Halloween Day by Day: Steamworks Brewing Pumpkin Ale

I'm not going to lie... I get hesitant around October, because I know I'm going to be expected to sample the Halloween themed beers that come out.

To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the taste of pumpkin.

And last week's beer left a really bad taste in my mouth.

However, I'm willing to take one for the team, and put my taste buds on the line for our readers...

I have always enjoyed the steampunk styling of Steamworks' labels- and the label for their Pumpkin Ale is no exception. There's a nice touch of Victorian style to the artwork- the sort you'd find in newspapers at that time, almost.. They aren't elaborate, but are still full of interesting and fun details.

The colour is a deep, brown amber... and looks like there's "heft" to it. It doesn't keep a head of foam very well, unfortunately.

I must say that I the first sip was pretty smooth. There's a subtle hint of the various ingredients of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. They dance together in a nice, gentle flow across the tongue. Each ingredient meshes with the others, without overpowering you. All in all, this pumpkin ale has a balanced flavour that is subtle and smooth. By the end of the bottle, I was quite satisfied.

While I'm not a fan of pumpkin in general, Steamwork's Pumpkin Ale was a nice treat at this time of year, and I would certainly be open to having another bottle next October. A Good from me.

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