Spring Break
Brews Clues: This week's Ale: PumKing
Dennis Mongello
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
- Page 1 of 1
Fall is here. The autumn marks a big change in seasons. The leaves fall off the trees and change color, and a lot of new produce comes into season. Most notably is the pumpkin. For most people this means pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread. For me, this means pumpkin ale.
Now, brewers generally seem to have two thoughts about pumpkin ale. Some try to make it taste like pumpkin. The rest try to make it taste like pumpkin pie. What would you rather have? A bland fruit or a delicious dessert? The choice is clear. Just like how the pumpkin pie is the ultimate form of enjoyment when it comes to eating pumpkins, Southern Tier's Pumking is the ultimate form of enjoyment when it comes to drinking them.
The beer pours a deep dark brown color with distinct orange hues. The body is topped off by a thick dollop of white head that melts slowly and clings to the sides of the glass. The dark brown body is like the crust of a pie holding in the orange filling topped up with the white whipped cream. Aside from looking like a pumpkin pie, the aromas will also bring to mind the dessert. The nose starts off with a fresh baked pumpkin smell, then moves on to other pumpkin pie spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Finally, the earthy malts invoke the aroma of a golden brown crust.
So if it looks like pumpkin pie and smells like pumpkin pie, what do you think it tastes like? That's right, pumpkin pie. The big smell is also indicative of the beer's big taste. The flavors start out with the crust. As soon as the beer crosses your lips you get the feeling that you are chomping down on that last piece of the pie. You know the one. It's the corner of the piece that's about 90 percent crust, full of graham goodness and sweet spices, and 10 percent filling, laden with rich pumpkin and vanilla taste. The weakest part of the beer is that this crust flavor overpowers the rest of the pumpkin flavors. The flavors are all great, but they just aren't in perfect balance.
The beer is understandably full bodied. It's big on flavor and big on alcohol. Just like the best piece of pumpkin pie is rich, so is this beer thick and rich. Despite this, the beer goes down smooth and while it is high in alcohol, you can't really taste it. You won't get the alcohol burn expected with such a high ABV. That's a pretty dangerous combination, the high alcohol matched with the great flavor. However, it should be noted that this beer is best taken in slow. The beer begs to be sipped to take it in bit by bit and slowly decompose all the complex layers of flavors this beer has to offer.
These layers of flavors also make it tough to match it with food. Common criticism dictates that you match "like with like," but eating a piece of pumpkin pie while drinking this would just be too much. This beer tastes like dessert all on its own and should be enjoyed on its own too, maybe even after a full Thanksgiving feast. Pumpking is one of the best examples of the pumpkin ales that I've ever had. Only Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale comes close. So crack one open on a cool autumn evening and enjoy the taste
Now, brewers generally seem to have two thoughts about pumpkin ale. Some try to make it taste like pumpkin. The rest try to make it taste like pumpkin pie. What would you rather have? A bland fruit or a delicious dessert? The choice is clear. Just like how the pumpkin pie is the ultimate form of enjoyment when it comes to eating pumpkins, Southern Tier's Pumking is the ultimate form of enjoyment when it comes to drinking them.
The beer pours a deep dark brown color with distinct orange hues. The body is topped off by a thick dollop of white head that melts slowly and clings to the sides of the glass. The dark brown body is like the crust of a pie holding in the orange filling topped up with the white whipped cream. Aside from looking like a pumpkin pie, the aromas will also bring to mind the dessert. The nose starts off with a fresh baked pumpkin smell, then moves on to other pumpkin pie spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Finally, the earthy malts invoke the aroma of a golden brown crust.
So if it looks like pumpkin pie and smells like pumpkin pie, what do you think it tastes like? That's right, pumpkin pie. The big smell is also indicative of the beer's big taste. The flavors start out with the crust. As soon as the beer crosses your lips you get the feeling that you are chomping down on that last piece of the pie. You know the one. It's the corner of the piece that's about 90 percent crust, full of graham goodness and sweet spices, and 10 percent filling, laden with rich pumpkin and vanilla taste. The weakest part of the beer is that this crust flavor overpowers the rest of the pumpkin flavors. The flavors are all great, but they just aren't in perfect balance.
The beer is understandably full bodied. It's big on flavor and big on alcohol. Just like the best piece of pumpkin pie is rich, so is this beer thick and rich. Despite this, the beer goes down smooth and while it is high in alcohol, you can't really taste it. You won't get the alcohol burn expected with such a high ABV. That's a pretty dangerous combination, the high alcohol matched with the great flavor. However, it should be noted that this beer is best taken in slow. The beer begs to be sipped to take it in bit by bit and slowly decompose all the complex layers of flavors this beer has to offer.
These layers of flavors also make it tough to match it with food. Common criticism dictates that you match "like with like," but eating a piece of pumpkin pie while drinking this would just be too much. This beer tastes like dessert all on its own and should be enjoyed on its own too, maybe even after a full Thanksgiving feast. Pumpking is one of the best examples of the pumpkin ales that I've ever had. Only Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale comes close. So crack one open on a cool autumn evening and enjoy the taste
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