Reviews of the single big bottle variety this time. And these are all the bombers I've tried so far.
Since they're bigger and sometimes harder to aquire, I didn't consider these when talkin about top 5 beers. Oops, cuz there's some top 5'er's in here. Just try 'em all...and know that I saw a few that I didn't even get to yet including Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale from Sam Adams, Die Kreuzen Imperial Pumpkin Porter from Burnt Hickory Brewery(would've loved it fer sure),Pinchy Jeek Barl Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale by Anderson Valley, Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Uinta Brewing Company and Olde Towne Pumpkin Ale from Straight To Ale out of Alabama. When I try these I'm gonna just edit them out of this intro.
11. PUMKING (Southern Tier Brewing Company) ABV: 8.6%
Diacetyl. I know some people swear by this as THE pumpkin beer, but I disagree, and wholeheartedly. It's not bad, but I just can't get past that buttery popcorn flavor. Oh well, it's cheaper than most bombers, and I guess it's now in 4 packs of 12 oz. bottles(2016). This beer was put on draft somewhere down here and it's even more buttery that way. MonsterSyd says it works best as a cooking beer. I haven't tried cookin with it yet but I believe him. Diacetyl meets a bunch of pumpkin spice with alcohol. That should work way better than this, but this may be one of those "new to the world of pumpkin beers so try this one" kinda things.
12. WARLOCK (Southern Tier Brewing Company) ABV: 10%
Hey, this could easily be passed off as just the darker version of Pumking. But it says it's an Imperial Stout. So it's probably much chewier than Pumking, right? It's probably like pouring a can of pumpkin spice valvoline right down yer yapper, right? It's probably a heavy ass beer that kicks you in the teeth with it's 10% ABV, right? Well, somewhat. And there goes the big problem that seems to plague some of these bastards. We should never have to taste "somewhat". And although this is better than Pumking, it really is just a slightly Darker Dose of Diacetyl.
13. THE GREAT PUMPKIN (Heavy Seas Beer) ABV: 8%
I had this one back round 2009 or 2010 after not having pumpkin beers for awhile (thanks, blue moon!).
I was 'hooked' again!
That was a shitty pun based on their sea-faring image...
I miss this one. I had it in Cincy with Dr. Bob and sought it out back here in the ATL and found it just about everywhere. Until they discontinued it. The reason I liked it was that it was a good pumpkin ale with a just a bit more bite. Not too much of a booze-bite though. I just thought of this as a solid bigger pumpkin ale, well-balanced and kicks enough to keep you happy with its bomber size. It looked so pumpkin-like when poured into a glass, with an orange-ish head that just seemed to never disappear. It looked like autumn leaves and smelled like pumpkin pie and tasted like pumpkin pie with a slight alcohol kick. It warms up perfectly. This one brought me back to the world of pumpkin beers. Unfortunately, this one has been retired for a few years now that I know of. Pour out a little GREAT'ER PUMPKIN for your homies. And this was my homie.
14. THE GREAT'ER PUMPKIN (Heavy Seas Beer) ABV: 10%
This is a boozier version of the Great Pumpkin. So boozy, in fact, that if you pour a little of this out for your homies it actually counts as liquor (it's in the rules, look it up). Of course, it's boozier because it sits in bourbon barrels for awhile. It's pretty good if you're into the barrel-aged flavor turning some great beer into pumpkin spice flavored bourbon. I actually dig this one on cold nights and wish to hell I could hold onto one for a year or more, but I just wish we still had the option of this or Great Pumpkin to choose from. R.I.P. Great Pumpkin!
15. FROG'S HOLLOW DOUBLE PUMPKIN ALE (Hoppin' Frog Brewery) ABV: 8.4%
I was surprised to see a beer from Akron, Ohio down here in The ATL. I've seen a few of their other bombers down here since.
Looks like another review from 10-27-12. Popped in House of Frankenstein by this point in the night, after Svengoolie and a sixer of Harpoon UFO'S (check out the 3rd part of the reviews).
I heard this beer wasn't gonna be as spicy as some of The Other Ones but the first thing I noticed upon opening was its spicy aroma. At least the taste wasn't as spicy. It's still more of a pumpkin pie beer than anything else, but there is a flavor of actual pumpkin in there too. And again there's a slight sour flavor that I think comes from the gourd. Another beer that hides the alcohol pretty well. This one doesn't sink below average, but it doesn't rise to angelic heights either. Just a good solid pumpkin beer that I would like to try again but haven't seen around lately.
