Name: Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Brewer: Weyerbacher

Style: Pumpkin Ale

Vintage: 2007

Cellared On: September 29th, 2007

Original Tasting: October 19th, 2007

I have to admit I haven’t much cared for any of the pumpkin beers I’ve tried in the past. They all have came off tasting like one of those nasty flavored malt beverages instead of an actual brew. But hey, Weyerbacher has an Imperial pumpkin beer here (there’s an imperial everything nowadays), so it must be better, right?

As you would expect, this beer poured a deep orange color, almost hinting towards a redder shade. There was a slightly off-color fizzy head which was retained well through the whole drink. I was getting a whiff of spice as I brought the beer up - I think it was the cardamom and clove that were hitting me.

This beer has a smooth, mellow pumpkin flavor to it. It’s not a very strong or overwhelming taste, but I would say it’s about right where I would want it to be. I think too strong of a pumpkin flavor would taste kind of weird here. Spiciness pops in fairly strong, and then fades with the finish. There was more of the cardamom and clove flavors, but I started to detect some of the cinnamon also. I would call this a medium bodied beer, although it seems there is a slight slickness to the mouthfeel.

Overall, a surprisingly straightforward beer for a pumpkin ale. I enjoyed it, it was nice to drink but not overly complex.

Six Month Tasting: April 2nd, 2008

Spices in the aroma, and spices in flavor. They’re not overwhelming, but evident right from the get go. I’m able to pick out a lot of them - nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, and cinnamon. Nutmeg seems to be the most prominent. The spices are coming off a very crisp, almost lagerish malt base. I think the spices seem a bit more in your face due to the drawing back of the malt flavor. I tasted no real pumpkin flavor until the brew started to finish, when it combined with the spices to give up an almost pumpkin-pie like finish.

I want turkey now!

A little bit of a letdown here, I missed the more assertive malt base in the fresh beer. Still nice to drink, but still a disappointment.

One Year Tasting: October 6th, 2008

There’s still some pumpkin here, but it’s very light and clearly a background player now. That spice flavor has also started to fade - except for the nutmeg, which is the dominant flavor in the brew right now. It’s dry, with a slight bitterness that matches well with the malt base. It’s still drinkable, but probably not for long.

Cellar Outlook: No idea. At 8% abv, it has a chance to cellar well. I’ll miss the spices as they fade, but I’m also looking forward to see what happens to the pumpkin flavors over time.

Six Month Cellar Notes: I don’t think we’re going to get any better here. I’m already missing the malt flavor, and the spices are no doubt due for a fade out as well. I see not so tasty things in this beer’s future.

One Year Cellar Notes: I think we’ve hit the end of the road for this brew. I don’t expect it to be drinkable at all next fall.

Next Tasting: September 2009