It's that season again...pumpkin beers and Oktoberfest!!!

Wow, has it really been that long since my last post. Man, I've gotta get better about updating this site. Over the next few days I'm gonna put up some posts about some of the pumpkin beers that you can buy in the area (Nashville) and maybe some of the Oktoberfests that I've had recently. A few weeks ago, I was in the Oktoberfest (which started yesterday in Germany actually) mood, but now I'm all about the pumpkin beers. In the past, I haven't been the biggest fan of these, but I don't know if it's changing tastebuds or the fall weather setting in, but I am really seeking these out at the moment. They just really go with the feel of the season. The first one that i would like to talk about is the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale. It's an ale brewed with pumkins as well as spices(nutmeg, clove, cinammon). I picked mine up at Woodland Wine Merchant, but I've seen it at Midtown Wine and Spirits, and I'm sure you can find it at any other craft liquor store (It's and 8% beer by the way) in town. Let's get to tasting:

Aroma: Definately have cinammon and clove on the nose. You can smell a decent hint of pumkin as well. Definately smells like it fits the season and makes me crave pumkin pie.

Appearance: Poured into a snifter with no head forming to speak of. Beautiful color that matches the fall theme. Beautiful sunburst color ranging from dark amber to lighter orange/amber/golden hues.

Taste: Sampled at about 45 degrees (know it's probably gonna be a little more flavorful at a slightly warmer temp though). It's definately one of the more balanced "pumkiny" flavored beers I've tried this season. The spices come through nicely as well making this one very balanced and drinkable. It tastes like more of what I have expected a pumkin ale to taste. Like a nice piece of pumkin pie with good cinammon, clove, and nutmeg holiday flavor balance. Also, the alcohol content is nicely masked, but there is a hint of the alcohol warmth a few minutes after swallowing.

Drinkability: Weighing in at 8%, I think this is actually a very drinkable pumkin ale. I think 3 of them may be the max I could drink, but if you appreciate pumkin ales, I think this one is really enjoyable. Not necessarily a session beer, but a nice one to have in a snifter at the close of a pleasant fall day. One that will probably make you want one more before ending the night.

Overall: Probably the best pumkin ale I've tried this season although I've only tried a few so far and have some other good ones to taste. I think this one is exactly what one would expect from a pumkin ale. Ever present pumkin flavor, smooth body, not harsh, and nicely spiced but balanced bringing the changing color of the leaves to mind. Very good impression with this one. If pumkin ales aren't your thing, you might want to skip it, but if you're seeking out something with a lot of fall flavor, I highly recommend this one this year. Next up is the Dogfish Head Pumpkin ale. Stay tuned and thanks for reading!

Score: A