Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale - Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.69/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Understated pumpkiness and carbonation from a few weeks past expiration date. Extra in trade, because I had missed its more limited distribution. Yellow orange bodied. Very drinkable, a but saison like, and even appealing to sip by the ladies. Pumpkin at the end, its really the spices that was its appeal. Easy mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2013 03:50:58 | More by northyorksammy

mikesgroove

South Carolina

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

reviewed from notes, this was one of the few sam adams i had yet to try and i managed to knock them out over the course of a weekend. poured into a pint glass.

nice reddish orange pour has a decent amount of haze to it that comes forward with a white head that reaches about two inches into the air. settling down it mellows out nicely and cleanly. aroma is pumpkin spice, cinnamon, and nutmeg molded onto a nice light and grainy base. carried over into the flavor it is nothing crazt at all, just a solid spiced ale with hints of bready malts and light grains picking up the slack. smooth, clean finish with little aftertaste.

overall a very solid ale, not the best of the style, but consistent and not something i would turn away from.

Serving type: bottle

02-19-2011 05:20:24 | More by mikesgroove

womencantsail

California

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

A dark amber color with an off-white head. Heavy on the spices, mostly nutmeg and all spice with a bit of cinnamon. Toasted malt and bread aromas with a light sweetness of toffee. The flavor has a nice subtle vanilla note along with the spices. A little bit of gingerbread character to it as well. Not much actual pumpkin to it, but a pretty decent beer anyway.

Serving type: bottle

02-20-2012 05:23:01 | More by womencantsail

ChainGangGuy

Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Part of the Samuel Adams Harvest Collection Pack - $14.99 at the nearby Publix grocery store in Canton, Georgia. Enjoy Before: Jan 2012.

Appearance: Pours a clear, deep amber-hued body with a finger's worth of ivory foam, though it's rather short-lived.

Smell: Sweetish, bready malt notes paired with a scent of pumpkin and encompassed by a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.

Taste: Bready, toasty malts with sweet hints of dark brown sugar. Has a good amount of squashy pumpkin flavor as well as the expected pumpkin pie spice blend (without becoming heavy-handed and overbearing) and, of course, the SA proprietary house yeast. Faint, faint touch from the herbal English hops, with a very low bitterness, allowed the spices to do their thing. Small bit of heat from the cinnamon and ginger. A bit of stickiness on the drying, gently spicy finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.

Overall: I thought it was a very solid, well-constructed pumpkin ale; a nice addition to the Autumn mix.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2011 19:16:34 | More by ChainGangGuy

UCLABrewN84

California

3.65/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Best before 2/2013.

Pours a clear dark copper with a foamy khaki head that settles to a film on top of the beer. Small dots and streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Smell is of malt, pumpkin, and a variety of pumpkin pie spices. Taste is much the same with a slight sweetness and a mild spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a good level of carbonation with a crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer that is easy to drink but I think it smells better than it tastes.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 06:38:51 | More by UCLABrewN84

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a red amber color ale with a large foamy head with OK retention and light lacing. Aroma consists of light pumpkin and cinnamon notes with a sweet caramel malt base. Taste is a mix between some sweet caramel notes with some pumpkin notes and quite subtler notes of cinnamon. Body is about average with nice creamy touch and good carbonation. Better then I had expected with good level of drinkability and really smooth aftertaste.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2012 17:26:55 | More by Phyl21ca

oberon

North Carolina

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a standard pint a rich deep rich copper/bronze with a thinner slight off white head atop,aromas are not overspiced wich is a very good thing,toasty with a little cardamom and mace,faint cinnamon in there as well.A lighter mouthfeel detracts from the flavors and richness of the beer in my opinion.Flavors have a real pumpkin flair to them,again the spice is held in check well,and its quite warm and toasty.A solid pumpkin ale,bump up the body on this and it would be great.

Serving type: bottle

09-09-2011 22:09:57 | More by oberon

NeroFiddled

Pennsylvania

3.98/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pumpkin beers are an odd lot. Most are just spiced ales, although some do use the actual fruit in the mash. Regardless, many of them seem way overdone, while others barely taste or smell of "pumpkin" at all. In fact, what we're really talking about here are pumpkin pie spices: cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg. That said, what I want out of a pumpkin beer is a beer that smells fairly strongly of those spices, and offers a bit of their flavors, but which is also it's own beer underneath. I don't care if it's golden and light (might be an interesting change), or toasty and caramelish (as most are).

