So it’s a new year and it’s time to get brewing again, and reviewing some new brews. My mate Matt made a pumpkin ale awhile ago and gave me one to try.
Matt gave me the beer well before Christmas and told me I wasn’t to drink it until after the New Year, this was tough at first but then I forgot that it was in the cupboard conditioning. I remembered it a couple days ago and put it in the fridge and forgot about it again! Then I remembered it today while at work and dreamed about tasting this beer for the rest of the day. I was not let down.
I was a bit worried at first because there was very little carbonation and no head when I poured it. I had trouble at first getting any real aroma…
After giving the beer a minute to breath, the scent really came through though. The beer was sweet and fruity with quite a bit of apple; it almost smelled like a cider. I had to look hard but I found a little bit of pumpkin in there too. The smell of the beer was very crisp.
This crispness continued in the first sip. For an ale this was a very crisp beer, it was almost like a lager in its crispness. That being said there was still a lot of body in the beer and it was surprisingly thick and full.
In the flavour, I still had trouble finding finding pumpkin but the fruit flavours continued, especially the apple. The beer was quite sweet and this interacted well with the hops. The bitterness had a long feel to it and sat nicely at the back of the mouth while I was sipping the beer. The sweetness would come through while the bitterness just sat there to counteract it. Because of this the beer was really pushing towards feeling like a pilsner rather than an ale, but the body gave it away.
The overall hoppyness was great and quite big, which is only to be expected from someone like Matt: he loves his hops. It was very well balanced between outright bitter and fruitier flavours. Hints of floral were in there as well. Matt really selected his hops well and I think he’s got a talent for it. The hops seemed very intentional and well thought out.
I think this beer would be very sessionable, even though it is fairly heavy and surprisingly bitter after knocking back a bottle. I was also amazed at how refreshing it was; I think this was due to the beer being just bitter enough to have a bit of a zing but not being overpowering. Given the style, I was quite surprised.
The only criticism I have is that the sweetness could be dialed back a little bit. Perhaps the pumpkin contributed to the sweetness, but unfortunately I couldn’t find much pumpkin. Maybe if the pumpkin was prepared a different way it would make all the difference.
I’d like to try this beer with pork belly and apple sauce. It would go well with any heavier white meat really, or a gamey white meat as well. But pork would be optimal!
-Chas
We make home brew 