Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale – Foothills Brewing

For the majority of you, it’s a three day work week that involves lots of food, and a visit to your family. We know that last part tends to bring out the drinking to cope gene in all of us, so we decided to review a tight, light ale that you could happily share with your father-in-law while guzzling far past the legal limit and watching the Lions be mediocre.  Just remember to sleep off that Tryptophan coma before you hit the road.

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Name:  Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale

Place of Origin / Brewer: North Carolina, USA / Foothills Brewing

Beer style / ABV%:  Pumpkin Ale / 5.3%

Specialty Prep / Individuality:  Cottonwood starts off with North American and British Malts, adds real pumpkin, and is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to craft a crisp and dry classic style pumpkin ale.

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Packaging:

Simple and focused on a modern text layout, with a view of the Appalachian Foothills in full autumn splendor. – Mike

With a bronze ‘slick’ label this bottle almost at a distance looks like it’s made of plastic.   And while the primary label might seem less than inspired with it’s simple branding I do appreciate the secondary label’s wealth of information about the ale, including some low SRM and IBU numbers that tell me right off the bat this is going to be a lighter beer with very little hop character. – Tim

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Color:  5.5

There’s nothing too fancy about the appearance of this ale. An orange hued amber has a subtle head that rings the glass, but with minimal lacing. It’s semi transparent and looks like it may be light in the body. – Rick

A crystal clear bronze-orange with some active carbonation trails and a fast & fizzy head from a very aggressive pour that vanished within seconds leaving zero lacing. – Tim

M- 6 / T- 5 / B- 6 / R- 5.5

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Aroma:  6

I could smell this one from across the room. Squashy pumpkin, sweet pumpkin pie spices, and a hint of malt come together to form a quintessential pumpkin ale aroma. – Brittney

A nice bit of spice with lots of ginger and cinnamon, along with sour pumpkin and malty cereal grains. Subtle like day old pie crust. – Mike

M- 5.5 / T- 5.5 / B- 7 / R- 6

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Mouth feel:  6

Wow! This ale is beautifully creamy with a good medium bodied feel to it. I thought it was going to be watery but was shocked at it’s build. There’s no bite or any harsh byproducts of the ginger and it goes down very smoothly. – Rick

Thin and a touch watery, with a insubstantial body.  The carbonation is vibrant and lends itself to a standard tongue-tingling sensation. – Tim

M- 5 / T- 4.5 / B- 6 / R- 8.5

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Tasting notes:  6.5

There’s a lot of ginger crispness, followed a cinnamon smack, and some malt. It reminds me heavily of an autumn cider, and while relatively insubstantial, there does seem to be a tiny bit of pumpkin lurking in there. – Mike

Pumpkin and cinnamon fair well in the ale with a malty sweetness that’s not nearly as overpowering as the bouquet could lead one to believe. A hint of spicy bitterness on the back end and the fragrant heat of ginger. – Tim

The aroma really had me expecting a little more flavor than what this one delivers.  I feel like it would be a great accompaniment for a fall meal and not compete too much with other flavors.  The spices are nice in that they don’t wreck your palate but you can still pick them out.  The pumpkin is there too, but also slight.  It’s traditional and delicate and that is not always a bad thing. – Brittney

I was taken by surprise with this little guy. The pumpkin pie sweetness makes it delicious, and the ginger has a light presence that really rounds out the beer nicely. There’s a touch of clove that balances the cinnamon and nutmeg sweetness as well, so they’re not too overwhelming. – Rick

M- 5 / T- 6 / B- 7 / R- 8

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Finish:  6

The finish was as expected, it does not linger but if you wait for it you almost get a touch of a sour tingle at the very end. – Brittney

I think the ginger might be the shining ingredient here. The way it dries the finish and allows for the pumpkin to stand out is masterful. With all the sweet spicing here, I thought it would be too cloying, but it finishes dry and tempts you for another sip. – Rick

M- 4.5 / T- 5.5 / B- 6 / R- 8

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Flavor balance:  6.5

-         Pumpkin to Spice balance: 6.5

The spice is not obnoxious, but it’s the first thing in your face without much to back it up. – Mike

