Well kids, my cross-country move is coming fast – in two weeks and a day, I’ll set off for a ten-day drive toward the San Francisco Bay Area after almost nine years in Washington, D.C. I’d be lying if it didn’t freak me out a little bit, but I’m super-psyched to check out the Oakland beer scene and live on the Best Coast!
Anyway, back to the beer. Since it’s Halloween weekend, naturally it’s time to review a pumpkin beer. I was super psyched after picking up a mixed six of pumpkin brews…and then I checked the LIBA beer catalog.
First brew I wanted to write up, Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale…already reviewed. Second brew I wanted to write up, Cisco’s Pumple Drumkin…also already reviewed. Third brew I wanted to review, Southern Tier’s Pumking…yep already reviewed. Dang it Josh, why are you so prolific?!?
Thankfully, my fourth (and final) option, RJ Rocker’s Gruntled Pumpkin has not yet been reviewed – huzzah! Besides making me laugh by reminding me of the word grundle, this brew makes me thirsty by pouring out a hazy golden color, with lots of little carbonation in the glass and a delicious cinnamon-clove aroma.
Tastewise, Gruntled Pumpkin is pretty good, but not in the top tier of pumpkin brews. The first sip starts out crisp and light, with a nice pumpkin pie flavor, but the spiciness doesn’t really last through the middle, and it ends on a bit of a sour and flat note. There’s also lots of mouthfeel on this brew, and it sticks around for a while without any of the side benefits a great-tasting beer provides.
Overall, I’d give this brew a solid meh. If you LOVE pumpkin brews, you’ll probably enjoy Gruntled Pumpkin. But if you’re not super into pumpkin beers, I’d go with one of the aforementioned options.
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