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is of the deep-copper colored, caramelish and toasty variety. Fortunately they've kept it in check and it's not overly malty (and filling). The spices are bright in the nose, and a little bit softer in the flavor. The cinnamon is clear, the allspice is present, and the ginger and nutmeg can be found here and there. They work well with the malt, and provide a bit of balance (the bitterness level is clearly dialed back a touch to compensate for them). It's well-balanced, and highly drinkable.

As far as pumpkin beers go, I could easily enjoy two of these in a row, and possibly a third before I became 'over-spiced' myself. Nicely done!

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2011 13:59:48 | More by NeroFiddled

TMoney2591

Illinois

3.95/5  rDev +11.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served in a Chicago Bears shaker pint glass.

What better way to celebrate the lovely, cooler weather than with a new (to me, anyway) pumpkin beer? This one pours a clear dark tawny-russet topped by a finger of copper-tinged tan foam. The nose comprises toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, light cocoa, mandarin orange syrup, and a touch of dark wheat. The taste holds notes of lightly toasted caramel, mandarin orange syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, light clove, light toasted pumpkin seeds, and a good amount of wheat. The body is a light medium, with a light moderate carbonation and a slightly watery feel. Overall, a very solid pumpkin beer, one that doesn't overdo the spice and goes down easily.

Serving type: bottle

09-07-2011 03:43:20 | More by TMoney2591

WesWes

New York

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

The beer pours a beautiful amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is good. It has a dry, crystal malt and pumpkin scent with subtle hints of cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste is good as well. It has a pretty straight up pumpkin flavor along with an adequate amount of pale and crystal malts. It goes down easy with a bone dry finish and faint hints of spice. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking pumpkin beer. It focuses on the pumpkin character instead of the spices; another solid seasonal from Samuel Adams.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 00:30:30 | More by WesWes

drabmuh

Maryland

3.85/5  rDev +8.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I traded Huhzubendah a Boon Oude Kriek Mariage Parfait for a 12 ounce bottle of this, THANKS! Served in a pint glass. Beer is orange to dark amber with a mild haze, thin haloed head of small bubbles and low carbonation. Some lacing, looks OK.

Aroma is pumpkin-y and lightly spiced. Kind of like caramel in the nose.

Beer is medium and body, the spices are primarily cinnamon and carries through to the back of the mouth, creeping forward with the swallow as almost an aftertaste. Beer is mildly sweet in the forward and candied in the middle although its not pronounced. The finish is mildly dry. Drinkability is fine. Overall its a decent pumpkin beer.

Serving type: bottle

11-16-2010 02:13:11 | More by drabmuh

Mora2000

Texas

4/5  rDev +13%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I was really excited to try this one since I look forward to the release of pumpkin beers each fall.

The beer pours a orangish-brown color with a white head. The aroma is class pumpkin ale, with lots of pumpkin and nutmeg notes. The flavor is more of the same. I get a ton of pumpkin, along with the classic pumpkin pie spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I also get some caramel malt. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation.

Not quite as good as Southern Tier Pumking, but a step above most of the pumpkin ales that are on the market.

Serving type: bottle

09-18-2010 06:41:57 | More by Mora2000

zeff80

Missouri

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured out a dark, reddish, amber color with a small, white head of foam. It was short-lived and left very little sudsy lace on the glass.

S - It smelled of pumpkin, cinnamon and nutmeg. It really smelled like a good pumpkin ale.

T - The taste doesn't match the aroma. It is good but nutmeg-heavy. The pumpkin and cinnamon flavor are a little muted.

M - It was crisp, sharp and smooth. A light to medium bodied ale with a dry finish.

D - This is a nice pumpkin ale. There are betters out there. And there are worse out there, too. It works for the price.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2010 22:18:17 | More by zeff80

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.53/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12oz bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a light reddish brown color, with a short off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma contains a lot of spices, along with pumpkin, caramelized malts and a faint touch of hops.

