Country Pumpkin - Ithaca Beer Company

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clean deep orange color with a tan head. In the aroma, cinnamon, brown sugar, and notes of maple. In the taste, quite spicy upfront, cinnamon, clove, brown sugar, and a sweet pumpkin fruit in the end. A spice bite and a medium to lighter bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry small spice and sweet pumpkin in the aftertaste. A nice use of spice and balanced with the sweeter pumpkin.

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2012 15:26:33 | More by OWSLEY069

Gmann

New York

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy copper color with an orange hue. The head is tight but short and settles into a light ring.

The aroma is of the pumpkin pie spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and light clove, allspice. There is also a subtle pumpkin vegatel note. Nice blend of spice and pumpkin.

The taste is of a light amber base. The malt provides some sweetness and a dry finish. The pumpkin spice comes through nicely, though not overly dominate. Mainly cinnamon and nutmeg with some ginger and allspice. The pumpkin provides some earthy bitterness and a light veggie flavor. Some grassy hop bitterness.

The feel is light to moderate with prickly carbonation. Well balanced as it starts off sweet but ends with a grassy bitterness.

A good pumpkin with a nice flavor profile. I wish it was a little more robust in the spice but it is a good mix.

Serving type: bottle

09-22-2012 20:18:57 | More by Gmann

smcolw

Massachusetts

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Good starting head. It settles to a single layer of small bubbles. There's some spotty lace on the glass. Hazy amber color.

The smell is pumpkin and pumpkin spices of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Classic pumpkin ale taste. There's a malt start with plenty of pumpkin pie flavor that show up in through the swallow. There is a mild hop bitterness in the background. Relatively low body with a typical level of carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

11-18-2012 02:30:59 | More by smcolw

thecheapies

Pennsylvania

3.68/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pumpkin-y color. Head collapsed to a thick ring. The foam doesn't want to stick.

Cinnamon, pumpkin, nutmeg, almost a rye-like spice element coming from the malt. Pretty simple, but delightful nose.

A bit attenuated, but some punctual pumpkin pie spice notes and a touch of floral hops round this one out. Malty with some pumpkin meat and an earthy bitterness. Finishes with some menthol and gruff grain.

Mellow, crisp, with a natural body. The carbonation is energetic. Works for an autumn ale.

A little spice-heavy, but turns out to be an enjoyable fall seasonal. Easy to enjoy, easy to finish.

Serving type: on-tap

10-16-2012 02:44:40 | More by thecheapies

ThePorterSorter

New York

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a clear, rich looking medium amber with a razor thin blanketing of off-white head. The nose is sweet, but not cloying, and blends together aromas of nutmeg, banana, and clove. It's not over the top, but still has the spice characteristics I like in a pumpkin ale. The taste disappoints...frankly, it tastes like a watered down amber with almost none of the spice coming through...and this beer is essentially at its peak 'bottle freshness.' A thin, watery mouthfeel is not what I prefer for this style of beer, although it's refreshing to have a pumpkin beer with a semi-dry, spicy clove finish. Cold versus room temp there is no improvement.
Honestly, I will probably avoid this beer in the future, although it's hard to poo-poo a well-intentioned effort by Ithaca.

Serving type: bottle

09-15-2012 01:21:00 | More by ThePorterSorter

TheBrewo

Michigan

3.63/5  rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

We pour a brew of glowing pumpkin orange. It holds a two finger head of creamy tannish bubbles that stick to the glass, leaving sticky, cakey lacing. Retention is nice. There is no haze or sediment noted, and carbonation appears light. The aroma is bright with smooth vanilla cream and warming pumpkin spice. The malts are pale and lightly toasted, holding up against a hearty baker’s yeast, and very faint but fresh citric hop. The pumpkin is sweet and serious, and really steals the show. With warmth it smells more and more like a fresh baked pumpkin pie. Our first impression is that the flavoring is lighter than hoped for, but still carries the pumpkin spice nicely. As we sip, the taste opens with souring, pale malts, a light toasty yeast, and fresh spice of pumpkin, nutmeg, and bittering clovey phenol. The middle moves the pumpkin spice forward, enhancing the depth of the malts, with sweeter notes of salty caramel, and dried grassiness. That nice fresh creamy sweetness comes next, pulling to the finish, with freshly grated ginger, black pepper, drying nutmeg, allspice, and fresh pumpkin flesh. The aftertaste breathes of souring grain, mineral, light booze, metals, dried pale malts, chalk, and more of that pumpkin spice. The body is medium, and the carbonation is medium, but robustly prickly. The mouth is cooled and coated initially, with a final dryness to the palate and down the tongue. There is decent slurp, smack, and pop, but little cream to the lips. It is quenching and refreshing, without being overbearing. The abv is appropriate, and the beer drinks easily.

