Wachusett Pumpkan

Wachusett Pumpkan (2012)

Autumn Seasonal (New).

12 fl. oz. (x12) /  $11.99 USD / 5.2% ABV

About: "Wachusett Brewing Company is releasing their newest beer, Pumpkan Ale. With the recent installment of the canning line, this will be the third aluminum packaged product added to the portfolio. Pumpkan is a session amber ale with a 5.2% ABV and 20 IBUs. The use of Two Row, Cara Crystal Wheat and Caramunich malts create a perfect balance to the pumpkin puree and Blonde Belgian Candi Sugar. The combination creates a deep orange color with the subtle spice flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg."

Thoughts: From a visual standpoint, this is a really nice looking beer. The color is rich and deep, and the frosty white head topping the brew is dense and frothy.

The scent is very crisp, but unfortunately light and subtleties are not my best area. It smells of mashed and cooked pumpkin along with malts but that's about it. The spices don't come out all that much.

Taste is bitter. Spice is light. Spice does not linger. It's watery. Spice is soft and overpowered by the bitterness. Definitely not sweet enough. It's very earthy, leafy, kinda dirty and grassy. A little peppery. Little bit sour, not horrible but way more sour than I usually like, especially in a pumpkin beer. Needs to be sweeter. Could use a little brown sugar, more cinnamon and less of those grassy hops. Otherwise it's decent and there's nothing wrong with it. It's a standard pumpkin ale and that was their downfall perhaps, after producing a very above average Imperial Pumpkin Ale on their first try.

The initial rush of natural pumpkin, however light it is, is good but it falls flat really fast. An unfortunately weak offering. I wonder how much Belgian Candi Sugar was used in this... a teaspoon? Or does it being of the "Blonde" variety have something to do with it? It's pretty abysmal in terms of the letdown. Still better than Pumpkinhead though, and again, that ain't sayin' much.

I read the press release for this beer before it came out and I was really looking forward to it. After all, just take a fucking look at that can design. It's awesome!! Not only that, but last year I had Wachusett's Imperial Pumpkin Ale (which was their first bottling of the product) and it downright blew me away. I found it comparable to Pumking (in terms of quality), though very different, and graded these beers similarly.

Am I being too hard on this perhaps because I was looking forward to it so much? It's better to not get psyched about a beer you haven't tried before, I know, but I was fairly confident that this would have been a lot better. Meh. I ended up using most of the cans as chasers, and in that particular requirement, this beer served its purpose quite well.

Wachusett's LARRY Imperial IPA

Wachusett's LARRY Imperial IPA - The Publick House Series (2011)

Brewed and Bottled by Wachusett Brewing Company, in Westminster, MA. USA.
Rotating? (Limited Release)
22 fl. oz. / $5.59 USD / 7.5% ABV

About: "A Drinkable Imperial. We teamed up with our friends at the Publick House to create this 7.5% ABV, 85 IBU India Pale Ale, so you can enjoy it with yours. Amarillo, Chinook, Simcoe, Magnum, Centennial hops, American Two Row, Crystal and Munich Malts."

Thoughs: Poured a bright orange, with a bit of a yellow amber hue in the light. Huge white puffy head that must have stolen all the carbonation away. There's only a few bubbles in there halfway up, and rising every few seconds.

The smell is serious hops! Little piney, little floral, little grassy and all very sweet smelling. Like mandarin oranges. By definition, this is what an Imperial IPA should smell like. It's absolutely gorgeous! I'm ashamed to have held off so long. As I re-read this I notice it's taken me about seven minutes before I actually tasted it. It just smells so good.

These must be my favorite hops. All of them. Right here. Little bits of burnt buscuit malt fade in, followed by a mild spice on the tongue that later turns to a grassy after tone. Citrus hops bounce around the tongue upon breathing in. The spice gets a little stronger as it warms, but it's fast attacking and doesn't linger. Little bitter, little sweet, little girl I want to eat. The alcohol content, though not incredibly high, is super hidden too... just like the bodies in my basement.

It's quite a bit thick and creamy. Tastes so good that it just flows down. This brew doesn't retreat on you, either. It's sticking around. Is that what they call "syrupy"?

I can't really find any downside to this brew. It smells good, it tastes good, it feels good. Their site addresses this brew as a "drinkable imperial". Well, it's definitely that, and also a drinkable IPA as well. Very drinkable actually. Just smelling and tasting this reminds me of when I was a kid... ya know? Don't get me wrong, I wasn't drinking this out of my baby bottle or mum's tit (I don't think!?). No, I think about how when I was younger and I would smell a beer like this and hold back. I did not know then what I know now. Hey, give me some credit though, I was only five at the time. 

"Larry", you are one exceptional brew!

Wachusett Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Wachusett Imperial Pumpkin Ale (2011)
Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release)
Brewed and Bottled by Wachusett Brewing Company in Westminster, MA. USA.
22  fl. oz /  $5.99 USD
8.0% ABV

About: "Wachusett Imperial Pumpkin is an ale brewed with pumpkin puree and accented with Belgian Candi Sugar, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Ginger. It contains a generous amount of Two Row Barley blended with Caramel Malt and then fermented with Northwest Yeast, creating a unique profile as unique as every pumpkin in the patch."

Thoughts: I really like the look of this label. I know it seems pretty plain only being text, and there's not even the standard picture of a pumpkin on it, but it's huge and has warm, inviting colors.

Orange hued. Poured a one inch thick off-white head that very slowly died down to a half inch head that remained for several minutes, never fading away until I started drinking. Amazing! There are tons of carbonation bubbles in this. Non-stop and they're all over the place. The most I've seen from all the pumpkin ales so far.

 

Surprisingly mild. No overwhelmingly ridiculous amounts of spice... it sure smells of pumpkin patch. As it warms I'm getting a little more brown sugar in there.

Whoa! Starts off with that mild spice, earthy tones, then it hits you with a zinger. Pucker up buttercup because that 8.0% kicks in. After a few sips and a couple gulps I'm getting used to it and it's holding up well. All of the flavors slowly roll around the high alcohol. Vanilla and sugar representation is well done, nutmeg and cloves both get their time to shine. I'm not really getting too much cinnamon or allspice, which I'm very happy about because I feel those two spices have been severely overdone and ruin some of these ales. This tastes Damn good.

It's smooth and mild, aside from that initial case of fish lips. It's not sticky, and my mouth isn't dry. 

 

Nice aftertaste. Little bit of a sweet kick, everything seems in balance and it's not leaning towards any extreme. The alcohol, the spice, and the pumpkin never overshadow one another. I'd say for the low price of this 22 oz bomber, combined with the high alcohol content and how good it tastes, this is a must try for pumpkin fans. This one is most surely headed towards the top of my list.