T: The taste starts out sweet with flavors of caramel, pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger). Then some breadiness comes in from a hearty malt character along with a mild hops presence to create a decent balance. The after-taste is slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and smooth, medium body, medium carbonation, finish is slightly sticky.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, not too filling, mild kick, very good representation of style, this is a nice beer to drink for a long time if you're in the mood for the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-27-2011 04:57:52 | More by TheManiacalOne

Knapp85

Pennsylvania

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A bottle of this was given to me from a friend. He wasn't sure if I had tried it before and I hadn't so it worked out really well. This beer pours out as an brownish amber color with an off white head the is a bit fizzy. The smell of this beer reminded me a little bit of the Octoberfest, I suppose that makes sence. The only difference on the nose was the addition of a little pumpkin aroma. The taste was full of autumn spices and the lingering pumpkin flavor in the aftertaste. The overall on this beer is that it's pretty good but a little tricky to get your hands on. I feel the Octoberfest in far superior to this brew and it's more accessable.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2011 21:00:57 | More by Knapp85

russpowell

Oklahoma

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours an effervescent copper with 2 fingers of tan head. Very good head retnetion & above average lacing

S: Cinnamon & brown sugar

T: Pumpkin pie spice, slight squashyness, dryness, some caramel up front. More of the same as this warms, some herbal & woody hops lurking in the background as well. Finishes dry with pumpkin pie spicyness & slight metallic edge

MF: Medium bodied, carbonation starts off sharp, but turns creamy once warm

Nice drinkability here, not a great pumpkins beer but better than most...

Serving type: bottle

09-26-2010 00:19:45 | More by russpowell

Halcyondays

California

4.05/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

12 oz. bottle,

A: Pours a dark amber orange, with a frothy medium white head, some good lace.

S: Great fall nose. Pumpkin flesh, pumpkin cream, allspice and nutmeg. Shades of BA Autumn Maple if not as intense.

T: Has a real nice true pumpkin flavour to start out with. The cinnamon and clove type spices really dominate here more than in the nose, though the spiced cream plays a part.

M: Light/medium-bodied. Pretty smooth, creamy flavour, a tad thin at the end.

D: A darn good pumpkin beer, this is currently best in the Southland at least in early September. It's like Old Fezziwig, a shame they don't sell this in 6-packs.

Serving type: bottle

09-04-2010 02:49:17 | More by Halcyondays

WVbeergeek

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Look this isn't as bad as some versions but it's still a pumpkin ale, it actually has that pumpkin pie finish to it. Between the malts and the spices added in, this also says brewed with pumpkin. Darker than most versions a dark mahogany almost brown ale appearance with tight bubbled moccha tan head. Fine lacing spreads nicely between sips on the sides of my chalice. Nose has some serious pumpkin pie action kicking, between nutmeg and cinnamon with all spice and canned pumpkin candy sweetness. Pretty good especially considering the mouthfeel which was a bit harsh with spice bitterness in the back of the throat carbonation works and medium to light bodied flows decently enough. Drinkability overall is rather good for this style of beer, especially considering I'd never thought of Sam Adams as a pumpkin ale type of brewer.

Serving type: bottle

08-27-2010 23:51:21 | More by WVbeergeek

Jason

Massachusetts

3.1/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

12oz brown bottle with a freshness date.

Heady beginning, amber hued brown color is near crystal clear. Hint of pumpkin meat though the spicing rides higher along with some maltiness in the nose. Very smooth with a feigned fullish body. Spice comes at the palate in an aggressive manner, maltiness struggles to poke through and some alcoholic esters and caramel finally make it through in the spicy-sweet finish.

Way too much spice for my liking, these holiday spiced beers need to be subtle especially if you want any trace pumpkin to come through. Not bad but one bottle is more than enough.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 01:16:51 | More by Jason

Billolick

New York

3.65/5  rDev +3.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

12 ounce bottle. Enjoy before date notched onto the side of the label.

Pour is mahogany, near clear and shimmering under a moderate medium tan head. Head slowly departs, leaving a thicker collar and moderate slippery blobs of lace.

This is a thick and viscous brew. Smooth and richly flowing over the tongue.

On the nose this one smells just like a slice of pumpkin pie, sweet, bready and softly spiced.

