Pumpkin Spice Milk Stout by Belching Beaver

September 16, 2015 by cloudx30 tagged Beaver, Belching Beaver, fall flavors, Metroid, Milk Stout, Nintendo, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice, Pumpkin Spice Milk Stout, Samus, Samus Aran, Sweet Stout | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.45/5

Pumpkin Spice Milk Stout by Belching Beaver is a 5.3% ABV Sweet/Milk Stout brewed with Pumpkin spices.

Label:
It’s all about the Beaver
We came out with this beer when we first opened in 2012; our first derivative of our Nitro “Beaver’s Milk” stout and people loved it. Everyone, but the brewers. The spices were clogging up the nitro spouts. We were constantly cleaning them. Troy would not make it the same again the following year. So now you know what I have to deal with. It’s always production verse sales. Dave and I love the beer and wanted it back. So basically this year, I pre-sold some rather larger accounts, I’m just sneaky that way. So we have to make it now, and we did. Hints of Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, you know, Pumpkin Pie! – Tom

==Introduction==

Belching Beavers has been one of those awesome breweries that has really nailed the aspect beer and beer flavors almost to the T in taste. The Peanut Butter Milk Stout has been a super favorite for my friends Oscar and Julio for the longest time. Our trip earlier even justified it with their brewery only release of the Milk coconut stout. Since then, I have reviewed other beers like the Me So Honey, Great Lei IPA and the Me So Honey, All great beers. So now that they released this Fall offering, it was obvious I wanted to bring this one to the site as well. This is the first pumpkin beer I review this year. I have reviewed many of the best in the craft beer world and hold Belching Beaver to high standards but still going non biased, I will try this one and see where it stands in my many pumpkin beer reviews. Cheers!

Aromas:
Chocolate, coffee cake hints, mild pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, clove spice, ginger spice, mint, marshmallows, anise, licorice hints, dark chocolate, milk chocolate,pumpkin pie, roasted malts, milk sugar, pumpkin spice latte, citrus, vanilla, caramel and brown sugar.

Flavors:
Pumpkin, candy corn, mint, anise, licorice hints, dark chocolate, milk chocolate,pumpkin pie, marshmallow hints, roasted malts, milk sugar, pumpkin spice latte, vanilla, caramel, ginger spice, ginger bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove spice, banana hints, citrus, Danish cream hints, buttermilk crust hints, brown sugar, citrus and coffee cake hints.

Aftertaste:
Pumpkin spice, earthy notes, vanilla, cinnamon, roasted malt notes, milk sugar, dark chocolate and mint. No alcohol in the the tastes, dark full body, creamy, smooth and silky mouthfeel and an easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A very good Pumpkin beer for sure but even while it does lean toward the pumpkin spiced milk lattes in a way, it unfortunately does not exceed my expectations in terms of some of the other pumpkin beers I have had before. What can I say, I’m a Picky Pumpkin Eater/Drinker. It is still the delicious Belching Beaver type of beer many love which I really do but I come from a background where pumpkin beers actually taste like actual pumpkin pie, pumpkin flesh, or rich pumpkin in Mexican pilloncillo and, milk and cinnamon stick, like the kind of desserts my mom used to make. I’m looking at my all time faves, Smashing Pumpkin by Shipyard. I have to be fair though because this is not strictly a pumpkin beer and it actually falls more with the pumpkin stouts and porters. The best one of those styles was the Midnight Sun T.R.E.A.T. Still though, this is a delicious little minty pumpkin pie milk stout and as that, it is very good so I recommend it even worth the try.

Anime Corner:
Samus Aran from Metroid makes her way to this Halloween pairing. Reason I wanted to pair Samus with this beer is because pumpkins and she has many delicious pumpkins. That and this is the first time I try a Halloween pairing with Samus anyway. The beer and the art says how good the beer is that you will want to leave that candy pumpkin glass dry!

Sources:
http://pre08.deviantart.net/561c/th/pre/f/2014/300/1/c/halloween_by_splashbrush-d84e3tt.jpg
http://img08.deviantart.net/ad07/i/2014/266/c/d/sweater_samus_by_splashbrush-d80a8vz.jpg

Smashing Pumpkin Ale by Avila Ales

January 9, 2015 by cloudx30 tagged Avila Ales, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sticks, Fairy Tail, Fairy Tale, ginger bread, Home brewing, Lucy Heartfilia, Mr & Mrs. Richard Avila, pumpkin ale, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin flesh, Smashing Pumpkin | Leave a comment

Rating: 4.65/5

Smashing Pumpkin Ale by Avila Ales is a 5.5% ABV Pumpkin Ale brewed with Pumpkin Flesh and Cinnamon Sticks.

