There’s no doubt this is a pumpkin beer. I cracked the top open and smelled the pumpkin.
Background
Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin is aged for three months in oak staves from Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve Bourbon barrels. Shipyard Brewing Co. hand labels each can of Bourbon Barrel-Aged Smashed Pumpkin Ale with the year, barrel number, and aging location as an extra touch.
My Review
The initial sip is sweet and pumpkiny. The mouthfeel is thick and heavy. It appears hazy with a deep orange hue. This beer tastes like it was poured from inside a freshly carved pumpkin. Perhaps it’s the bourbon barrel aging, but there’s a strong alcohol taste that I think it could do without. I say “think” because I haven’t finished the 16-oz. can yet and am already buzzed. Woodford Reserve is one of my favorite bourbons, and my buzz has just informed me that the alcohol taste is acceptable. “You’re drinking a bourbon-spiked pumpkin beer; let it ride.”
My conclusion. I love it.
- Pumpkin Ale
- ABV: 9.0%
- 20 IBUs
- Seasonal
- Available in 16-oz Cans (4-packs) & Kegs
- Portland, Maine-based Family-Owned, Craft Beer Brewery
