The Elder Pumpken from Otto's Pub and Brewery

We were able to stop at Otto's again and try another one of the Cork and Cage series. They were out of this beer the last time we visited so we were excited to try it this time. Hopefully next time we can get a tour of the brewery. You're supposed to call ahead for a tour, but we tried asking for one anyway. Unfortunately for us they were in the middle of bottling and couldn't give a tour that day.

Color:

Light red-orange with gold hues, but mostly orange, SRM ~10

ABV:

8.6%

Glass:

Half Pint Nonic

Smell:

Not a strong smell, sweet in a way, no cloves or spices normally used in pumpkin ales, maybe slight vanilla

Taste:

This is almost like a malty pumpkin cider. There is almost no carbonation. It barely bubbled when it was poured straight down in the glass, the small head created had zero retention. It has a malty pumpkin after taste with a very slight hoppy after taste. It has a slight fruity cider-like taste probably from the elderberry added. When I placed it under the tongue I got a strong berry flavor. You can’t taste the 8.6% alcohol; there is maybe a very slight alcohol aftertaste. As it warmed, a vanilla smell started to show up and it became more pumpkin in taste. The glass poured had a cloudy brown color and was slightly sugary in taste, more sugary than the other glasses.

Rating:

This was a very different kind of pumpkin ale. It was very much like a pumpkin cider, which I enjoyed quite a lot. The berry hints made it something I would heavily suggest trying.