==Introduction==

It is way past fall and well, were are still technically in winter but even then, when it comes to home brew, any style is great on any time of the year. My friends Richard and Megan Avila allowed me the opportunity not only to get to bring this beer to the site but also get involved in what was their first All Grain Brew process. I was glad I was able to have a very small part in the creation of this nice all grain pumpkin beer. This has inspired me to finally step up to the plate and start brewing my own beers. I will soon have a first batch to present but for the meantime, let us check this amazing fall beer. By the way home brewers, while my friend did get the original recipe from Northern Brewing, his addition of ingredients slightly tweaks the recipe so this review may help as to what to expect if you brew it similarly. Cheers!
(http://www.northernbrewer.com/…/smashing-pumpkin-ale-all-gr…)

Aromas:
Cinnamon, pumpkin, vanilla, honey, biscuit bread, sugar, citrus, ginger hints, pecans, caramel, maple and clove spice.

Flavors:
Pumpkin Flesh, Piloncillo, cinnamon, milk sugar, vanilla, honey, citrus hints, toffee, maple hints, clove spice, banana hints, peanut butter hints, sweet potato, caramel, biscuit bread, hazelnut, pecan pie, earthy hop notes, ginger bread and nutmeg.

Aftertaste:
Pumpkin flesh, cinnamon,earthy hop notes, ginger bread and honey. No alcohol in the taste, honey brown light to medium body, light creamy and crisp mouthfeel and easy to moderate drinkability.

Overall:
A very good pumpkin beer. When I first tried it at a colder temperature, you can definitely a small amount of bitterness while still tasting the pumpkin flesh and cinnamon complexity. However, once it got warmer, that is when the magic happened. The more complex flavors really started to shine and was way more enjoyable that way. Definitely a great beer to homebrew.

Anime Corner:
Lucy Heartfilia from Fairy Tale was used in this pairing mainly to pair with the pumpkin, fall and Halloween aspects that are brought from these pumpkin beers which is the obvious. While I didn’t show the smashing of pumpkins, the word smashing in English context can also be seen similar to the work awesome or excellent. If the name of the beer was smashing pumpkins, well, we can say that the smashing pumpkin is the one next to Lucy and Lucy has some smashing pumpkins. I leave you to figure that out.

Sources: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/…/i…/4/45/LucyYummyFanart.png

(Double Review) Good Gourd & Good Gourd Almighty by Cigar City Brewing

September 24, 2014 by cloudx30 tagged best beers in the world, Bleach, Chocolate pumpkin, cigar city, Cigar City Brewing, classic pumpkin pie, Dark Rukia, Evil Rukia, Good Gourd, Good Gourd Almighty, Ichigo, Ichigo Kurosaki, Kuchiki Rukia, Kutchiki Rukia, Pumpkin, pumpkin ale, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin flavor, pumpkin flesh, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pies, pumpkin spice, Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki, Rum Barrels, Spiced rum, spicy pumpkin pie, world class beers | Leave a comment

Summer is officially over as the reaper walks out of the hallways of the NubisSanctum cellar and sets its course to take the lives… I mean, leaves from the trees and plants to ready the environment for the winter. This time, the reaper brought a friend… As I do this double review, I would like to point out that these beers have been waiting an entire year in my cellar waiting for the next fall and now I have brought them forth together to unleash double review for the fall. I have previously had the good gourd before and it was an awesome beer. When I heard of the release of the Good Gourd Almighty, I had to grab it before it was gone. This beer was released for what Cigar City calls its “El Catador” club back in late 2013. So those that joined had the Almighty to obtain. Unfortunately for me, I had to go out of my way to trade for this one. Even some of the online sites do not have it and it would be hard to get it. So if you can find the almighty version, awesome! Fortunately for many, Cigar City released the regular Good Gourd for the masses. So if you can get this in your state, Florida mainly or have it shipped to you via the online stores, I vouch for this beer for sure. Let us now see how the reaper tolls… Cheers!

Original Good Gourd Review: https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/11/02/good-gourd-by-cigar-city/

Good Gourd 1 year aged Review:

Good Gourd by Cigar City brewing is an 8.5% ABV World Class Imperial Pumpkin Ale brewed with spices. This one has been sitting in the dark for a year.

Label:
Legend has it that when a pumpkin comes into the world it is possessed by either a good or an evil spirit. Ours got all the good baby! Bursting with real pumpkin flavor and yummy pumpkin spices including Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg, Good Gourd is a celebration of Fall and that spookiest of holidays, Halloween. Pair Good Gourd with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and costume parties.