The ale is actually rater well balanced between the pumpkin in the body and the cinnamon/nutmeg nose.  I really think the heat from the ginger adds an interesting twist to this ale.  – Tim

M- 5 / T- 6 / B- 7 / R- 8.5

-         Sweet / Dry balance: 7

I’m a stickler for beers that are too sweet or too much like a dessert. That being said, I think this brew strikes a great balance in this department that not many pumpkin ales can claim. – Rick

It’s pleasantly dry, though it build’s through the glass. Fortunately it’s very swig friendly, which helps, as the ginger becomes a bit parching, so you’ll need that next sip. – Mike

M- 5.5 / T- 6.5 / B- 7 / R- 9

-         Multiple Drinkability?  5.5

It’s a nice beer but not something that would keep my attention for more than one. – Brittney

Hardly offensive, this could be a nice beer for a big meal if you wanted to skip the heavyweight high alcohol crowd. Myself, I’m missing a little of the oomph and bold declaration, which makes me feel it would get lost in a round of other beers. In other words, it’s a bit of a snooze fest. – Mike

M- 3.5 / T- 5.5 / B- 5 / R- 9

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Overall:  6.08

M- 5.08 / T- 5.42 / B- 6.41 / R- 7.50

Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur – Pernod Ricard

Name:  Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur

Place of Origin / Distiller: New York, USA / Hiram Walker (Pernod Ricard, USA)

ABV%:  15%

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It’s that time of year again. You know, the one where all the ominous holiday schnapps hit the shelves?  Fear not. We are here, and our livers are willing to take a beating in order to take the guesswork out of the multitude of dessert flavored liquids at your disposal.

Today’s order of business is Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur, and if the sheer number of recipes for Pumpkintini’s kicking around online is any indication, you’re going to end up in the same room with it sometime soon.

Now, we’ll be the first to admit that the artificial orange color is a bit off-putting, however, the balance of this is pour is extremely tasty. For those of you looking for something that imparts no alcohol flavor, it provides a bit of pumpkin with a solid spice finish. Taken straight it’s incredibly smooth, if overtly fruity. It does however, succeed in avoiding the sugar saturated liqueur vibe, and acts nicely as a flavoring agent for your preferred cocktail.

We were also impressed with the recipes provided by Hiram Walker, as the liqueur added just enough pumpkin flavor to make our concoctions shine. Straight from the label we tried the Classic Pumpkintini (a straight vodka and liqueur pour), The Jack O’tini (a pumpkin and ginger twist on an Irish whiskey sour), and an Autumn Russian (essentially a pumpkin white Russian, though this is where the product really shined brightest).

All in all, Hiram Walker’s Pumpkin Spice liqueur adds a nice seasonal touch to a bevy of classic cocktails. So if you’re looking for a Fall twist for non-beer drinkers, simple mixology fun, or just really love the hell out of some pumpkin in your drink, you’ll be glad to know that Hiram Walker hits shelves September 15^th.

Autumnation (limited release 2011) – Sixpoint Brewery

Have you all returned from your turkey and pie comas for another round? Admit it, in the back of your head you were trying to pick out the spices in your pie and rating them like a beer weren’t you? Or was that just us…?

With 2011 touting their first autumnal release Sixpoint Brewery is already making waves. Having just started canning their product for the first time this may, it may take a little searching to track down, but this brewery seems to be on the right track, with a focus on unique brews, new spins on classical elements, and some excellent marketing strategies, we’re definitely looking forward to what’s to come. I mean, how many beers have a you tube trailer? (You can catch a link at the bottom of this review).

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Name:  Autumnation (Limited Release 2011)

Place of Origin / Brewer: New York, USA / Sixpoint Brewery

Beer style / ABV%:  Wet Hopped Pumpkin Ale / 6.7%

Specialty Prep / Individuality:  Autumnation is brewed with pumpkin, ginger and white pepper, then wet-hopped with freshly harvested Citra hops, often less that a few hours old, from the oldest continually farmed hop farm in the country. Canned pumpkin is  added directly to the boil. In addition, 800 pounds of fresh harvested Amarillo wet hops are added to secondary fermentation.

