It was a long Monday at work, but my wife had dinner going when I came home. While she finished up dinner, I enjoyed this beer. It was (I think) the last of the mixed pumpkin beers I bought when I was up in Chicago a couple weeks ago. Most of the beers I bought haven’t been great or worthy of adding to my top 10 pumpkin beers list. I’m hoping Pumpkin Smasher will reverse that trend with this one.
Location: Poured into a slightly curved pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL.
Numbers: 6% ABV, ~200 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s golden-orange in color and lightly hazy from sediment. The head fell after a minute to almost nothing. It has a nice sweet malty, pumpkin-pie like aroma.
Taste & Feel: The body is full and the mouthfeel is smooth. The flavor up front is a good caramelly maltiness. The sweetness grows in the middle, becoming more pumpkin pie like, with the spices gently coming in. The finish is sweet with the perfect balance of spices. The aftertaste is like a slice of pumpkin pie and lasts for a couple of minutes.
Food Pairing: This beer tastes like a slice of pumpkin pie, and the only thing I really want with it is a scoop of whip cream. For a heartier meal, go with the standard holiday fare that you’d have with a slice of pumpkin pie – turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes.
Overall Impression: This is an excellent pumpkin beer, and is definitely one of the best I’ve had. It tastes like a slice of pie and balances the spices perfectly. I only wish it had a thicker, creamier head, but other than that, it was perfect. I’m definitely going to try to find more of this around here, right after I add it to my top 10 pumpkin beers list for next year.
My Rating: 
Reader Ratings[five-star-rating]
