A duo of pumpkin beers

This year the LCBO released quite a few pumpkin beers, but since I am a bit pumpkined out I only tried a few.

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale 2012

Here is to another Post Road...vintage 2012. For $2.45 a bottle can be yours from the LCBO.

The beer has an amber color and pours with a short head, which quickly recedes. The aroma is predominantly spices with very little pumpkin far in the background after the sweet malt and the caramely hints. The taste is light like the previous Post Roads I have had and it is starting to get a bit disappointing. Every year there are stronger and stronger pumpkin ales while this one does not change much, or at all. I have to hand it to Brooklyn, their quality control seems bang on, but come on guys, add some more pumpkin and spice to this brew.

That said, the beer is an easy drinker and if you like Brooklyn's lager, you will like this pumpkin beer since both share a few similarities. Of course the pumpkin one has spices and a subtle pumpkiny note which doesn't emerge until close to the finish.


Taste - 6.5/10
ABV - 5%


Southern Tier Imperial Pumking 2012

And here is the heavy hitter in the pumpkin ale field. This is a favorite of mine which I look forward to every year.

This year's beer has a light amber/golden color and pours with a short head which quickly recedes to a ring. The aroma is strong and inviting. It's as if you are shoving your face into a pumpkin pie with all the graham, pumpkin and spices aromas coming from the glass. The taste is, another year in a row, absolutely fantastic. Graham, sweet malt, pumpkin and spices at the start with a bit of hops and more spices near the end. Absolutely delicious! The only complaint would be the alcoholic note towards the finish, but hey, at 8.6% that is sort of expected.

Again, recommended for this year.



Taste - 9/10
ABV - 8.6%