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Packaging:

This is our first offering in a can and I’m swept away by the crafty appeal they’ve built in. From the metallic rust orange, with reddish accent line work,  the bold western feeling six point star mark, and a chunky text style and pumpkin wrought in chocolate brown, it’s one of the prettiest beer cans I’ve ever seen. Being a little taller than the rest doesn’t make it any less handsome either. Top it all off with a quote from Robert Browning Hamilton, and you just well may have one of New York’s finest. – Mike

It’s sort of fascinating that beer in a can has become such a novelty in the craft beer world, but Six Point is representing the crusher with this single pint ‘tall boy’ in a copper-hued can with stars and decals and an aesthetic that looks like  it’s channeling Shepard Fairey. – Tim

Unusual in this realm being that it comes from a can, this pints design doesn’t put a ton of importance on the pumpkin aspect other than a small outline of a gourd to the side.  The short description puts a lot of emphasis on the change of the season and the cycle of it all that gives us pumpkin ale in the first place. – Brittney

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Color:  7.5

Pours an antique copper–that almost mirrors the can– with slight opacity and a striking two-finger head with grand staying power and an degree of impressive lacing.  – Tim

Very opaque with a good strong head and decent lacing.  It’s coloring is the typical cinnamon pumpkin orange variation that is so common with this style. – Rick

M- 8.5 / T- 7.5 / B- 7.5 / R- 6

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Aroma:  5.5

Very hoppy with a background of ginger and pumpkin.  I also smell a tart citrus, like grapefruit.  There is also an aroma that smells a bit like wet earth (I’m not going to say mold but you get the picture), which I’m assuming are the wet hops mentioned on the can.  – Brittney

Hop forward and spicy, with ginger at the forefront. I don’t get much in the way of pumpkin, unless I inhale deeply and let the taste settle in the back of my throat to procure just a touch of vegetable meat. – Mike

Grapefruit and flowers and tell-tale hoppy overtones are all over the forefront of this brew with fresh vegetal pumpkin touches of ginger. – Tim

M- 5.5 / T- 7.5 / B- 5.5 / R- 4

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Mouth feel:  6.5

It has a good presence on the tongue with a light to medium body.  It’s really smooth until the bitter finish, but it strays from drying up and leaving a cottonmouth-like feeling that some hoppy beers can.  – Rick

Begins crisp and actively carbonated with a light to medium body and then mellows out to finish just thick enough to stay on the tongue. – Brittney

M- 6.5 / T- 7 / B- 6.5 / R- 6.5

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Tasting notes:  6

Ginger and hops storm the gates, bashing their way past your teeth with a bittering-ram, and squarely punch you in the uvula. Then as it begins to slowly decay, the wet hopping subsides to a smooth but bitter pumpkin, that seems like it should be drying, but doesn’t seem to have that effect on the tongue. It’s interesting to say the least. – Mike

Stepping into IPA territory Autumnation is a delightful harvest ale with fresh pumpkin and tons of hoppy goodness all over the brew.  Touches  of malty caramel converge in the body and the sourness and acidity of the ale help push the brew into the Indian Summer realm of beers that work best with it’s still ahead of the mid-range on the heat index–which works well for Florida drinkers who don’t see true cold weather till well past Turkey day.  – Tim

Hops, Hops and more hops followed by spices like ginger and some earthy pumpkin.  This is dry and slightly bitter but not overly so.  It would take a lot to pick out that this was considered pumpkin ale if you didn’t know it was supposed to be. – Brittney

This beer stands out for it’s unique use of wet hops, but I think it flounders in trying to evoke a pumpkin ale.  The ginger is just barely noticeable and I’m left without any pumpkin flavor.  Really, the only characteristic that has any pumpkin like quality is the coloration. – Rick

M- 7 / T- 7.5 / B- 7 / R-  2.5

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Finish:  6

I taste like I’m sucking on fresh hops after rinsing with ginger mouthwash. It’s actually strangely appealing, but it’s certain to turn off quite a few. If you like them bitter though, this is a unique long finish that will hold it’s position on your tongue until you surrender. – Mike

This is the sort of finish that just kind of hangs out in the back of your throat.  Your mouth is left with the usual dry malt beverage battle scene and just when you think that is all there is there is a touch of hoppy syrupiness telling you to take another sip.  – Brittney

