Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

After a short hiatus from pumpkin beers, I am back with Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Although it may be hard to tell from the picture, it poured a dark amber with a slight reddish tint to it. It had a small head that mostly faded quickly. The aroma was loaded with spices. Mostly some clove and nutmeg, but I also got some slight sweet scents - possibly cinnamon. Taste was very delightful, again mostly the spices I smelled with a bit of true pumpkin I think. Its hard to tell with these pumpkin beers sometimes because you know you're drinking a pumpkin beer so you are thinking pumpkin even though it might not even be what you're tasting. It finishes a little rough with some hops, but the aftertaste was very good I thought. Sweet and not alcoholy which surprised me since this bad boy is 8% alcohol. Overall, a very well-rounded and solid pumpkin ale that made me feel like its autumn even though its 70 degrees and ridiculously humid out. I'd rank this one towards the top as a serious contender for the pumpkin crown. Cheers guys!

Guinness at Egan's in Montclair

Had high hopes for this Guinness, but it failed miserably. I couldn't see the pour, but it must have been terrible based on the taste. Head was small and the initial tasting was extremely bitter and flat. Egan's poured a terrible pint, possibly the worst I've ever had. For an irish pub, I am greatly disappointed.

River Horse Hippo-Lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale

My sister bought a six pack of River Horse's pumpkin and hated it so naturally I was the beneficiary. It poured a burnt orange with a head that quickly faded. Smell was all spice, mostly nutmeg and cinnamon with a slight scent of pumpkin. Taste was spicy, again mostly nutmeg, with a real pumpkin edge to it. It finished with some hops, but also was very alcoholy. This is a very solid pumpkin ale and the fact that its 8.1% abv gives it some extra points. Definitely a contender.

Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA

Ladies and gentlemen, I have been searching for this beer for months to no avail, but randomly at Brickwall Tavern in Asbury Park I stumbled upon this delicious brew ON TAP! It was served in a 10oz glass and thank God because I'm a few Miller Lites in and 16oz wouldve sent me home at halftime of the Rutgers game. This one poured a beautiful reddish orange with a sweet head that lasted pretty well throughout. Smell was extremely hoppy and citrusy, best smelling beer I've smelt. Taste is sweet at first with floral and citrusy nodes before turning hoppy and alcoholy. It finishes very malty and sweet, almost too much. I like my IPAs to finish dry and this is a bit too sweet. That being said, its the second best beer I've had behind Firestone Walker Double Jack. Go RU! Launch the Sanuclear bomb!!!!

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

My second pumpkin ale of the night is from Smuttynose Brewery. It poured an orangey brown color with a pretty nice head that didn't quickly vanish. The smell was hoppy with some slight spiciness, pretty interesting for a pumpkin ale. Taste was nutmeg and other spices at first, but quickly turned to hops, finishing with a very slight pumpkin taste. I'm not really sure what to make of this one. Its not overly pumpkiny or spicy, but packs a lot of hops which is always a plus for me. Its almost perfectly well balanced and finishes very nice with the hops amd slight pumpkin taste, but doesn't scream out a fall pumpkin beer. For now, ill say that this is the best all around pumpkin beer I've had, but since its not full of fall ill leave it as a contender.

Fire Island Brewing Co. Pumpkin Barrel Ale

Picked this one up at Whole Foods on Greenwich St in NYC today. I've heard of pumpkin ales, but never a pumpkin barrel ale so this six pack grabbed my attention. I poured it into a pint glass and it had a beautiful reddish brown color with a thumb sized head that slowly faded but left some lacing. Smell was mostly nutmeg and cinnamon with some other faint spices, possibly clove. Taste started off with mostly nutmeg with some earthy nodes, but no real pumpkin taste. Finish was pretty smooth with more earthiness and a slight bitterness, probably due to the alcohol content. Overall, an easy pumpkin ale to drink, but it didn't leave a lasting impact on me. I'd rate it as #2 behind Shipyard on the pumpkin ale scale. Its probably a better all around beer because its well balanced and easy to drink, but since its lacking the big pumpkin punch I'm looking for, it falls short.

Kane Brewing Co. Afterglow

The final beer that Kane Brewing Co. Has put out to date is a Rye Pale Ale called Afterglow. The name Afterglow came from the owner of the brewery who got the idea from the orangey sky that can be seen down at the Jersey Shore when the sun is setting on a nice evening. As for the beer itself, it poured a very nice orangey brown color with a decent sized head that lasted until I finished drinking the beer. Aroma was some sweet malt but mostly hops which were very delightful. The taste slightly sweet, but finished very hoppy and dry. The rye wad not overbearing, but rather balanced out very well with the hops and malts. This is a very solid rye pale ale that even my brother-in-law Terry enjoyed. It might even be my favorite pale ale because it balances the hops, malt and rye so well.

After trying all three beers, the IPA is my favorite, but the pale ale and Belgian-style are both really delicious and easy to drink. For a hop lover like me, Kane has put together three great beers that pack a lot of hops, but are also very balanced. Once again I suggest everyone check out Kane's blog (listed below) because it has the mist up-to-date list of where you can find their beers. They are self distributing now so it may be hard to find, but is worth traveling for. Also, the brewery in Ocean Township is open for growler fills and tours every Saturday from 12-5. Cheers guys, happy Labor Day Weekend!!

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