Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6

Cask at the Mill, Cambridge. Orangeish light brown, not quite orange but full marks for trying if that’s what they were aiming for. Aroma of confused spices: nutmeg is to the fore but I also think I detect black pepper, and something Indian: garam masala? The taste is no more straightforward: a nutmeggy, gingery blast which only partially masks a tender bitterness beneath. The spice burns a bit long after the beer is gone. And no way is anyone going to taste the bland squashy pumpkin in all this. An American comedian (can’t remember if it was Dave Barry or Garrison Keillor) once referred to pumpkin pie as nothing more than a ’nutmeg delivery service’. That’s what this is: a platform for the spice with very little sense of what goes on underneath. However, unlike many similar beers this has a complexity and never gets cloying or boring. A bit overpowering but I can forgive that. Would I recommend it? Sure... but have half and see how you get on.