Anderson Valley Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale

Anderson Valley Fall Hornin' Pumpkin Ale - Ale brewed with Pumpkin and Spices (2013)

Brewed and Bottled by Anderson Valley Brewing Co., in Boonville, CA. USA.

Autumn Seasonal (New).

12 fl. oz. / $1.49 USD / 6% ABV

About: "With a brilliant, deep copper hue and creamy beige-colored head, our Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale has inviting aromas of caramelized malt and baking bread with highlights of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin and seasonal spices. The pleasantly creamy mouthfeel and silky body embrace the sweet caramel flavors and tang of spices (with just hint of hops) that ends in a smooth, round finish. MALTS: Pale Two-Row, Maris Otter, Munich, Crystal 120L, Dark Chocolate, Pumpkin Puree / HOPS: Bravo."

Thoughts: Fall Hornin' comes presented with artwork very standard to all the Anderson Valley releases, but this time it's got an orange sky with some bats flying above their mascot.

My first thought on the color was wow that's a dark one. I was expecting a light orange hue but this brew poured a really dark brown color, almost soda like, with a deep burgundy showing through when held to the light. The head is a light tan / kahki color and fizzled away real quick like. Carbonation is low and while dark, the beer is really clear.

The scent up front is thick malts. Standard pureed pumpkin with some denser than normal spices. Doesn't smell all too much like pumpkin pie, but for a spiced pumpkin ale, it's got a lot more "oomph" than the usual fare.

Spices come out hard and heavy in the first gulp. Loads of cinnamon and nutmeg. Spices are tickling and the beer is sweet and malty. After swallowing, the spices linger for a long while and the beer base falls back and calms to a really mellow state. Cinnamon pretty much steals the show here. It's got a nice pumpkin brew flavor to it and it's not bland at all which is nice. It's also not overly bitter or heavy on the cloves. Though the clove is there, sweetness is the main event with this one. You've got little hints of smokiness, a lot of drying cinnamon, pumpkin puree and sweet, sugary malts here. Not bad.

This one is enjoyable, but not all that awesome since it falls basically in the "more of the same" category. I recently tried their Summer Solstice cream ale (no review) and it was fantastic! It would have been cool if they did a pumpkin cream ale similar to that one to make this beer stand out a little more. In fact, they definitely should have done that.