The sniff carries over to the palate, more soft/subtle pumpkin pie/holiday spicing. Pumpkin flavor is moderate, not overpowering, but quite enjoyable.

Decent take on the style, moderately flavorful, moderate sweetness. not cloying. Viscosity make this more of a sipper/night capper kind of fall/winter offering.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 00:15:19 | More by Billolick

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.75/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a decent fluffy 1 finger head that fades semi slowly over mostly clear bright reddish maroon color, but of lacing, bright red color is a bit weird.

Nose brings pumpkin, light spices, some reddish toasty crystal malts, light bready notes and touch of pumpkin pie filling.

Taste starts rich, nice malty flavor with more red malts and bit of crystal, light caramel, some pumpkin comes out with some of the fresh pumpkin and some pie, but very light in the pumpkin area. A light dry bready malt finish with some more lingering light pumpkin pie finish, but not a ton of spices either.

mouth is med bodied, good carb.

Overall not bad, nice malts, light on the spices, pumpkin has fresh flavor and not a ton of canned or artificial flavors, nice dry bready finish.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2011 22:50:44 | More by jlindros

Zorro

California

3.63/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

A clear brown colored beer with a small tan colored head.

Smells a little sweet with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin scent is pretty detectable here. Pretty much this smells like watered down pumpkin pie.

Starts out neutral and not sweet like I expected. Very mildly sweet with a good shot of bitterness at the end. Spice is very much subtle here; this is pretty much a brown ale with pumpkin pie nuances. Really a brown ale more than a pumpkin beer.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Drinkability is OK. An OK beer but not one I would want put in bombers so I could get more of it. Two in the Harvest pack is enough.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2010 23:19:57 | More by Zorro

Kegatron

Pennsylvania

2.68/5  rDev -24.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

12 oz bottle into a pint glass.

Pours a crystal clear copper, with a finger of light mocha head. This settles down into a thin foaminess, that leaves back a light cascade of fizzy lacing. After a while, this gets pretty dead looking overall. The aroma is spicy and sticky in the nose, with a LOT of sweetness present here but some green character does eventually start to emerge. The spice here gets to be just as strong as the sweetness after a bit.

The taste is similar, with a LOT of sweetness from caramel malts and other doughy sugars. There are some green flavors present here but it seems to only rely pretty minimally on any pumpkin flavor, with a green citric bitterness seeming to bring the bulk of it to the table. Pumpkin spices are overdone here as well, really sticking with some strength in the finish, along with lingering dry greenness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a firm creaminess up front that then gives way to more of a flatter heft underneath, which really helps accentuate all of that sweetness.

This just isn’t how I like my Pumpkin beers to be done, with a boatload of syrupy sweetness and spice covering up a lot of what should really make this beer (the pumpkin) and even giving the overall profile a bit of a medicinal feel. I won’t be trying this one again.

Serving type: bottle

10-26-2011 17:03:11 | More by Kegatron

corby112

Pennsylvania

3.58/5  rDev +1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a dark ruby red color with golden copper edges and a one finger off-white head that quickly settles into a thin ring. Minimal spots of lacing left behind.

Sweet pumpkin pie aroma with lots of autumnal spices and sweet malt notes. Smells like desert with hints of pumpkin puree, rye, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove.

Full bodied with a blast of crisp, zesty spice up front that lingers over the sweeter notes into a slightly dry finish. Hints of pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and ginger followed by a prominent pumpkin presence as well as some caramel and rye. The spiciness slightly overpowers the pumpkin flavor but it's still pretty flavorful and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

10-24-2011 06:31:26 | More by corby112

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.5/5  rDev -29.4%
look: 2.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Didn't have the orangeness you'd want in a pumpkin ale. Also lacked the aroma of pumpkin, which is mild, but still, a little more cinammon would bring it out.

Taste, still the same problem, not so much pumpkin to it. Coriander seems to be the most prevalent thing, and I doubt its even in the beer. Weird unidentifiable spice presence, its not the cinnamon. Maybe its ginger. Pumpkin is not supposed to be this bitter.

Its easy enough to drink and all, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this one, unless you're a huge pumpkin freak, but if that's the case, you'll probably be even less impressed with this as you'd probably had many of the better ones.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 22:38:25 | More by Beerandraiderfan