This high Gravity gob of Gourd-y goodness incorporates pumpkin in the mashing process and then gets wicked with the spices including Ceylon Cinnamon, Jamaican All Spice, Zanzibar Cloves and nutmeg.
___

Aromas:
Pumpkin pie, brown sugar, pumpkin flesh, coffee cake, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove spice, dark fruit prunes, raisins, sweet potato, yams, piloncillo, ginger bread, vanilla, dulce de leche caramel hints, maple, marshmallows, graham crackers, banana bread, hazelnut, pecan pie, maple syrup, hazelnut nectar, dark candi sugar and flan hints.

Flavors:
Rich Dark fruits like raisins, prunes, figs, plums, dates, pumpkin flesh, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, sweet potato rich, yams, maple, piloncillo, milk pumpkin latte, flan, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger bread, rock candy, dark candi sugar, dulce de leche caramel, hazelnut nectar, vanilla, coffee cake, marshmallow, whipped cream, Danish cookies, milk sugar, ginger snaps, candy corn, clove spice, rum hints, banana hints and pumpkin seeds.

Aftertaste:
Pecan pie, hazelnut, pumpkin flesh, dark fruits, vanilla, caramel, gingerbread, earthy notes and spicy notes linger for a bit. No alcohol in the taste, smooth, syrupy and creamy mouthfeel, slight sipping drinkability and medium to full body.

Overall:
Damn! Age does make quite the difference. This one went several notches over perfect. I have not had a pumpkin beer like this in, well, ever. It seems that 1 year aging took it to a whole new level I did not expect. It really is not the same beer anymore, it became a Pumpkin God. If that is the case, The Good Gourd Almighty will probably be in some new dimension of pumpkin reality, some kind of (nth) dimension of pumpkin. We will will only know until we see it. So if you stuck around to read this, I would highly recommend this one without a doubt and make sure to get 2. One for now and one for a year or later.

Good Gourd Almighty 1 year aged Review

Good Gourd Almighty by Cigar City is a ??% ABV World Class Imperial Pumpkin Ale brewed with spices and aged in Rum Barrels. This one, just like Good Gourd has been sitting in the dark for a year.

Label:
(SAME AS THE REGULAR)
Legend has it that when a pumpkin comes into the world it is possessed by either a good or an evil spirit. Ours got all the good baby! Bursting with real pumpkin flavor and yummy pumpkin spices including Ceylon cinnamon, Jamaican all-spice, Zanzibar cloves and nutmeg, Good Gourd is a celebration of Fall and that spookiest of holidays, Halloween. Pair Good Gourd with pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie and costume parties.

Aromas:
Rum soaked pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, dark fruits, pineapple hints, leche nestle sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, dulce de leche caramel, vanilla, candi sugar, rock candy sugars, crème brulee, candi sugars, toasted coconut, piña colada, capirotada raisin bread pudding, sweet cola, pumpkin flan, pumpkin cheesecake, clove spice, gingerbread, molasses, oak and chocolate marshmallow smores.

Flavors:
Banana and Coconut Rum soaked Pumpkin Flesh in piloncillo and cinnamon sticks, yams, Japanese purple sweet potatoes, dark fruit raisins, plums, figs, dates, dark cherries, milk and dark chocolate notes, vanilla, tropical notes like hints of pineapple, stone fruit peaches, apricot hints, pumpkin seeds, marshmallow, hazelnut nectar, Leche nestle sweetened condensed milk, dulce de leche caramel, sweet Cola, flan, crème brulee, oak, graham cracker smores, almond joy chocolate, capirotada raisin bread pudding, pumpkin cheesecake, clove spice, ginger bread, molasses, piña colada, milk sugar, Danish cookies, candy corn and brown sugar.

Aftertaste:
Pumpkin pie, cinnamon, coffee cake, clove spice, bananas, tropical rum piña colada hints and earthy notes. Partial alcohol in the taste imparts flavors of nice sugary milk cream. This is a syrupy mouthfeel beer, with a sipping drinkability and full pitch dark brown body.

Overall:
Frankly, the best Pumpkin Beer, EVER!! This beer took what was awesome about the original and made it way better. Even after a year later, in comparison it shows how it moved along which is different from the original Good Gourd. This reminds me of Rumpkin from Avery but take to a new pumpkin extreme. The complexity and beer consistency is crazy up to the level of some of the greats like Chocolate Rain, Black Tuesday, Wineification and White Chocolate, some of the greats on the West Coast that are my favs This pumpkin beer is pretty ridiculous and I understand why it was so damn exclusive. I highly recommend it if you can trade or find this one online.