Overall, what we enjoyed most about this brew was the nose. There was such nice favoring throughout, with a full aromatic profile. The pumpkin was authentic, yet sweet, smooth, and creamy, while the spice was warming and invigorating. The entire thing, however, through the flavoring as well as the nose, was a bit subdued. We found ourselves wishing that things were more robust on both fronts, which was really our only complaint.

Serving type: bottle

11-06-2012 01:36:28 | More by TheBrewo

alexgash

Connecticut

3.58/5  rDev -3.8%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12 oz. bottle. Best by December 2012.

Faint yeasty particles suspended in a coppery-bronze body. Small, ringy, gauzy, eggshell white head. Warm malty aromas of pumpkin pie filling, graham cracker, and caramel. Cooked carrots and spices (vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon) round out the nose.

Toasted malt and light grainy astringency up front. Pumpkin pie filling fills in along with cooked carrots and caramel. Moderate dose of spices near the finish. Nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon. Lingering spices in the finish. Moderate body with a smooth feel. Not bad pumpkin here!

Serving type: bottle

10-21-2012 21:11:57 | More by alexgash

merc7186

New York

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

I had this beer poured from a 12oz bottle into a pint glass.

A: Orangish Hue, Passes Some Light, White Head Ring, Mild Lacing

S: Pumpkin, Mild Allspice

T: Pumpkin, Mild Allspice

M: Average Carbonation, Light to Medium Bodied, Mild Spicy

Overall, a pretty nice drinkable yet mild pumpkin ale.

Serving type: bottle

10-06-2012 18:25:16 | More by merc7186

jlindros

Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours just a faint bubbly head that disappears in an instant, over slight hazy copper honey orange color.

Nose bright pumpkin, a bit of an egg nog like aroma, some cinnamon, nutmneg and hints of other spices the give the xmas egg nog or pumpkin pie like aroma. Touch of a sweet reddish malt, and little bready.

Taste is similar, some pumpkin both canned and fresh, spices bringing nutmeg and cinnamon again, slight nutmeg xmas-y like taste that brings those flavors of xmas, little fluffy nougat like flavor. Little toasty reddish malt, caramel, creamy even. A light hoppy flavor, some bitterness and a light floral earthy bitter hop. Finish is dry, very dry, slight earthy spicy hops, plenty of spices lingering, and a bit of pumpkin and creamy egg nog like.

Mouth is med bodied, decent carb.

Overall not bad, but not great. Decent flavors,spices that remind me of xmas and egg nog, creamy, decent pumpkin, at least dry and not overly sweet, but nothing great.

Serving type: bottle

10-22-2012 02:58:46 | More by jlindros

WesWes

New York

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

The beer pours a dark amber color with a thick frothy off-white head that slowly fades to lacing. The aroma is decent. It has a solid malt scent that boasts of pale and crystal malts. The pumpkin flavor is mild at best and yields to the pumpkin spices; cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The taste is decent as well. It has a dry pumpkin flavor that melds well with the crystal and pale malt base. It contains some cinnamon and nutmeg, but nothing too overpowering. The mouthfeel is fine. It is a medium bodied beer with adequate carbonation. This is a good drinking beer, but a weak seasonal from a brewery that usually produces top notch offerings.

