Okay, so I drank this beer at the LCBO media tasting for the Fall/Halloween release, but here’s the thing: you drink a lot of beers at that type of event. It’s important to revisit the ones you really liked. In fact, it’s important to revisit beers you really liked in general. I used to love nothing better then a night in alone, a Pizzaville large pie, and a six pack of Moosehead. Like I said, it’s important to revisit things, just to see. So that’s what I’m doing. Southern Tier is a highly regarded brewer in the states, and Pumking is a highly regarded pumpkin beer. I also really liked this at the tasting, so I think this is going to be a cake walk. Or maybe a pie walk.
Pumking - Southern Tier Brewing Company
From a classic Southern Tier 650ml bottle with a great label and no freshness date, the beer pours a dark yellow with hints of orange in the centre. A bit of head drops to a film pretty quickly, but is kept alive by a decent carbonation. Aroma is so lovely, almost smells like pumpkin pie crust; nice and biscuity. Also a generous dose of pie spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. There is some pumpkin to be had as well, but I think a lot of that is a placebo effect caused by the other aromas. But seriously, every time I smell this, I smile at the lovely pumpkin pie smell. Taste is just amazing. You would never think they could pack that much flavour without adding spices (they don’t). Heaps of biscuity malts, like a pie crust, a huge fresh pumpkin flavour on the mid palate, and a heap of yeasty spices on the finish. Seriously, this is like pie in a cup. Yes it’s bloody expensive, but it’s totally worth it. So delicious. And that pie crust aroma. It’s uncanny. This definitely isn’t a session ale, but it’s quite nice, and I could see myself drinking more then one of these, if only they weren’t so bloody expensive.
Not that I’m surprised, but another excellent brew from Southern Tier. Thanks!
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