Anime Corner:
Rukia Kuchiki (Dark version) and Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach were used in the overall pairings you see hear. They are both Soul Reapers from Soul Society. I wanted to pair Evil Rukia in these pairing since I had used Rukia for the original review. The addition of overall heightened power and Ichigo were for Good Gourd Almighty which basically all the colors they represent are of the death of plants, coming of the fall, the pumpkin like Ichigo’s hair, the dark fruits and the purple yams of Rukia’s hair and over all strength and complexity from both the characters but mainly from Rukia. Evil Rukia is a bad ass, plain and simple even if her Bankai form is supreme, but that is a “Grey Monday” story all together.

Sources:
http://static.zerochan.net/Kuchiki.Rukia.full.663934.jpg
http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/34500000/Dark-Rukia-hichigo-and-darukia-34581200-245-400.png
http://hdw.datawallpaper.com/anime/dark-rukia-318386.jpg
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Fade-to-Black-213542097

Rating: 5.5/5 *Good Gourd 1 year aged
Rating: 6/5 * Good Gourd Almighty 1 year aged

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale by Coors Brewing

October 7, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Blue Moon, cereal grains, coors brewing, Harvest Pumpkin Ale, pumpkin ale, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin flesh, pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice | Leave a comment

Rating: 3.25/5

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale by Coors Brewing is a 5.7% ABV Pumpkin ale

Label:
We crafted this rich amber colored ale with a feast of fall flavors like vine-ripened pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. Then we added a touch of wheat for a smooth finish. It’s the perfect complement to fall’s crisp, clear days.
___

Of all the times I have tried many pumpkin beers, I had yet to review this one. I picked this one up along with the caramel apple spiced ale and decided to do a review of yet another pumpkin beer. Pumpkin beers are awesome, each unique to a variety of flavor profiles ranging from pumpkin pie, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin flesh and spices. I did many reviews last year and this year I seek more. So here is to Blue Moon and their version of a pumpkin beer.

Aromas are of light ginger bread, pumpkin notes, cereal grains, pilsner, cinnamon, brown sugar, slight wheat grain and hints of clove spice

The flavors are of moderate pumpkin notes, caramel, all spice, nutmeg, cereal grains, cinnamon, pilsner, toffee, biscuit bread notes, brown sugar, graham cracker notes, light clove and coriander spices

The aftertaste leaves with sweet pumpkin hints and very little grains. Easy to drink and refreshing beer.

Overall the beer is good. I think this is better than Shocktop Pumpkin wheat. The wheat and pumpkin is not well balanced with that one. Doesn’t seem to work too well for some reason. However, here, the ingredients do work better. While it is not a mind blowing pumpkin ale like I have had before, it is a nice refreshing pumpkin beer that people with light palettes may enjoy. Definitely could drink several of these.

Bourbon Barrel Aged Smashed Pumpkin by Shipyard Brewing

September 23, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Astaroth, Astarotto, Bourbon Barrel Aged, bourbon barrels, bourbon whiskey, oak barrels, Pumpkin, pumpkin ale, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin flesh, pumpkin seeds, Shinra Bansho, Shinra Banshou, Shinrabansho, Shipyard, Smashed Pumpkin, sweet potato pie, Whiskey, whiskey bourbon | Leave a comment

Rating: 5/5

Bourbon Barrel Aged Smashed Pumpkin by Shipyard Brewing is a 12% ABV Pumpkin Ale aged in Bourbon Barrels

Label:
Our Bourbon Barrel Aged ales are brewed and carefully cellar-aged in small batches in dedicated bourbon barrels at our brewery in Portland, Maine.

Hops: Willamette, Saphir
Malts: Pale, Whole Wheat, Munich
Yeast: Top-fermenting English
Color: Honey
Aroma: Oak spiced, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon
Body: Light to medium
Finish: Warming, smooth, and velvety
IBU: 35
SRM 14.85

Recommended Serving temperature is 55 deg. Fahrenheit in brandy-style stemware. Aged over 100 days. Unlimited shelf life
___

As an added bonus last year, Shipyard released this hard to get beer along with their awesome smashed pumpkin yearly release (which to me is the “best common” pumpkin beer ever). Unfortunately, I was never able to pick this release up until recently. One of the local places had it in stock for a limited time. So as pay back for last year of missing out on this beer to review, I will spend no time wasted and get on with the show.

Aromas are of rich vanilla, whiskey, bourbon, oak, pumpkin, dulce de leche caramel, honey, squash, brown sugar, pilloncillo sugar cone, maple, cinnamon, sweet potatoes, toasty coconut, chocolate hints, flan, pecans, nutmeg, coriander and citrus.

