Pumpkin Brown Ale

Pumpkin Brown Ale by Low Road Brewing was judged as BJCP category 30B, Autumn Seasonal Beer. The beer opens with a strong nutmeg aromatic followed by a low-level vanilla and cocoa. There is a touch of toast and nuttiness. Maybe a woody hop notes as it warms up, but the nutmeg dominates the aromatics. The beer is brown with deep ruby highlights with a slight haze. Topped by a foamy tan head that drops very quickly to a creamy ring that lingers well. The nutmeg is front and center in the flavor as well. Some cocoa manages to poke through with a little vanilla. A toasty, nutty aspect that comes across as toasted coconut shows up mid-palate and hangs on through the finish and into the aftertaste. Moderately bitter, which seems to be from the nutmeg as much as hops. The beer finishes dry, which may also be aided by the spice. Medium body with moderate carbonation and a little astringency. Again, the spice seems to add a level of harshness to the mouthfeel.

Overall, a good beer that suffers from missing style expectations. It just doesn’t seem like a pumpkin spice beer. The nutmeg was rather dominant and other than the low level of vanilla, was the only element of pumpkin spice I could find. I enjoyed the toasty coconut aspect of the beer but as a pumpkin spice beer it could use some additional complementary spices of cinnamon, ginger and cardamom and a little less nutmeg. The Brown Ale base beer could also use some additional malt character and sweetness, maybe a little caramel to balance things out a little.