BJ’s Pumpkin Ale (7/10)

There are at least two BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse locations in Columbus.  One is located in Polaris and the other at the Tuttle Mall.  The beer is a seasonal one and is available during the October-November timeframe.  This review is based on tastings and a draft written in October and November 2013 (so the beer may not be available yet this year, but should be soon).

BJ’s Pumpkin Ale pours a mahogany brown and is slightly cloudy.  There is a thin layer of white head that dissipates fairly quickly.

The aroma is strong on pumpkin flesh and light on spice.

The flavor starts with a kind of molasses sourness, possibly brown sugar used during brewing.  The pumpkin creaminess and flavor compete with the malt for dominance.  Spices stay in the background but are there.  The aftertaste is a mix of caramel, molasses sourness, and malt.

Beer Advocate rates this an 85 with over 30 ratings.  Rate Beer gives it a 73 with over 100 ratings.  I give it a solid 7/10.

This beer is only available at the chain’s restaurants, and only in season.  It can be purchased by the glass or by the growler.  To my knowledge, you can’t buy it in bottles.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
Dominant Flavor (Beer, Spices, Pumpkin):  Hops
Pumpkin intensity:  High
Spice intensity:  Low
Malty or hoppy:  Malty
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Pumpkin and
ABV:  4.7%
IBU:  15
My Rating: 7/10

O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer (4/10)

O’Fallon Brewery out of O’Fallon, Missouri, produces this pumpkin beer.

Aroma is a mix of vanilla and raw pumpkin, with some cinnamon and nutmeg.

Half-finger-thick head of an off-white color lasts briefly before dissipating.

I’m going to be honest here. I think the bottle on which this review is based might not have  been a good one.  Online reviews I’ve read described it as pumpkin pie in a bottle, or one of the better pumpkin beers.  If this bottle is representative, I’m worried about those people.
The flavor is unusual.  I hesitate to call it “unpleasant” but it’s bordering on that.  It starts with a funky sourness that puts me in mind of a combination of spoiled milk and raw pumpkin.  This initial funk gives way to some malt and toasted grain that reminds me of a pie crust.  The finish is bitter and sour.

Beer Advocate disagrees with me on this one, giving it an 82 or “good” rating.  Ratebeer is somewhere closer to my rating, giving it a 52/100.  I don’t care much for this one.  It gets a 4/10.  As I said earlier, maybe I’ve just gotten a bad bottle of it.  If this one is representative, it’s not a good beer.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
More standard beer flavor or more spiced ale:  Neither, it’s odd.
Pumpkin intensity:  High, with raw pumpkin at the forefront
Spice intensity:  Low
Malty or hoppy:  Malty
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Dry
Dominant flavor:  Sour pumpkin funk
ABV:  5.6%
IBU:  11
My Rating: 4/10

Jackie O’s Barking Pumpkin Ale (7/10)

Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery is located in Athens, Ohio, and is the home of Barking Pumpkin Ale.

The beer pours a cloudy medium brown with some red to it, more a mahogany color.  The head leaves behind thin white rings of lacing.

The aroma is on the spicy side.  This may be from the ginger, coriander, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and brown sugar added to the wort during brewing.

The beer is brewed with a lot of malt, so it leans toward the sweeter side, but is reasonably balanced overall.  The finish is slightly bitter.  The spices that are dominant in the aroma are very subtle in the flavor.

RateBeer gives this one an 89/100 overall with 20+ ratings.  Beer Advocate gives it an 84/100 with 40+ ratings.  I’m giving it a 7/10.  I’d like to see more spice and less bitterness.

I sampled this at The Daily Growler in October 2013.  I’ve not seen it available in stores.  To find it, you’ll need to check beer menus at restaurants and growler shops, or make a trip to Athens.


Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
Dominant Flavor (Beer, Spices, Pumpkin):  Malt
Pumpkin intensity:  Low
Spice intensity:  Low
Malty or hoppy:  Hoppy
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Malt
ABV:  7.5%
IBU:  Unknown
My Rating: 7/10

Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale (8/10)

Samuel Adams is one of the beers that I think about when I look back over the emergence of craft beer in the United States.  It wasn’t that many years ago that the beer “landscape” consisted of maybe a dozen different macro beers and common imports from Europe.  Today, we’re blessed with hundreds upon hundreds of craft beers from around the country and around the world.  Sam Adams, by comparison, now feels pretty much like a macro brew.  Funny how times change.

