Martin House Half Baked

Fort Worth's Martin House Brewing probably makes some of the best and most complex beer here in Texas, and i've got to tip my hat to them as their Half Baked Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin Pie Ale (that's a mouthful) was an excellent dessert beverage post Thanksgiving dinner a couple weeks back.  The 12% ABV beer pours a dark black with an off white head and smells of oak, whiskey, and pumpkin spices.  The flavor is a heavy mix of said whiskey and pumpkin spices, along with some actual pumpkin notes and some hints of vanilla.  Wonderful stuff.

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Save The World Jonah's Relief Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Currently, i'm trying to imbibe all of the pumpkin ale i can get my grubby little hands on that i possibly can, as once we make our way into November, their numbers drastically dwindle.  And aside from the regulars i generally partake in, a handful of newer brews have popped up onto my radar to wonderful success.  One of the most recent (for me at least) is the Jonah's Relief Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Save The World Brewery out in Marble Falls, TX.  This tasty, 8.2% ABV brew pours an amber-ish gold with a white, quickly dissipating head.  Aromas of pumpkin, pumpkin spices, malt, and some subtle other fruit notes are prevalent, with the flavor being a lovely mix of said pumpkin spice notes along with some caramel and fruit, all with a slightly dry finish.  Good stuff.  I have yet to try anything less than excellent from these guys, so i think a day trip out to their taproom may be on order soon.

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Cigar City Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale

I thought is should do one more beer from Tampa Bay's Cigar City Brewing, a wonderful brewery and taproom i visited last week.  It may be a little out of season, but their Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale (on nitro no less) was as amazing a pumpkin brew as i've ever had.  Creamy and thick and 9.4% ABV, the beer was a beautiful dark brownish amber with a tremendous frothy head.  It was probably one of the prettiest beers i've ever seen.  Aromas of pumpkin and nutmeg spices were prevalent and not overpowering on the tongue.  Combined with some strong alcohol notes, the Good Gourd should not be nearly as smooth as it is.  I would love to have another.

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Off Label Nightmare on 1st Street Imperial Pumpkin Ale

There are a lot of beer snobs out there that turn their noses up at pumpkin ales.  I am not one of those beer snobs.  I love pumpkin ales...of all kind...of any kind.  And over the last few years, they have begun to sprout up in the fall like weeds, brewery after brewery creating their own pumpkin concoctions.  Magnificent.  No Label Brewing out of Katy, Texas just released one of my new favorites on their small batch, Off Label series, an imperial pumpkin ale called Nightmare on 1st Street.  The brew pours a dark amber and smells malts, molasses, spices, and...you guessed it...pumpkin.  Flavors of malt, cinnamon and clove, caramel, and...you guessed it again...pumpkin spices compliment each other swimmingly in this 9.27% ABV brew.  Get it while you can.  Yum.

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Uinta Crooked Line Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin

As it is Halloween, i feel compelled to rave about yet another pumpkin beer, this time hailing from the great state of Utah and the Uinta Brewing Company.  The Crooked Line Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin is a mouthful, both linguistically and in flavor.  The beer pours a dark brown with a nice tan head, and immediately, the aromas of pumpkin, clove, chocolate, and bourbon are evident.  As far as taste goes, this brew is a knockout with a fine mix of fall spices, pumpkin, caramel, and that ever present bourbon again.  Weighing in at 10.31% ABV, this beer does not mess around.  I wish i could drink it everyday.  If you only drink one pumpkin themed beverage this week, make it this one.

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Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

It's almost October, so it's high time i post about one of my favorite kinds of beverages ever concocted by mad scientists and beer brewers, the mighty pumpkin ale.  Southern Tier's Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale pours a lovely, orange-ish copper, with little head, but a lot of aroma.  There is an overarching floral smell that combines with pumpkin, vanilla, and hints of alcohol.  The flavor is heavy on the aforementioned florals and pumpkin, but there are also aspects of yam and an almost cream-like feel (the vanilla maybe?), and the finish is sharp and spicy.  The ABV comes in at a respectable 8.6%, so this brew does not mess around.  Enjoy it.

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