PUMPKINFEST by Terrapin Beer Company
Trying a brew from Terrapin Beer Company tonight. This is the second brew from Terrapin, I have gotten my hands on. According to Terrapin website, Pumpkinfest is a blend between an Oktoberfest and a Pumpkin Ale. If that is the case then this should be an interesting brew to try and I am eager to see what Pumpkinfest is all about. Terrapin Beer Company is located in Athens, Georgia. They have come up with some really unique and interesting brews like Liquid Lunch and Liquid Bliss. Some of their main brews have come from their side projects. Like Maggie's Peach Farmhouse Ale as Side Project #7 and now this brew I am trying tonight is Side Project #8. I tried Maggie's Peach and I am curious to see what Side Project #8 has become. "So…keeping up with Terrapin’s out of the box brewing tradition, I decided to brew a beer that combines both of these delicious brewing styles." Terrapin combined Oktoberfest style ale with a Pumpkin Ale to create Pumpkinfest. Pumpkinfest has an alcohol by volume or ABV of 5.5% and an IBU of 23.
Appearance of Pumpkinfest
Looking at the color or appearance of this brew it looks like an Oktoberfest. The color of Pumpkinfest auburn or a amber tint to the beer. For example, below is a picture of Left Hand Brewing's Oktoberfest and if you look closely the colors are very similar.
Left Hand Brewing Oktoberfest
In terms of this being a blend of two styles of beers, the color makes you think of an Oktoberfest and the aroma makes you think of a Pumpkin Ale. The aroma notes, I am picking up are the sweet and spiced aroma of a Pumpkin Ale. While I do notice the Pumpkin side of this beer there is a subtle hint of the Oktoberfest aroma, which plays on a malt backbone to the beer. When you pour this beer, the head or foam at the top leaves a quarter inch of foam at the top, with a brownish white tint to it. Spiced aroma I am picking up in this brew is a cinnamon and a clove presence mixed with the pumpkin.
I am curious to see how the taste combines the two styles or if it focuses on one side in particular. As of right now, this looks and smells like a combination of the two different styles. I think it will be hard to combine the two styles taste, but let's see where it will take us. To be honest, if Terrapin can pull it of this might become my favorite pumpkin seasonal beer. It would be able to appeal to Oktoberfest drinkers and the Pumpkin Ale drinkers at the same time. I took my first sip and I think taste wise I notice more of the Oktoberfest style at first. There is a note of the Pumpkin sweetness, which shows the combination of the styles but it is not as strong as the Oktoberfest flavor profile. The Oktoberfest note that I notice most is the malt, which is an important thing in this style of brew. I think the addition of the Pumpkin, plays more with the mouthfeel and not so much the taste of the beer. I pick up the spice notes lingering on the tongue after I finish drinking the beer. This is a good seasonal brew, but is not taking over my top seasonal pumpkin brew.
Check out this combination of style Pumpkinfest
Overall, I think Pumpkinfest is a good brew and gives the beer drinker a sense of both styles. I think though taste wise if it's going to be listed as a pumpkin beer it might need more power in the taste aspect. If you like Oktoberfest beers, this is a beer you can enjoy while still getting a touch of a pumpkin note. If you like Pumpkin Ales, this is a beer you can enjoy as well because you get the hint of Pumpkin in the brew. I think that this is a good brew to give you a sense that fall has officially arrived and allows you to drink to fall's arrival.
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