Fat Jack is described as a “Double Pumpkin Ale”.  It features East Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops, with Samuel Adams two-row pale malt, rye Special B, and smoked malt.  To this, they add pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.

It pours a deep brown mahogany color with 2-3 finger thick, coarse tan and white head.

The aroma unquestionably malty and caramel, with a strong alcohol aroma.  The flavor is extremely well balanced.  Pumpkin, malt, and other elements are all present and none really seems to overwhelm the others.  The pumpkin lends a creamy thickness to the beer that’s present throughout the taste.  The finish is a little dry but very good.

Beer Advocate gives it an 82/100 or “good” rating.  Ratebeer is more impressed, giving it a 93/100. 
I’m not sure where I purchased this particular bottle, but given how widespread Samuel Adams distribution is, you should be able to find it at any number of Columbus retailers.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
More standard beer flavor or more spiced ale:  Beer
Pumpkin intensity:  Medium
Spice intensity:  Low
Malty or hoppy:  Malty
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Caramel and Malt
ABV:  8.5%
IBU:  25
My Rating: 8/10

Dayton Beer Co. Pumpkin Party Ale (6/10)

Dayton Beer Company of Dayton, Ohio, produces Pumpkin Party Ale.
Pumpkin Party Ale is brewed with pumpkin, lactose, and spices to give it a complex flavor profile.

It pours a clear medium brown color with a thin white head that lingers a while.  The head leaves behind stripes of lacing as you drink it.

The aroma is that of a lightly spiced pumpkin pie.

The flavor opens a little on the hoppy side, but gives way to cinnamon and allspice.  The aftertaste is decidedly bitter.

I did not find any ratings of this on either of the major beer review sites.  You’re therefore stuck with my own 6/10 rating and your own taste buds.
I tried this beer on draft at The Daily Growler in October 2013, and this review written from my notes taken that day.  As of this writing, I’ve not seen any Dayton Beer Company products in Columbus retailers shops.  I’ve only seen them available in bars, restaurants, and growler shops.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
Dominant Flavor (Beer, Spices, Pumpkin):  Beer
Pumpkin intensity:  Low
Spice intensity:  Medium
Malty or hoppy:  Borderline hoppy
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Hops and spice
ABV:  6.1%
IBU:  Unknown, but I’d peg it in the 25-29 range
My Rating: 3/10

Ithaca Country Pumpkin Ale (7/10)

Country Pumpkin Ale is produced by Ithaca Beer Co. in Ithaca, New York.  It’s available from August through October.

It pours slightly cloudy reddish brown with a finger-thick off-white head.

The aroma is spicy and malty, with a definite ginger note. 

The flavor follows the aroma. Ginger is a prominent element of the flavor, with the pumpkin “funkiness” following it closely.  There is a kind of molasses or brown sugar sourness to it.  Nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon are present, but very hard to pick out.  The finish is a little dry and bitter.

Beer Advocate gives Ithaca Country Pumpkin an 84/100 or “good” rating.  Ratebeer is a little tougher on it, giving it a 70/100.  I like it, but I’m going to side with Ratebeer on this.  I don’t like it as well overall as I do Uinta Punk’n, which got an 8/10.  But it’s a good beer, so I’m giving it a 7/10.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:
More standard beer flavor or more spiced ale:  Beer
Pumpkin intensity:  Low
Spice intensity:  Medium
Malty or hoppy:  Malty
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Ginger
ABV:  6.3%
IBU:  Unknown, but estimate in the 18-20 range
My Rating: 7/10

Antwerpse Brouw Co. Seef (5/10)

I purchased Seef at Savor Market some time ago.  The fact that it was a Belgian ale and that the label reminded me of something from the 1950’s got my attention.  There is also mention of it being an award-winning beer, too. 

I tried a bottle right away and disliked it.  I decided to let another bottle condition for a while to see if it improved with cellaring.  This review reflects notes from both a fresh bottle and a cellared bottle.

Seef pours a slightly cloudy gold with a thick white head that dissipates within a minute or so of pouring.  Despite the head not lasting for long, there is a champagne like carbonation to it as you drink it.

The aroma has elements of both vinegar and fruit, with some malt and perhaps a hint of yeast in there.  It’s neither a particularly pleasant aroma, nor is it entirely unpleasant.  It’s just kind of… odd… or funky…  My notes on the fresh bottle of Seef were that it smelled something like old water that had been used to boil hot dogs.  The cellared bottle doesn’t strike me that way, but I still can’t say it has the delicious aroma of a Tsjeeses Riserva or New Belgium Tripel.

