolGamer

Beejay

Virginia

3.43/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A: Amber with hints of red, slightly hazy. Nice white hard on top.

S: Pumpkin, nutmeg and cinnamon. It definitely smells like how pumpkin pie tastes.

T: Taste follows the smell for the most part. The first taste is pumpkin pie, full of nutmeg, and maybe a little bit of biscuit flavor. There is a bit of a tart kick in the finish.

M: Medium bodied with effervescent carbonation. The carbonation is a little much for the style.

D: Good, but not amazing. Lots of pumpkin flavor, but the bit of tang in it seems out of place to me.

Serving type: bottle

09-12-2010 23:37:47 | More by Beejay

BogleHill

Massachusetts

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

Nice pumpkin and spice aromas with this hazy light orange brew. I let this one warm a bit and the flavors came through more fully. Well balanced pumpkin, spice, malts and hops with this one. Quite easy to drink and enjoy. Another fine midwest Pumpkin brew! Thanks to trader Birchstick for this one. Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-11-2010 13:55:53 | More by BogleHill

JoePat

Kentucky

3.95/5  rDev +9.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This beer pures an amber/orangish hue with a very small head that goes down pretty quickly.

The smell has a great pumpkin pie aroma that is heavy on cinnamon.

The flavor is of cinnamon wiht some caramely/bready malt.

The mouthfeel has a good body and is actaully a little heavy so it goes along with the flavor. The carbonation helps balance out the heavy body.

This is a pretty drinable beer and is not to sweet or cloying as some of these beers can be.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 23:47:56 | More by JoePat

LairdChisholm

Illinois

3.68/5  rDev +1.7%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A - Pours a hazy orange color. A slight half finger tan head fizzles up but has pour retention. Too hazy to see any carbonation from the side, but looking from the top it seems pretty moderate.

S - Very nice pumpkin mixed with cinnamon. Pretty pungent.

T - Sweet pumpkin upfront with a very cinnamon after taste. Pretty much follows the nose. The actually beer feels more like a pilsner, not really an ale. This gives it a unique taste but doesn't really work in it's advantage.

M - Surprisingly light. Like i said doesn't feel like an ale. Too much carbonation.

D - One of the easier pumpkin ales I've had to drink but it's not because of the taste.

Serving type: bottle

09-10-2010 23:18:59 | More by LairdChisholm

scottmbolt

Michigan

4.15/5  rDev +14.6%
look: 5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

This is a very good pumpkin beer. Picked a 6 pack up at the local market, came home on a chilly night here in rural MI, and my girlfriend and I finished the whole six pack.

lots of pumpkin taste, beautiful color, and an overall great seasonal choice. I wouldn't drink it in warm weather, but on this cool fall night, it hit the spot. I could see picking this up in the future to bring to a Bon fire, or to enjoy while I hand out candy on Halloween.

Cheers!

Serving type: bottle

09-05-2010 04:06:03 | More by scottmbolt

MorningBeer

Iowa

2.88/5  rDev -20.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pumpkin ales are quickly becoming a favorite of mine. Unfortunately, I'm unable to find many locally to try. I read some reviews of O'Fallon's Pumpkin Beer and was nervous to invest, but I did. And it is a disappointing experience

A: Pours a nice copper-pumpkin orange. A little hazy. A slight creamy head, a little more color than the white foamy heads I've seen on other pumpkin ales I've tried. Overall nice.

S: Weak. Immediately, there is a hint of canned pumpkin (the stuff most pies are made of). Then, the pumpkin scent dissipates and I'm left with an overwhelming bready tone. No real sense of spices here.

T: Like the smell, a strong sense of canned pumpkin aftertaste that quickly turns to a weak alcohol/pumpkin meshing. Not much spice. Maybe a hint of peach in the background.

M: Airy. Empty. Not much here for the style.

D: Drinkable if one can tolerate the taste.

Serving type: bottle

08-31-2010 19:23:17 | More by MorningBeer

TheSarge

Illinois

3.53/5  rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Makes a good tight forming off white head, and has a copper colored hazy body.