Serving type: bottle

10-19-2012 23:26:15 | More by WesWes

atr2605

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A-pours a copper/light amber color with a white head with average retention
S-good amount of pumpkin with spice
T-More pumpkin and spice followed by a good hop bitterness, not a huge fan of the hop selection itself though, leaves a bit of an off aftertaste
M-medium bodied
O-not a bad pumpkin ale, if it wasn't for the aftertaste I would say its a pretty solid beer. Don't regret trying it but won't make it one of my regular fall beers

Serving type: bottle

09-16-2012 17:16:07 | More by atr2605

mattbk

New York

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A: Naturally carbonated, I spilled a bit of yeast into the bottle during the pour. This makes it a bit cloudy. I suppose it's possible the pumpkin is contributing to the cloudiness. The beer is only lightly carbonated. It is orange-brownish.
S: A familiar pumpkin aroma, nutmeg, clove, cinammon maybe, a bit of brown sugar. Fairly typical for a pumpkin ale. Good, not especially interesting.
T: The taste is far more beery and less spicy. Mild maltiness, some yeasty esters coming through, the spices are very faint, a bit of cinammon maybe. Not much of a pumpkin taste. A bit minty from a hoppy finish, which comes out as the beer warms (English hops? Northern Brewers maybe?). This is my favorite part of the beer, a nice finish.
M: Medium mouthfeel, not much carbonation, just enough for this beer. No head apparent on the beer by this point.
O: A slightly above average pumpkin beer. Not bad, I've had better.

Serving type: bottle

10-02-2012 00:42:28 | More by mattbk

Goblinmunkey7

Massachusetts

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Bright burnt orange. Head it tiny, bright-white, and drops to a tiny collar almost instantly. Moderate carbonation. So pretty. A little less burnt than I like to see, but still comes close to perfect.

Smell: Big hits of pumpkin pie spice. The usual suspects are there, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, a touch of clove and vanilla. Cinnamon is more pronounced. Canned pumpkin sweetness coupled with some intense malt sweetness. Smells like a pie. Some toasted edges as well. There's some crust. Sharply spicy. Some minor hints of real pumpkin when it warms, but the spices jump as well.

Taste: Fresh pumpkin flesh up front drops quickly and gives way to the spice compliment. Big hits of cinnamon. Nutmeg and clove pick up some of the slack. Hints of vanilla on the back. Allspice all but disappears. Raw, squashy pumpkin flavor re-energizes over the middle. Almost no aftertaste, incredibly clean. Flavor drops a bit too fast off the tongue. As it warms the spices become a touch too aggressive as the pumpkin backs off a touch.

Mouthfeel: A bit thin and underwhelming. Nice carbonation. No aftertaste.

Overall: You could do a lot worse for a pumpkin beer.

Nice overall, with some solid pumpkin influence. Falls apart as it warms, but it's still drinkable and worth checking out.

Serving type: bottle

10-04-2012 20:39:42 | More by Goblinmunkey7

dogfishandi

New York

3.4/5  rDev -8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

12oz bottle at fridge temp poured into a snifter. Best Before DEC 2012.

pours out a burnt orange color with a bit of haziness to it. slightly less than one fingers worth of off white head that quickly faded to a thin foam ring and then eventually nothing.

pretty typical pumpkin ale aroma, nothing really impressive hear. some cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg as well as some actual pumpkin. some light alcohol esters as it warms. not much else.

pretty much the same as the aroma, typical spices with a bit of actual pumpkin.

carbonation is a little too aggresive. light to medium in body. the only thing this really has going for it is drinkability, my glass was empty before i knew it.

a little too average to be worth buying again, glad i got this as a single. tastes like every other pumpkin ale out there. i expected more from ithaca.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 23:05:36 | More by dogfishandi

Stinkypuss

Pennsylvania

3.33/5  rDev -10.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Country Pumpkin
Ithaca Beer Company
Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 6.30 %

LOOK: Pours an orange color with a chill haze, little to no sediment. Off white head forms and leaves little to no lace. Appears like a standard pumpkin ale.

SMELL: Pumpkin spices of cinnamon, clove, and allspice are apparent right away. There is a bit of malty sweetness peeking through as well.

TASTE: Once again spices of clove, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice are upfront with some pumpkin and brown sugar notes. There is a noticeable amount of vegetable/mineral notes from the pumpkin and perhaps the hops? Not very bitter and very spicy with plenty of pumpkin.

FEEL: Medium to full bodied, smooth, and well carbonated. Drinks fairly easily.