The flavor seems to match well to the aroma.  It starts sweet and malty with a hint of fruit.  Then, you get a slight sourness and a mild hoppy bitterness.  The finish, to be perfectly honest, reminds me of a Budweiser or similar macro brew.  The cellared bottle definitely is milder than the original, so if you purchase this beer I’d strongly recommend cellaring it before drinking – or before tossing it if you didn’t like it at purchase.  It might be more tolerable after time in the cellar.

To balance out my own notes, here are some observations from the folks at Beer Advocate:

• Somewhere at the intersection of a tripel and a hefe… it’s very unique, unlike other Belgian stuff.   A nose of dusty old German malts… the yeast also adds to this ancient sort of unearthing aromatic, it’s funky, short of brett beer funk, but strange…
• Mostly sweet mashed bananas on the nose, a little floral/grassiness… estery sweetness, followed with some herbal and grassy notes and a very slight bitterness on the end.
• Very dry. Slight lemon taste, like a hef…. bitter, grassy backing.

The Beer Advocate crowd rates it 80-82 out of 100.  RateBeer gave it a 64 overall, which is more in line with my own rating of 5/10.  It’s very unusual to see me rating any Belgian or Belgian-style ale down this low, which tells you something for how the aroma and flavor of Seef strike me.  Given a choice between this and a macro brew, I’d probably have a hard time making the call.  The macro would certainly be more boring and less flavorful, but it also wouldn’t have the strange funk, sourness, and grassy notes I get in this one.

I purchased this beer at Savor Market and don’t recall having seen it at other shops in town, but I’m sure it’s available at some of them.

Flavor Profile:
Sweet, Malty, Dry, Bitter, or Sour: Malty, sour, sweet, bitter – all somewhat at once
Spice Level:  Low
Hops Level: Low
Dominant Flavors: lemony/vinegary sourness, malt 
ABV:  6.5%
IBU:  Unknown, but probably below 25
My Rating: 5/10

Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale (4/10)

Brooklyn Brewing Company is one of those brewers that I really want to like.  And a couple of their beers do work for me, specifically Brooklyn Local 2 and Brooklyn Sorachi Ace.  So far, I just haven’t liked the rest because their brewers are into the hop-forward trend of many micro-breweries.

Post Road has a great aroma.  Lots of spice and pumpkin, just the way I like it.

The color is a brownish orange.

The flavor, unfortunately, just doesn’t live up to the aroma and color.  Everything in the beer takes a back seat to the hops bitterness.  That simply never works for me.  There’s almost an astringent kind of element to it.  Brooklyn rates it at 24 IBUs, which should be fairly low, but tastes more like a 35-40 IBU beer to me

Beer Advocate’s 1400+ ratings give Post Road an 80-87.  RateBeer’s 876 ratings seem to side more with me, giving it a 47/100.  My rating is 4/10.  It’s just too bitter for a pumpkin ale.

I sampled this while it was on draft at The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road.  I haven’t seen it available in bottled form at any local retailer for a while.



Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:

Dominant Flavor (Beer, Spices, Pumpkin):  Hops
Pumpkin intensity:  Low
Spice intensity:  Medium
Malty or hoppy:  Hoppy
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Dry
Dominant flavor:  Hops

ABV:  5.8%
IBU:  24
My Rating: 4/10

Uinta Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale (8/10)

Uinta Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale is brewed by Uinta Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah.  It’s brewed from August through October each year.

The aroma is malty with a strong hit of pumpkin (not spice).

The head is a tan color and about finger thick.  It lasts for several seconds after pouring.  A thin, spotty lacing is left in the glass as you drink it.

The flavor profile is more beer than pumpkin and spice.  The spice element is very subdued, if present at all.  I get some ginger, but that’s about it.  The pumpkin flavor comes through clearly and adds a kind of thickness and body to the beer.  The pumpkin also lends a kind of “funk” to the flavor which adds to the complexity.  The finish is slightly dry and bitter.

On balance, it’s a very nice, very drinkable pumpkin ale.  In fact, it’s one of the better ones in terms of smoothness, body, and drinkability.

Beer Advocate rates this a 76/100.  Ratebeer is less kind, giving it a 50 overall.  I’m leaning with Beer Advocate on this one, giving Uinta Punk’n a solid 8/10.  It’s a good beer on its own, and one which would make a good introduction to pumpkin ales for someone who’s never tried one, since its flavor profile is closer to a “normal” ale.  It’s not my favorite pumpkin ale, though. I prefer those which are sweeter and dial up the spice element.