M- 7 / T- 7 / B- 5.5 / R- 5

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Flavor balance:  5.5

-         Pumpkin to Spice balance:

There is hardly any pumpkin flavor to this ale.  The can says there is “spice” included, but there’s nothing to sweeten this one. The ginger is a nice touch that works well with the citrus notes without being overwhelming though. – Rick

The hops dominate here making the breadth of pumpkin spices just barely register, or at the very least disclose in a more ‘herbaceous’ manner–however the fresh pumpkin on the nose along with the tartness of the gourd work well in keeping with the fresh nature of the ale. – Tim

M- 3 / T- 6.5 / B- 7.5 / R- 2

-         Sweet / Dry balance:

There’s very little sweetness here, but there’s a touch of burnt malt that offsets the dry body and finish of this beer in the backend to keep it from being overpowering. – Mike

This ale has a good balance here.  It starts off bitter and finishes with some sweet malts that peek through at the end.  About half way through this beer, it seemed to become less bitter and a little sweeter. – Rick

M- 5 / T- 6.5 / B- 5.5 / R- 6.5

-         Multiple Drinkability?

A pretty solid beer for sessioning, that masks the 6.8% ABV very well–which will be wonderful for IPA drinkers and those of your looking for a pumpkin beer that’s a bit more reserved than the ‘pumpkin pie in a can/bottle’ offerings that some more traditional brewers are pushing this fall. – Tim

Given the full pint can and intensity of this brew, nursing one is enough for me to enjoy the character and nuances here, without getting my tongue too burnt out for another offering. – Mike

M- 6 / T- 7 / B- 6 / R- 3

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Overall:  6.17

M- 6.50 / T- 7.16 / B- 6.42 / R- 4.67

Be sure to check out the link below to check out this brew on youtube! It’s worth a watch!

Autumnation

Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale – The Boston Beer Company

Available only in the Sam Adams Harvest Collection pack, you’re going to have to commit to drinking a few beers to get to the two included of these included. Ironically, this made this one of the most expensive beers we’ve acquired yet. Then again if you’re going to a Halloween or Thanksgiving party, you might be very happy to see that someone has sprung for this assortment, and not the usual cheap ass beer.

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Name:  Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Place of Origin / Brewer:  Massachusetts, USA / The Boston Beer Company

Beer style / ABV%:  Pumpkin Amber Ale /  5.7%

Specialty Prep / Individuality:  Deep roasted two row pale and caramel 60 malts, as well as special B and smoked malts compliment 11 pounds of pumpkin per barrel, along with the usual suspects of pie spices.

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Packaging:

Let’s face it gang.  Sam Adams is well branded and very colonial traditional and this rare pumpkin offering from the legendary Boston brew company is exactly what you’d expect with the traditional blue label offset with the contrasting tones of autumn orange.  – Tim

This definitely fits the standard Sam packaging style, which is tasteful if slightly boring. They’ve nicely altered the color scheme to a deep malty orange and true blue feel, but considering this should be one of the crowning items in their sought after harvest holiday pack, I would have liked to have seen it get a little bit of special treatment ala my favorite Sam one off from the Christmas package, “Old Fezziwig”.  – Mike

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Color:  7

A true amber so dark it’s almost garnet, and a thick whip cream head that didn’t dissipate for a number of minutes hugging the sides for dear life all the way down the glass. – Mike

Pours a clean, ruby amber that looks just like a….well…a Sam Adams.  Capping it off is a pretty enormous 2-finger head that lasts for what feels like an eternity leaving a gorgeous tapestry of lacing in it’s wake. – Tim

M- 6.5 / T- 6.5 / B- 7/ R- 5.5

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Aroma:  6

Bold nutmeg right off the bat hints at a sweet bouquet, then transitions to smoky cloves.  All of that and a touch of citrus-like fruity notes that lead me to believe that this brew is more complex than first meets the eye.  – Rick

Bready malt sweetness with notes of roasted pumpkin and the standard mix of spices, but a touch of smoke lingers just long enough to pique my interest. – Tim

