Upslope Pumpkin Ale

A beautiful, brilliantly clear amber with a medium-sized head of tiny beige bubbles leaving a little Belgian lacing as the beer goes down. Aroma is more pumpkin pie spice than pumpkin, but some actual pumpkin notes seem to be there too. Spicy aroma notes of allspice, light cinnamon, a bit of clove, and some ginger intermingle with a little mace. Floral hops are in the background with maybe a bit of black pepper. The flavor comes across with caramel and bread crust malt, slight honey, and all of those pumpkin pie spices in the aroma – more of a stronger nutmeg than the mace from the aroma. The finish is off-dry, with a bit of lingering metallic notes, which could be from the hop selection or the water treatment. It finishes creamy with a slight alcohol warmth, and some buttery diacetyl notes – maybe an English Ringwood type yeast. The yeast also presents a rich hazelnut character. Although there are some great pumpkin and pumpkin spice notes, there seems to be a bit of a conflict with the yeast character. Still, this is an enjoyable pumpkin beer.