I purchased this particular bottle at Kenny Road Market, but I've seen it available at other local retailers.

Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile:

More standard beer flavor or more spiced ale:  Beer
Pumpkin intensity:  Moderate
Spice intensity:  Low
Malty or hoppy:  Malty
Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced
Dominant flavor:  Pumpkin

ABV: 4%
IBU: 10
My Rating:  8/10

Ohio Craft Beer Festival Sept. 12-14

While visiting downtown recently, I dropped by The Barrel and Bottle beer and wine store in the North Market.  They displayed the chalkboard to the left, reminding visitors of the beer festival scheduled for September 12-14 at the North Market.  This beer festival draws quite a crowd and features only Ohio-made beers.

In the past, I’ve seen beers from Columbus Brewing Company, Four String Brewing, Mt. Carmel, Barley’s, Elevator, and many others.  Unlike some of the bigger beer festivals, this one (at least in years past) has offered the option of both small 5-ounce samples or full 16-ounce pints if you want them.  (You get a certain number of tickets for samples with your admission, and can use multiple tickets to get a full pint or certain more-rare samples.)

It’s a very nice event, and generally well attended.  One of the best parts of this one is the opportunity to take the coupon you get with admission and have something good to eat in the North Market.  You might get a bowl of Vietnamese noodles, a deli sandwich, some Jeni’s Ice Cream, or any of the other delicious North Market foods. 

Depending on what’s happening at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and other venues nearby, parking can usually be had pretty easily.

I’ve attended the event the last couple of years and hope to do so again this year.

Epic Imperial Pumpkin Porter (7/10)

Through September and October, I’m planning to review primarily beers brewed with pumpkins, though a few others will undoubtedly creep in that aren’t pumpkin ales.  This is the first of those reviews.  Another will appear on Friday. Epic Brewing Company of Salt Lake City, Utah, produces this Imperial Pumpkin Porter, which is a ported brewed with pumpkin and spices. It features several different malts, three varieties of hops (Nugget, Perle, and Tettnang), pumpkin, vanilla bean, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. It pours nearly black, with a tan head that lingers for an unusually long time. The aroma is very malty, covering up any pumpkin and spice. The flavor is primarily malty with bitterness to it that seems to come from the grain rather than the hops, though it’s hard to say that with any certainty.  Pumpkin and spice are there if you look for them, but they take a definite back seat to malt and hops.  Honestly, if you think of it as a straight-up porter it’s not a bad flavor balance.  (If you think of it as a pumpkin beer or a pumpkin-and-spice-forward beer, then it fails.) RateBeer gives this a 96/100 with well over 200 ratings.  Beer Advocate gives it an 86/100 with nearly 300 ratings.  Looking at it as a porter, it’s good.  Looking at it as a pumpkin/spice beer, it’s not as good. I’m giving it a 7/10.  With a year of cellaring to mellow it out, it might even get an 8. I had this particular sample at an Oktoberfest event.  I’ve seen and purchased the bottled version locally at Kenny Road Market. Pumpkin Beer Flavor Profile: Dominant Flavor (Beer, Spices, Pumpkin):  Beer Pumpkin intensity:  Low Spice intensity:  Low Malty or hoppy:  Malty (dark roasted malts) Sweet, balanced, or dry:  Balanced Dominant flavor:  Malt ABV:  8% IBU:  Unknown, but would estimate in the 25-28 range My Rating: 7/10

Deschutes Beer and Brats at Giant Eagle

On Friday, August 29, the Giant Eagle location in the Kingsdale Shopping Center hosted the Deschutes Brewery’s “Woody” tap trailer for a special event.  For $5, customers could get a freshly grilled bratwurst and a 16 ounce sample of one of the Deschutes products on tap in the trailer.

Their Twilight Summer Ale was on tap, along with Black Butte Porter and one or more of their IPAs.  We sampled the Twilight Summer Ale, since the Doppel Dinkel Bock wasn’t available, and found it a crisp, refreshing beer that’s good for summer temperatures.

The event seemed quite well attended and the Deschutes folks on hand were kept busy answering questions and handing out samples.

Giant Eagle’s employees did a good job grilling fresh brats and delivering them to the customers.  Inside Giant Eagle, you could also sample wine and beer, or sit at their bar to drink draft beers from the many choices available.