The last blind taste test was not only fun, informative, and tasty, it revealed much about how brand expectations can affect how a beer impacts various senses.

I have yearned to match up different beers of the same style, and from different companies, for quite some time.  In fact, I have several arranged that will likely see taste duels in the near future.  Actually ,I have planned out this particular comparison for way to long.  As the holidays wind to a close, it seems the perfect time to compare pumpkin beers, right?  I’m glad we are in agreement.  The format used in the gose taste-off was so successful, that I will be reintroducing it now.  To refresh, each beer has been concealed and numbered.  As an extra pre-caution this time numbering was done by the second person reviewing the beers.  In real time, I record the result and impressions by the tasters, and then present the unveiled results.  In keeping with the same format, this time will also include a bonus round.

With a day off tomorrow pleasing the mind, Longwave pleasing the ears, and a relaxed ambiance pleasing the body…..

Here we go…..

Pumpkin Beer #2

A.  This beer is a golden orange color, with minimal head retention,and zero lacing on the glass.  It smells like sweet graham cracker and pumpkin pie a la mode.  Sweet pumpkin flavors dominate this one with hints of vanilla. There is a subtle, earthy, squash after taste that is very mildly off-putting.  Overall, this light bodied, well carbonated beer is quite pleasing.  6.5/10

B.  The color of this is very orange.  The smell is predominantly pumpkin with a slight off flavor in the nose.  The nose could be perceived as what may happen when a pumpkin pie sat in a musty closet.  The first taste is metallic and old.  Slight pumpkin is noticeable in the back-end.   This beer seems past its prime.  3.5/10

Pumpkin Beer # 1

A. This is a light amber beer with a thin wispy ring of head, and some light, creamy, traces in the center of the liquid.  The smell is dominated by roasted pumpkin and squash and accented with light cinnamon and spice.  Darkened sweet potatoes, cinnamon and nutmeg highlight the taste of this perfectly carbonated offering.  While this is more spice influenced than the earlier beer, it is also more pleasing. 7.5/10

B. The color is almost red in this beer.  It smells more like cinnamon and nutmeg than pumpkin and it almost has a slight smokiness.  The taste is predominantly cinnamon with a well-rounded pumpkin flavor. The body is more amply carbonated than the prior pumpkin beer.  7/10

Pumpkin Beer #3

A. This hazy, dark wheat colored pumpkin beer not only boasts a fairly lasting, though, thin head, but leaves light lacing on the sides of the glass.  The nose is truly incredible.  It smells like sweet, sugary, pumpkin pie that was removed from the oven, set on the table, sliced perfectly, and immediately topped with whipped cream which quickly melted into a decadent, vanilla-heaven glaze. This is then liberally sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.  The smell is so intoxicating that my taste buds can’t wait to try this.  This tastes exactly as the smell promises, and one sipping this can almost mime the action of filling a fork with a giant piece of the sweetest, perfect pumpkin pie topped with cinnamon, and sliding the pie-laden fork through vanilla ice cream en route its journey towards an immediately, and immensely gratified waiting mouth.  This is awesome.  This is the best pumpkin beer I have ever had. 10/10

B. This beer is a dark orange color.  Right off the bat this has a very sweet, cinnamon sugar nose.  This has a very sweet full body.  It is very dessert like, and the cinnamon and nutmeg are more dominant than the pumpkin.  It might be difficult to categorize this as a true pumpkin beer, but it’s still excellent.  8/10

And now for the wild card, or bonus round.  Due to the shape of the bottle, and the cork and cage approach, this one couldn’t easily be concealed for the blind purposes of this head-to-head.  It seems a reasonable, and local, option to throw into this arena.

Bonus Round – Troegs Brewing Company Master of Pumpkins

A. This pours a darkly tinted, amber-colored liquid, topped with a vigorous, but quickly dissipating head and minimal lacing.  This has a belgian-yeasty, nutmeg dominant, and muddled spice added, nose, with a touch of odd funk.   The taste reminds me of what would happen if someone took the “random spice challenge” instead of the “cinnamon challenge.” Instead of the tablespoon of cinnamon, imagine a tablespoon of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and crushed wet leaves.  I’m not sure when the pumpkin is supposed to make its appearance, but I must have thought about a better pumpkin beer for a split second and missed it.  This is a spice bomb.  Or maybe it should be called a spiced saison.  There’s no pumpkin here.  3/10

B.  Appearance is a deep burnt orange, possibly reddish color.  The nose has a hint of coppery pumpkin and cinnamon. Taste wise, it very much resembles the smell.  It is metallic with a slight pumpkin aftertaste.  The body is full but the taste is not what is wanted from a pumpkin beer. 4.5/10

And now for the reveal…..

Bottle numbers #2, #1, and #3 in order…….

It appears that the once great Pumking is dead and a new regent has taken the throne. Guess we’ll have to wait until next year to get more of that Block House Pumpkin.  I sure could use another now.  Special thanks to my taste assistant Courtney Box.

Humbly yours,

J