Breckenridge Vanilla Porter

Our next porter is Breckenridge Vanilla Porter purchased at the Havana House.

This ale is brewed with real vanilla beans from Papua New Guinea and Madagascar. It is "remarkable and partakable" and the website provides a recipe for a Vanilla Porter Milkshake. It has 16 IBUs and is 4.7% ABV.

Overall average rating: 7.7/10

It pours a rich, dark amber/red color abd is slightly opaque. The head is a slight off white and carbonated and there is lacing on the glass. The aroma is a sweet vanilla, dark malt, molasses, and collfee, as well as a crème brûlée scent. The very first taste to come from this is vanilla, but it's cool and refreshing, not overpowering. You then taste coffee with a sugary finish; there is almost no hop flavor. It has a front tongue bite with a slight lingering on the sides.

Shawn- This is an excellent dessert beer because of the sweetness and the fact that it doesn't coat your palate. I do question it's consistent drinkability, however, 7.5/10.
Angela- This is a drinkable beer with a rich vanilla flavor. This is another good porter, and it's nice to taste a different flavor (in this case vanilla) rather than the usual chocolate or coffee (although I love those too!), 8/10.
Chris- It is thin but still rich with a lot of flavor, 7.5/10.

Our friend Eric has shared his opinion on this beer: "This is a really good dessert beer - the last one of the night.  It is an ideally balanced porter with definite vanilla flavor.  This is not a hint of vanilla or something only an experienced palate can discern; there is plenty of vanilla.  On tap, it is smoother but slightly watery compared to the bottle version.  Rating: 9.0."

Founders Porter

Happy 11/11/11! After our long pumpkin ale journey, we are now venturing onto porters. Our first is Founders Porter purchased the Havana House.

"Brewed for us. Enjoyed by everyone."

The company was founded in 1997, and the beer has a bottled on date of 8/23/11. This beer is "cozy like velvet," "a lover, not a fighter," and "dark, rich, and sexy" - who can resist a beer that boasts such allure?! It has 45 IBUs and is 6.5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 8.5/10

This beer is black with a thick pour and is completely opaque. The head is a caramelly light brown and is quick to diminish. The aroma is roasted malt, smoke, coffee, and deep, dark cocoa bean. The smooth taste is delicious - chocolate and "smoked coffee bean" (-Chris). There is a mainly front tongue with a little back tongue bite. It ends well with a hop finish that is not predominant but more of a hop undertone. This has great drinkability.

Shawn- This beer is nice and clean with coffee and chocolate flavors. This is so smooth it seems thin even though it's rich and thick. The flavors are well-balanced; the coffee is refreshing and gives this beer amazing drinkability - I could wake up and drink this, 8.5/10.
Angela- One word: yum. This is absolutely dark, rich, and sexy. It is thick and rich - a great cold weather beer. I will absolutely drink this again, 8.5/10.
Chris- This is what I expect from a porter; it has a very good thickness. Personally, I would like a little less coffee flavor because it becomes too predominant for me, 8.5/10.

Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin

Our final pumpkin beer is Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin from the Pugsley's Signature Series purchased at Vintage Estates.

"This is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aromas of pumpkin and nutmeg. The Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau hops to balance the sweetness of fruit." To enjoy all of the flavors to their fullest, this beer is best served at 55°F, and it is excellent to cook with (i.e. braised short ribs). It pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews, flan, pumpkin pie, and (oddly enough) Fig Newtons. It is 1.088 OG and 9% ABV.

Overall average rating: 7.7/10

The color is an orangey straw/light amber hue. The aroma is that of pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon. We don't notice any clove or allspice scents or any extra sweetness in the aroma. There is a side and slight front tongue bite, and the taste gives us cinnamon, nutmeg, and hops, with a slight clove flavor.

Shawn- This is a very drinkable beer for the fall. I like the crispness and find it to be hopped just enough to bring out the other flavors, 7/10.

Angela-  This is spicy and delicious, and it is exactly what I want from a pumpkin beer, 8/10.

Chris- This is a beer I normally suggest to someone who has never had pumpkin beer before. I will be drinking this again, 8/10.

Heavy Seas - The Great Pumpkin

Our second to last pumpkin beer is Heavy Seas'  The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale from its Mutiny Fleetseries purchased at Vintage Estates.

All of the beers in the Munity Fleet are bottle-conditioned, and many are vintage dated and designed for aging. This bottle boasts "Embrace your inner pyrate and join the mutiny! It's the great pumpkin... risen at last!" This is brewed with pumpkin and spices and is 8% ABV.