The flavors are of oak and whiskey. Vanilla, coconut, pumpkin pie, pecans, nutmeg, cinnamon, whipped creamed flan, dulce de leche caramel, sweetened condensed milk, maple, sweet potatoes, marshmallows, chocolate notes, graham crackers, pumpkin flesh in pilloncillo sugar cone syrup, milk, brown sugar, cloves, coriander, citrus and ginger pumpkin bread.

The aftertaste is oaky and sweet with pumpkin and bourbon whiskey lingering. This beer is boozy and is definitely a sipper. Do not let the moderate body fool you. The mouth feel on this is close to syrupy. YUM!!

Overall, this is way better than the original smashed pumpkin. I think I drank this way too fresh as the booze was not well hidden. It is not a problem at all as I rather enjoyed those sweet oak and whiskey notes. They compliment the pumpkin very well. This, however, needs sometime to sit in a cellar for a while in order to become exquisite or exceed expectations. Nevertheless, An awesome beer that has become on par with some of my other Barrel aged and non-barrel aged pumpkin beers I have reviewed here.

Original Smashed Pumpkin Review:
https://brewerianimelogs.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/smashed-pumpkin-by-shipyard-brewing/

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat by Anheuser-Busch

September 15, 2013 by cloudx30 tagged Anheiser busch, anheuser busch inc, belgian style ale, cinnamon and cloves, flavors of fall, Pumpkin, pumpkin ale, Pumpkin beer, pumpkin spice, Pumpkin Wheat, Shock top, Spices, wheat, wheat beer, wheat grains | Leave a comment

Rating: 2.5/5

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat by Anheuser-Busch is a 5.2% ABV Belgian-Style Wheat Ale brewed with Pumpkin and Spices

DESCRIPTION:
Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat is a traditional Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with ripe pumpkins and a variety of autumnal spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, for a refreshingly smooth beer that fully captures all the flavors of fall.
___

Shock Top pumpkin wheat has been one of those beers that I usually have avoided for quite a while Mainly as many have advised that the beer is decent but not the best pumpkin beer out there. I would agree, but I have not tried it, until now that is. Last year I did a lot of pumpkin beers, so this year to make it fair, I also want to review those I missed out on. So here’s to the fall

Aromas are of pumpkin spice, caramel notes, coriander, citrus, oranges, a bit of ginger bread notes and brown sugar

The flavors are of cereal grains, citrus notes, light pumpkin spice note, coriander, ginger bread hints, cinnamon, clove notes, hints of nutmeg and lemon peel

The after taste is of wheat, grains and hardly any pumpkin in the finish. Easy to drink but not quite balanced.

Overall it is decent, but not the greatest example of a pumpkin beer. The notes are here and there but there is no balance and the wheat only makes it partially work. I have have had way better pumpkin beers in the past. Even better Shocktop beers before as well. It is not a terrible beer, just something worth trying once. I would almost say a good gateway to pumpkin beers, although I would definitely would recommend others. I think the problem is that wheat orange and pumpkin sweetness only works partially. It is like saying have a peanut butter and ketchup sandwich or peanut butter and mayo sandwich.

Smashed Pumpkin by Shipyard Brewing

October 31, 2012 by cloudx30 tagged ard, fall flavors, Pummpkin Ale, Pumpkin, Pumpkin beer, Shipyard, Smashed Pumpkin | 1 Comment

Rating: 4.75/5

Smashed Pumpkin by Shipyard Brewing is a 9% ABV Pumpkin Ale. Just came out in time for the Fall season :P. It is a beer made with natural ingredients and lots of pumpkins.

Label:

Smashed Pumpkin is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully enjoy all the flavors, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs. The beer is quite delicious. A lot of Fall flavors of nutmeg, pumpkin, camotes or sweet potatoes and yams. There are flavors or caramel, burnt sugar, pilsner, wheat, orange, coriander, clove, cinnamon, maple, creamy vanilla, ginger bread and honey. Reminds me of when my mom used to make camotes or calabaza con leche….so good :P…She would boil the calabaza with piloncillo (Brown Mexican Sugar Cone). God this is very good. I guess the only difference from JP La Parcela which I had last year is that that one is more of a pumpkin pie or fresh bitter pumpkin. This is more of a naturally sweetened served pumpkin. If you ever find this during the fall, get it…it will put many things like Sam Adams October fest or most pumpkin beers to shame…Alcohol on this??? No way…its hard to tell….way too much awesomeness going on…maybe not la parcela..but then again this is easier to find….go find this now!!

Source: