Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale – Anderson Valley Brewing Company

Thar’ she blows. It’s our first review of 2013 and a little added bonus. Our first Brewer Spotlight interview! At a few points along the season we will be chatting with the fine folks that make the pumpkin ales that we all love to drink, and the first to oblige us is Anderson Valley’s very own brew master, Fal Allen. So read the review, and click on through to the interview when you’re done to learn how to pick up chicks in Boontling!

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Name:  Fall Hornin’

Place of Origin / Brewer: Boonville, CA / Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

Beer style / ABV%:  Pumpkin Ale / 6.0%

Specialty Prep / Individuality:  Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale has inviting aromas of caramelized malt and baking bread with highlights of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and seasonal spices. Malts: Pale Two-Row, Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal 120L, Dark Chocolate, Pumpkin Puree Hops: Bravo

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Packaging:

The can art is readily noticeable as an Anderson Valley beer. From the simple text, to the bold colors, and the fabled antlered bear, it is very recognizable. Notable additions to this brew being the orange background with a green top, and a small colony of bats flying around the beer. – Rick

            Anderson Valley continues their tradition of distinct, if tongue in cheek, branding. Their trademark 10 point Beer (see our Brewer Spotlight with Fal Allen) looks a bit friendlier on the bottle than the cans, and the usually verdant green gulch is shadowed under an ominous orange twilight complete with a colony of bats ascending into the night. – Mike

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Color:  8

Not entirely opaque yet definitively dark with a nice tight cream head that lasts. Drink it down and get a beautiful layer of lacing that sticks around. – Brittney

Right away I’m greeted with a highly appealing, very dark amber colored, and seemingly dense concoction. Well, it’s a burnt caramel tinted amber, but appealing none the less. The pillowy foam head also hides beneath it a very clean looking, semi transparent beer that is just dying for me to jump right into. – Rick

M- 8 / T- 8 / B- 8 / R- 9

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Aroma:  8

A dizzying display of rich caramelized pumpkin and sugar on the noise with allspice, cinnamon and bready yeast notes. – Tim

A Strong backbone of caramel and dark malt as well as very earthy pumpkin flesh. Nutmeg and allspice stand forward, with just a hint of smoky pie crust and butter. – Mike

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

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Mouth feel:  6.5

The mouth-feel follows closely to what we see in presentation of color and appearance when poured.  It’s seemingly heavy and thick for a second but essentially medium to light bodied and crisp with just a touch of carbonation. – Brittney

This is interesting because the look and aroma suggest a full bodied intense beer, and what we have is actually delicate on the tongue.  It’s really smooth because of this, and seems to be dominant on the front of the palate despite having a bitter finish. – Rick

M- 7 / T-5 / B- 7 / R- 65

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Tasting notes:  7

Leaning to the bitter side of center, this pumpkin ale really puts it’s weight into the malt. The spicing plays off of this nicely, complimenting with a zesty and pungent zing rather than a cinnamon sweetness.  It reminds me of a crisp fall evening stroll in the mountains taking in the musty leaves and earth, cool air, and smoking chimneys. – Mike

The immediate flavors of roasted pumpkin are twisted a bit by a burnt sugar bitterness that masks a great deal of the nutmeg and cinnamon that is trying desperately to escape the body.  Even with the pronounced bitters, the primary issue with the ale is that the intrinsic flavors one would demand from a traditional pumpkin ale are not bold enough to compensate and thusly they get lost a bit. – Tim

Mostly a case where ‘what you smell is what you get’.  A solid ale with a touch of pumpkin, more cinnamon and spices.  Not as much caramel in the flavor but definitely a good bit of malt. – Brittney

My initial tasting is very good and intense, but I was worried my palate might get too fatigued by the spicing. In the end it balanced out and I looked forward to each new sip. – Rick

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

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Finish:  6.5

This finishes almost like a porter. Bitter but clean, with a powerful spice that dramatically fades on the swallow. The pumpkin shows here to me best, reminiscent more of a squashy side dish than a dessert. This would pair well with poultry and starches. – Mike

The bitterness carries over to the finish, leaving the ale a little stronger on the palate than the ABV would lead you to believe.  Not much pumpkin on the finish, actually its profile tends to lean a little more on the grains and nuts end of the spectrum  – Tim

M- 7.5 / T- 5 / B- 7.5 / R- 6.5

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Flavor balance:  6.5

–         Pumpkin to Spice balance: 5.5

Pumpkin is great on the nose but takes a back seat to some heavy spicing here. Likewise, the cinnamon seems to dry out the finish nicely if not a tad too much. – Rick

The nose would leave you thinking this ale was gonna be a magical combination of balance, but the reality of the body is far less conclusive, with everything getting a little to lost in the mix. – Tim

M- 6.5 / T- 4.5 / B- 6 / R- 5.5

–         Sweet / Dry balance: 6.5

Nicely in check, the combination of the dark malt and bravo hop’s floral bittering hold this beer in that transition between crisp summer ale and heavy winter beer. It’s a great representation of the harvest transition, and really, isn’t that what a seasonal beer is all about? – Mike

Balanced pretty well, it seems to finish smooth with a nice dryness, and some bittering often reserved for pale ale styles. A tiny bit cloying but not enough to be off-putting. – Rick

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

–         Multiple Drinkability?  7

This one may be a ‘what you smell is what you get’ in taste, it is not ‘what you see is what you get’. Normally with something that presents itself pretty heavy I would say one would do but this one surprisingly convinces that a couple could be an option. – Brittney

It’s a non-offensive ale, with far more highlights in the nose than in the actual ale itself.  At 6% ABV is not going to bother you to session this bad boy.  But, for me, I’d pass on picking up another round. – Tim

Being one of my favorite brewers, Anderson Valley seems to nail it every time with outstanding beers, and this is no exception. Fall Hornin’ is the adult version of pumpkin ales and proves once again that you don’t need a big fancy bottle to deliver a great tasting beer. – Rick

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

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Overall:  7.08

M- 7.33 / T- 5.92 / B- 7.42 / R- 7.33