Imperial Pumpkin Ale
1032.4, 1033.5 After having two solid beers tonight over the past couple hours, how could I not dip into a special pumpkin beer? Another big thanks to erikkoppin for this beer who, despite living in Michigan, obtained this beer from Pennsylvania that was on my "wants" list. Badass. Cheers friend! Appearance - Pours a ruddy color into my SA Perfect Pint with about a finger of head. The tan head dissipates rather quickly, leaving minimal lacing on the sides of the glass. Smell - Heavy spices up front: nutmeg, cinnamon, and some allspice. I feel there is a hint of clove in there also? And honestly, maybe just a hint of peppermint...anyway you "smell" it, it has a great aroma. At the backend after sorting out the spices there is rich caramel and toffee. Taste - Despite the nose being spice heavy, the initial flavor is sweet malts up front. This, however, almost immediately give way to rather intense nutmeg and cinnamon spices, with clove mixed in between. I like the clove in there - it breaks it up a bit. The spices fade to become toasty malts and slight caramel sweetness, just how it should be. [edit] There is also an almost smokey flavor to this beer also. Fantastic and fitting! Mouthfeel - Medium bodied, decent carbonation. Finishes a hint dry oddly. Drinkability - For any pumpkin ale, it is a beer that you normally do no session. This is no exception. However, for such a high ABV, this beer disappeared rather quickly. I'm liking the heavy spices and really wish I had some pumpkin pie to eat with this because it sure feels like I'm drinking some! Pumped I was able to try this and scratch it off my wants list!