Hello again folks.  Today I thought I would keep in spirit with the season and review a pumpkin beer.  How about the O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer produced by the O’Fallon Brewery located in O’Fallon, Missouri? 

I have only had a few beers from this brewery and I have yet to try their pumpkin brew, so I’m looking forward to giving this thing a test drive.

The website, ofallonbrewery.com, had this to say about their seasonal beer.

Like pumpkin pie in a bottle… we add 136 pounds of real pumpkin to the three-barley mash and then season the finished beer with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.  Available September 1.

Let’s see how it stands up.

This beer has an ABV of 5.6% and it comes in a 12 oz. bottle.

The appearance was a very hazy, orange color with some burnt yellow highlights hugging the bottom and sides of the glass.  The crown was off white, mostly smooth and slightly creamy.  It was very well sized with pretty good retention and some ok lacing.  After the head settled it was no problem to regenerate some foam with just a few swirls.  I love doing that.

The aroma started with the pumpkin of course, but I also found nice wafts of cinnamon, brown sugar and spices of ginger and clove.  A delicate breadiness was found that, when combined with the pumpkin and brown sugar, reminded me of my Mother’s freshly baked pumpkin bread.  Nice and well balanced.
 
The taste brings the pumpkin to the forefront at first.  It’s then followed by some of the nutmeg and the brown sugar/cinnamon combination.  I even thought I was sensing a touch of caramel.  The taste was sweet, but it wasn’t overly sweet.  Just about right really.  The spices were noticed, but the brew was not over spiced like a lot of pumpkin beers can be.  Just a nice little dose to give it a touch more character.  More of the breadiness was tasted also, which give it a well rounded and smoother flavor.  I didn’t really notice much in the hops department with this one however.

The mouthfeel was medium, smooth and somewhat crisp.  It’s not real dry though.  It’s not watery either, but it kind of sat in the middle.  The palate was not left with a great amount of flavor.  It vanished a little quicker than I was hoping.

Well, I thought this was a nice little pumpkin beer.  It fits and follows the style very well.  It had plenty of spice and pumpkin flavor so as not to let me forget what I was drinking.  It was easily drinkable and enjoyable too.  I, personally, don’t think that I could make any “pumpkin” beer my primary beer for an evening, however I could have a couple of these at one time and be quite happy.  I think it’s definitely worth a go if you are looking to try a few different Fall seasonals.  I’ll remember to pick this up again next year and enjoy it as I sit on my porch and watch the leaves turn. 

What brewery do you guys think makes the best pumpkin beer?  Feel free to leave a comment if you wish.

Thanks for reading everyone.

Cheers.

Score:  3.8 out of 5
Grade:  B+