It's pumkin ale time this month in the American beer world, and considering previous 'progressive' steps taken by the trappist monks of Spencer (creating the first trappist IPA to name one), it comes as no big surprise that they too deemed it necessary to produce one. Can shared with tderoeck, Marie, Christophe and Goedele. Off-white, mousy, medium thick head, bit irregular and opening in the middle, over a misty deep and warm orange blonde beer with pale amberish tinge. Aroma of indeed strong pumpkin spices including actual clove, dried ginger and some cinnamon, fried tomato peel, spice bread and 'speculoos', peanuts and perhaps a whiff of pumpkin soup, which is probably nothing more than autosuggestion. Fruity, restainedly sweet onset, medium carbonation, hints of apple peel and apricot, supple bready malt body, rusk- and soggy bread crust-like with a slight caramelliness to it, soaked in pronounced pumpkin beer spiciness, cloves and ginger upfront but cinnamon coming not far behind (though only subtly so and without much of the sweet retronasal aroma it usually provides); light herbal hop bitter note too, but kept in place so as not to interfere with the spices too much, which eventually do add a little bit of astringency as spices in beer often tend to do. Conceptually alone a very interesting beer - I would never ever have imagined a 'trappist pumpkin ale' to become reality - but judged as such, pleasant enough, very spicy though still highly drinkable and seemingly less sweet than many other American pumpkin beers that pop up in this time of the year. Underneath the spicing, this one cannot hide its typical Spencer house style, either.

12 oz bottle from State Line. Near black pour with ring of beige head. Sweet, roasty aroma. Taste is smooth, sweet with a light roasty bitterness. Very well done

16 oz can from State Line. Cloudy, light golden, skin of head. Light hoppy aroma. Taste also features light hoppiness, none of the Belgian notes i was expecting.

355ml bottle. Opaque, mahogany colour with average, thick, creamy, moderately lasting and lacing, off-white to beige head. Grassy hoppy and fruity, malty aroma, notes of dried fruit, raisin, hints of fresh hay, a touch of lemon and lime. Taste is minimally sweet, fruity malty and grassy, minimally citrusy hoppy, hints of dried fruit, raisin, plum, some lemon, a touch of fresh hay; fruity and minimally bready finish, whiffs of alcohol. Almost watery, highly fluid texture, very fine but highly efficacious carbonation, soft, minimally sticky palate. Highly drinkable due to an astonishing hop intensity, not overly complex on the malty side. Somewhat funny to imagine monks (especially Trappist monks) as hop heads.

Pours hazy amber with a thin white head. Aroma of ferrous herbal malt. Taste has ferrous citrus elements. Lighter and maltier than is typical for the style, dry enjoyable. Palate is herbal.

01-09-19 // bottle. A massive gusher cost me a third of the bottle. Dark brown in colour with a beige to brown head. Sweetish light roasted malts in the nose. Starts heavy sweet, molasses and brown sugar. Opens up with some roasted malt aromas and a fruit sweetness.

Bottle. Amber color. Massive gusher. Malt, blackcurrant and toffee in the aroma. Malty sweet toffee flavor with blackcurrant, Apple and soft tart notes. Caramelly sweetish flavor. Drinkable, nothing special.

Bottle. Blonde. Floral citric aroma with soft oily hops. Malty sweetish floral citric oily hopbitter flavor. Herbal finish. Nice.