The aroma is of fleshy pumpkin along with all the spices you'd find in a pumpkin pie, but with a hint of metallic hops.

In the taste the caramel of malt comes out and then the pumpkin with spices totally takes over.

Mouth feel is medium in body, mildly carbonated, slightly creamy, and a hint of oily slickness.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2010 00:00:53 | More by TheSarge

semibaked

Kentucky

2.58/5  rDev -28.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2

Poured into a pint glass

A - Pours a very cloudy pumpkin pie color (go figure?), with about a finger of white foam.

S - Good whiff of pumpkin pie and spices, smells a bit artificial of good nontheless.

T - Tastes like liquid pumpkin pie but the pumpkin pie you buy out of the freezer section of the grocery store for like $2.99 a pie. Has a off putting sour/acidic taste to it too.

M - Thin body nothing better that Bud Light.

D - Ya couldn't get the whole bottle down, just screams cheaply made to me.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 01:42:46 | More by semibaked

Duxx

Missouri

3.73/5  rDev +3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint glass.

A: Great color, burnt orange color that definitely looks like pumpkin with just a hint of haziness. The head was mostly non-existent in my glass.

S: Smells exactly like pumpkin pie. I think the smell is the most impressive feature about this beer.

T: Prominent pumpkin pie spice, especially cinnamon and nutmeg. A little hoppy in the finish.

M: Thin unless you take the time to swirl the beer in your mouth then it picks up a creamy feel from the released carbonation.

D: Not overly assertive like other pumpkin ales makes this much more drinkable than some examples I have tried in the past. I could drink a few of these without becoming too overbearing,

Serving type: bottle

11-28-2009 21:14:07 | More by Duxx

srandycarter

California

4.13/5  rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Medium honey, lots of off white head. Some cling lace to finish.

S - Smell malt and faint spices. Not much, really.

T - Pumpkin pie. All the fat, spice and flavor or your favorite pumpkin pie. Really nice.

M - As mentioned in taste, illusion of fat content, creamy, well balanced, medium bodied, coating and good.

D - As far as pumpkin goes, pretty darned tasty.

Serving type: bottle

11-03-2009 02:43:52 | More by srandycarter

abrand

Illinois

3.58/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle poured into the SN tumbler. Drinking the pumpkin to start the month of November off right.

The O'Fallon pumpkin pours a hazy amber-orange color with minimal head and no noticeable lacing. Nose is mostly thanksgiving spices consisting of nutmeg, cinnamon, and pumpkin. Some hoppy aromas round out the smell. Taste consists of light pumpkin pie and cinnamon. Not as in your face as other pumpkin ales. Mouthfeel is medium bodied and drinkability is mediocre. This beer is only meant for about a 2 month window of the year when consumers are in the fall/turkey day mood. But compared to other pumpkin ales, I believe it is very competitive.

Serving type: bottle

11-02-2009 01:32:20 | More by abrand

Snyder18

Missouri

4.33/5  rDev +19.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance - Cloudy light brown with orange hues. This years version states that it is brewed with pumpkin. In the past the've used a pumpkin spice "tea" to get the desired flavor. This may account for the relative cloudiness in the current beer. 1" thick light tan head reduced to a thin film in a few minutes.

Smell - Nose full of cinnamon and nutmeg. Pumpkin background. Malt and hops are there but so overpowered by the cinnamon that they are difficult to detect.

Taste - Much like the aroma, the pumpkin and spices are major players in the flavor. It's like having a mouth full of pumpkin meat or squash seasoned with cinnamon. Toasty, nutty malt sweetness as it warms. Just enough hop presence to tone down the sweetness to a drinkable level.

Mouthfeel - Creamy almost buttery. Medium to full bodied.

Drinkability - Very drinkable. Doesn't fatigue the taste buds as quickly as most pumpkin beers. And at 5.5% ABV you can enjoy several at a sitting.

Serving type: bottle

10-23-2009 19:45:21 | More by Snyder18