Overall average rating: 7.25/10

Due to it being bottle-conditioned, it is a cloudy orange color. The aroma gives scents of pumpkin, honey, nutmeg, molasses, and coriander. The taste is like that of pumpkin pie spice. It has a side tongue bite with a nutmeg finish and a slight metallic after taste. While we smelled coriander, there was no evidence of it in the taste.

Shawn- The taste doesn't live up to the aroma. It's a good pumpkin beer, very drinkable, but I don't enjoy the metallic after taste. I would have liked to try The Great'er Pumpkin, 7.25/10.
Angela- It is very drinkable, and you can taste the spices, which I enjoy in pumpkin beers. This is not my favorite, but it is very good, 7/10.
Chris- I enjoy the hop after taste. This is one of my "go to" pumpkin beers, and I will continue to go back to it, 7.5/10.

Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale

We're nearing the end of our pumpkin ale journey, and next up is Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale purchased at Vintage Estates.

"Early American Colonialists, seeking natural ingredients for brewing ales, turned to pumpkins, which were plentiful , flavorful and nutritious. Blended with barley malt, pumpkins became a commonly used beer ingredient." This particular brew uses hundreds of pounds of pumpkins that are blended into the mash of each batch. It is 13.5°P and 5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 3.5/10

The color is a light amber with a little orange. The aroma is sweet, with scents of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little clove. The taste gives us pumpkin, wheat, and a hint of barley.

Shawn- I would rather drink Sierra Nevada Torpedo, which is one of my least favorite beers (I am not a hop fan), 3/10.
Angela- This is my least favorite pumpkin beer out of everything we've tried. It isn't awful, but it's not great, 3.5/10.
Chris- This is middle of the road; it's just not very memorable, 4/10.

Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

Our next pumpkin ale is The Rivertown Brewing Company's Pumpkin Ale purchased at Vintage Estates.

This ale is handcrafted in small batches and has a fiery jack o' lantern on the label. It is a spice infused ale, using dark sugars, real pumpkin, and fresh ground spices. It is best served at 55°F in a wide pub glass and is 5% ABV.
Overall average rating: 7.0/10

The appearance is a clear, colorful one. We agreed on a light copper/dark amber/orange-y hue. The aroma gives off scents of light pumpkin, as well as nutmeg and clove, although the aroma is faint overall. Compared to the aroma, the taste is strongly cinnamon - you definitely don't smell what you're about to taste. There is a front and middle tongue bite with a slight bitter hop finish.

Shawn- This is a drinkable pumpkin ale and reminds me of a savory pumpkin pie. I would prefer if there was a strong bouquet to help bring more flavors out, 6.5/10.
Angela- It is a unique take using the same flavors as other pumpkin ales. It is our first cinnamon-forward pumpkin ale, and I think it would be an amazing accompaniment to my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, 7.5/10.
Chris- I'd never heard of this brewery before, and this was a really good beer. I would like to see a little brown sugar added and some cinnamon removed because you taste a cinnamon burn, although it is an amazing effect, 7/10.

Brassiere McAuslan - St-Ambroise Pumpkin

Next up on our pumpkin ale journey is the Brasserie McAuslan St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale purchased at Vintage Estates.

This is "the Great St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale," brewed with pumpkin and spices. Interestingly, it is the only foreign pumpkin beer we found. It is 5% ABV.

Overall average rating: 8.0/10

The appearance is a red, caramelly translucent color. The aroma gives off scents of pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Shawn notices two different sweeter smells, perhaps a touch of molasses and/or brown sugar, maybe even vanilla. The taste is dark, caramelly, and sweet with a front tongue bite, and a smooth nutmeg/clove finish. We think it is a dessert pumpkin ale as it has a somewhat smoky burnt sugar flavor like a brûlée.

Shawn- This is a very fun take on a pumpkin ale; it doesn't follow a strict "this is what it should be" kind of recipe. It is nice also to see a different approach to a pumpkin ale that uses the same ingredients as the others, 8/10.
Angela- This is a very, very good, drinkable pumpkin ale that is sweet without being overpowering, 8/10.
Chris- This has strong poignant flavors; the clove flavor, for example, is long-lasting. It could be paired with a heavily flavored dessert, more savory than sweet, 8/10.

Shawn and Chris agree that this would be worth trying with a warm slice of pecan pie topped with Madagascar vanilla ice cream. I'm up for trying that - we'll keep you posted! :)