M- 5 / T- 6 / B- 6.5 / R- 7

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Mouth feel:  5

Medium carbonation with light to medium body. It’s creamy without being syrupy.  Not obtrusive but not overly unique either. – Brittney

About as true to the term medium – bodied as you can come. It’s respectably full without trying to push into European territory, and a nice reminder of why Sam Adam’s has been a staple gateway beer to the craft beer world. – Mike

It’s got that high carbonation that I’d expect from a mass produced American beer, too watery and innocuous to be really interesting with a slight burn from the bubbles. – Tim

M- 6 / T- 4 / B- 7 / R- 3

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Tasting notes:  5.5

I like the basic mixture of spices in this brew.  It seems like there is a nice addition of brown sugar hiding under all that nutmeg and cinnamon, but just not enough to overshadow it’s lightness  Ultimately, the super light body is very disappointing. – Rick

There is no denying that this is a pumpkin beer done well.  But it seems like in order to create a really great pumpkin beer you’ve got to be willing to think outside the box.  What we have here is the Starbucks of pumpkin beers. – Brittney

I don’t generally go gaga over a Sam Adams and this one is no great exception.  Generations raised on Bud Light and Miller would probably be bowled over by any beer that didn’t adhere to those low standards and for me Sam is just one-upping a market that is competing at a Kindergarten level.  With that said, there’s some pumpkin in here and too much spice but most interestingly, there seems to be notes of Banana bread tossed into the mix. – Tim

M- 7 / T- 4 / B- 7 / R- 5

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Finish:  5

I really enjoyed how this beer had so much bite up front and how pleasantly it mellowed into a gently sweet confectionery feel.  A bit of nut and spice comes at the very tail, and I could see it nicely complimenting a thanksgiving turkey. – Mike

Leaves at the same level it enters, pleasant and drinkable, one that I would use as a buffer mid season but probably not one that I would seek out to impress. – Brittney

The finish is watery smooth with indications of a bite from the spices.  I find it to be slightly sour as well as smoky at the very end.  There seems to be something missing from this one. – Rick

M- 7.5 / T- 3 / B- 6.5 / R- 4

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Flavor balance:  6

-         Pumpkin to Spice balance:

The roast on the nose is more pumpkiny than the meat in the body, the spice mix is large but very one note.  So, the brew favors the spice even though the spice is dull…that just speaks of fail in my book. – Tim

A nice amount of both pumpkin and spice.  Not too much, not too little, not too interesting. – Brittney

There is a bit of fruitiness in this one that can be attributed to the amount of pumpkin that was brewed with the ale, or the addition of ginger.  The spices are nice and subtle on this brew making it enjoyable on that level at least. – Rick

I’d say Sam is a particularly noteworthy brew in this category. Not only is there a nice pumpkin to spice ratio, but it doesn’t interfere with the beer leaning too malt or too hops. It’s a true combined effort, and I can definitely applaud that. – Mike

M- 8 / T- 4 / B- 6.5 / R- 6

-         Sweet / Dry balance:

If it wasn’t for the weird bitter finish that kind of sucked what little joy was in my mouth straight out into something that resembled the vacuum of space, this ale would have had a pretty descent balance on the palate, but that finish killed it quick. – Tim

I like the balance here between the sweet nutmeg and the light dryness offered by the underused hops. – Rick

M- 6.5 / T- 4 / B- 6 / R- 6.5

-         Multiple Drinkability?

Smooth and inoffensive, this would be an excellent thanksgiving game day run for the serious beer drinker that doesn’t want to shell out for the whole family. Of course, we found them two to a pack, so you’re going to have to bogart them in a private stash to even have a shot at getting them away from your uncle. – Mike

I’m gonna go with a no here.  And since Sam Adams actually makes the beer hard to acquire (maybe they know something we don’t about the quality) it really isn’t gonna matter anyway. – Tim

While it is definitely smooth and easy to drink with a nice pumpkin flavor, this brew just misses the mark where I want more body and complexity, I’m left with a simple and generic ale. – Rick

M- 7 / T- 3 / B- 7 / R- 5

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Overall:  5.75

M- 6.83 / T- 4.50 / B- 6.78 / R- 5.08