OVERALL: A good pumpkin ale with some solid traits. The mineral notes are a bit out of place, and with some vanilla, could easily be covered up. A pumpkin ale with some strength behind it and no presence of alcohol. Would go well with a holiday meal.

Serving type: on-tap

10-11-2012 18:25:17 | More by Stinkypuss

JerzDevl2000

New Jersey

3.3/5  rDev -11.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Picked this up in Totowa, not expecting much from a style that rarely impresses me. Sure enough, that turned out to be the case with this. While this was not a bad beer, no flavor in particular stood out too much and there wasn't anything memorable about this. This wasn't too spicy or full of the namesake flavor but at the same time, there was just enough here to make this enjoyable and easy to quaff down.

This had a slightly dark pumpkin hue to it with a bit of head and hardly any lacing. The carbonation wasn't there either but that was more than made up for by the alcohol, which was a bit too strong for my taste. I thought this would have some spice but aside from a bit of cinnamon, there was just pumpkin here. No clove, nutmeg, or vanilla and had the body been a bit more full, that would have been alright. There was just something missing from this and this came too close to being a "no-frills" beer.

That allowed the alcohol to stand out more than it should have. This felt like it was around 8-9% but this was not made to be an Imperial-style beer. Those who like Pumpkin Ales will not be disappointed here but so many others available on the shelf, this should probably be passed over unless there aren't any other options to choose from.

Serving type: bottle

10-11-2012 21:28:02 | More by JerzDevl2000

siege06nd

Virginia

3.08/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

A. Pours a light golden orange color. Thin quarter finger of wispy white head with just a smattering of lacing.

S. Cinnamon, brown sugar, clove, a little bit of bready malt character. Not much depth, but hits most of the core notes.

T. Follows the nose with cinnamon, lots of brown sugar, some all spice. Malts are light and somewhat fruity. Spices are the most apparent flavors, with a malt and hop base that doesn't really add too much. Drinks light a very thin, light slice of cheap pumpkin bread.

M. It's pretty damn watery. Everything here is just "mild" except for the spices which are more moderate. I just like a bit more depth to my pumpkin ales and this one lacks the sweet, thick character I've come to enjoy.

O. Decidedly average. Offensively inoffensive. They need to ramp up the malt on this one and give me something to sink my teeth into. Not bad, but certainly not memorable.

Serving type: bottle

12-16-2012 23:40:18 | More by siege06nd

BB1313

Ohio

2.9/5  rDev -22%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Notched best before Dec. 12oz bottle poured into a pint glass. Pours a nice hazy burnt orange that glows, small white head which fades quickly and leave nice retention and not too much lacing. The aromas are pretty typical and standard. Lots of spices up front like cinnamon and nutmeg. The ginger is there as well. The caramel malts are there. There's a touch of vanilla. The flavors match the nose, but are dialed down. The flavors almost seem watered down and fall flat. There's a decent spiciness and bitterness, but it doesn't linger. Mouthfeel is prickly, lots of carbonation, but smooth enough. I'll admit it gets better as it warms up because the graham cracker crust starts to make an appearance. Alcohol goes unnoticed. Very light. I'm guessing the ABV is somewhere in the 5% range.

This is basically just a run of the mill attempt. I'm a big fan of Ithaca, so I was really hoping they took the style to a new place, but they didn't. It's just your typical average pumpkin ale. It's not bad, but far from memorable.

Serving type: bottle

09-19-2012 00:19:15 | More by BB1313

ack210

2.88/5  rDev -22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5

Poured from a bottle into a conical pint glass.

Appearance- Nice appearance, a burnt orange. Small head , about 1/2 finger, light retention, light lacing.

Smell- Spices are apparent, especially allspice and nutmeg. Pumpkin is weaved in between these spices but not as bold. I smell almost no malts, but did catch snips of alcohol.

Taste- Not at all what I was expecting. The alcohol is overpowering and completely oppresses the spices and pumpkin apparent in the aroma. A light hoppy flavor is detectable on the finish.

Mouthfeel- A little on the lighter side of carbonation. A medium body, smooth, almost creamy.

Overall- I'm not saying this is a bad beer or even that I didn't enjoy it. I just felt that for being a Pumpkin Ale, the pumpkin and spices were too overpowered.

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2012 03:11:58 | More by ack210