Fall Hornin'

Taste like a good pumpkin beer. Nice photo bomb by McCloskey. Heja BVB!

Sample at SF Beer Beek Opening Gala 2014. Clear copper with a small head. Aroma and taste of spices, mainly cinnamon, nuts, malt, caramel and some fruit. Drinkable but not my kind of beer.

Nice slightly hazy deep brown coloured body with a rich ruby, amber and copper coloured tint and a solid, two centimetre tall tan head. Aroma of very pungent spice and squash - nice and fragrant with allspice, canella, caramelised sugars and a little bit of banana with the ever-present squash and earthy malt. Light-bodied; Oddly thin with no taste of the squash at all - just some very light malt and almost no spice in the flavour, only some caramel and light metal on the finish. Aftertaste is oddly lacking as well - not only are there no real flavours, but the beer just drifts off to water and the slightest bit of nuts and brown sugar. Overall, a very interesting beer with every indication that it would be a good tasting and complex beer, but in actuality, it was exactly opposite - water in almost every respect aside from the look and smell. I sampled this twelve ounce bottle purchased from Whole Foods in Tyson’s Corner (Falls Church), Virginia on 26-November-2013 for US$1.99 sampled at home in Washington on 28-January-2014.

Can thanks to Brian. Pours clear ruby with a large beige creamy head and nice lacing. Aroma is spices, caramel, pumpkin. Allspice, cloves, nutmeg, dark sugars, cinnamon. Flavor is the same, medium sweet, little bitterness, fairly spicy, but not overwhelming. Medium body. Not bad.

Can from Total Wines, Sterling VA. Medium brown with a slight, off-white head. Cinnamon, nutmeg and spice with a hint of roast and some sweetness in the finish. Fine.

On tap at the Big Hunt. Clear amber with frothy white head. Nose has some spice, caramel, brown sugar, nutmeg. Flavor is big and sugary, caramel, spice. Sweet finish. So so.

12 ounce can from Downtown Wine & Gourmet, Harrisonburg. Pours a clear copper color with a large foamy brown head. Good head retention. Aroma of strong pumpkin, strong pumpkin spices, caramel and stone fruits. The taste is toasted malts, toasted pumpkin, caramel, mild nuts and nutmeg, cinnamon and other spices in the finish. Medium bodied, slight lingering spice, low carbonation, nice balance. Very nice pumpkin ale.

12 ounce bottle into pint glass, 2013 release. Pours slightly cloudy deep ruby red color with a 2 finger dense and fluffy khaki head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Spotty soapy lacing clings down the glass. Aromas of big pumpkin, caramel, cinnamon, gingerbread, nutmeg, toast, brown sugar, allspice, light chocolate, and floral/toasted earthiness. Nice aromas with good balance and complexity of malt, pumpkin, and spice notes; with good strength. Taste of pumpkin, caramel, chocolate, cinnamon, toast, toffee, nutmeg, brown sugar, gingerbread, allspice, biscuit, and floral/toasted earthiness. Minimal bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of pumpkin, caramel, chocolate, toast, toffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, gingerbread, allspice, biscuit, and toasted earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice balance and complexity of pumpkin, malt, and spice notes; with great robustness, malt/spice balance, and zero cloying sweetness after the finish. Medium carbonation and body; with a creamy and lightly slick mouthfeel that is nice. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a slight warming present after the finish. Overall this is a very nice pumpkin ale! All around good balance, complexity, and robustness of malt, pumpkin, and spice flavors; and very smooth to drink. A very enjoyable offering.