16. HARPOON IMPERIAL PUMPKIN (Harpoon Brewery) ABV:10.5%
I just about had a serious attack of the heart when I walked by this at The Beer Store! I was so into Harpoon's UFO Pumpkin at the time that I grabbed this up immediately. A pumpkin stout by them? Hell yeah!
I was not surprised at how much I liked this one. I haven't seen it around for a year or two, and that's a shame cuz I would've cellared this guy for at least that long. My notes rave about the balance of spice and molasses, about dark sugary chocolate flavors and about the perfectly hidden ABV. Any more than a bomber of this could be dangerous because it's sooo good. Southern Tier Warlock doesn't even come close to combining stout and pumpkin ale as good as this. And the damn bottle says it was an improvisation! It looks and pours like a stout with just a pinch of orange-iness. I mean a pinch, you really have to look to see this is more than an oily abyss of a stout. If we broke it down into categories, say, for example, pumpkin pie beers or roasted pumpkin seed beers, this would be #1 for pumpkin stouts.
17. CHATOE ROGUE FIRST GROWTH PUMPKIN PATCH ALE (Rogue Ales) ABV: 5.6%
Whew, I barely remember this one. I brought this to a Halloween party after the L5P Halloween Fest one year and shared it with a buddy so I don't really have notes on it. I really tried to make mental notes, and from what I remember this was a solid punkin offering. I remember thinking it had a more pronounced pumpkin flavor than a spicebomb flavor and even my friend enjoyed it. Of course the bottle says they have their own Rogue Farm to grow pumpkins so that really shines through in the fresh squash flavor. It was a very enjoyable and easy to share beer. There was such a fresh pumpkin pie flavor but at the price it could get lost in the shuffle. I'd like to try it again.
18. LIPS OF FAITH - KICK (New Belgium Brewing) ABV: 6%
Here it is, the beer that should render Terrapins Cranberry Pumpkinfest redundant before it even hit the shelves! If it was still being made, that is. This is not what's sold in 6 packs as Pumpkick(as far as I know!); this was New Belgium's collaboration with Elysian a couple of years ago. I'll get to Pumpkick and how that's still better than Terrapin's fall beer this year (2016) soon. This one here tho....the kick-ass bottle says 75% ale with punkin and cranberry juice, 25% ale aged in wooden barrels. Yes, this is a pumpkin sour. And man was it tart! I really should've cellared this one as I've only had it once and my palate was still adjusting to beers with this much tartness. There was an almost pumpkin cider feel to this, the cranberries weren't overpowering at all. In fact, the thanksgiving flavor that Terrapin tried really pulls out front in this beer, and with some help from the aging there was a slight yeastiness too. I'm not usually a fan of Lips Of Faith Series beers in execution as much as in their fearless experimentation and concepts, but this beer was tops for them and tops for pumpkin sours.That's a limited category around here, so I'm still surprised Terrapin chose to do something so similar to New Belgiums Samhain Offering.
19. XIBALBA IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE (Wicked Weed Brewing) ABV: 8.2%
Not a bomber. This was in a 16.9 oz beer bottle, interesting to me right away. Also makes me want a Weizenbock right now.
This was a very different take on the style to me, more a Dia de los Muertos pumpkin beer than a Halloween pumpkin beer. The bottle says it's brewed with cacao nibs, chiles and spices so I immediately thought it was gonna be a spiced up low-rent version of Mexican Cake by Westbrook Brewing. So now we've got Thanksgiving pumpkin beers, Halloween pumpkin beers and Day of the Dead pumpkin beers. I was almost jaded by the spiciness of some of these so-called pumpkin beers lately so this was such a nice change of pace. They nailed the pumpkin spice to chocolate ratio, unlike Mendocino Pumpkin Ale (we'll get to that one), and like a lot of the better hot pepper beers the heat hits you mildly in the throat and picks up only slightly more as the beer warms up. I'm a fan of the pepper beers that aren't afraid to bring the heat. This one brings just the right amount of heat at the right time. I haven't had any other beer that has tried to blend a peppery chocolate beer with pumpkin beer so I expected the worst. But I'm happy to be surprised by a brewery that plays with ideas other than just Halloween for pumpkin beers and pulls it off so well. Glad there's a Dia de los Muertos beer. Watch The Halloween Tree while you drink this one.
That's it for the Bigger Bottle Bastards! I'm starting to think that the bombers have a lot more thought put into them, as the ones I had were all worth trying again for different reasons. Thanks for reading! Soon I'll write some more reviews of Pumpkin Beers that you can find around Atlanta!
The bad ass pirate beers.
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