The end of our pumpkin series this year and thank God. I don’t know if I could drink any more pumpkin beers. You just see 3 reviewed but these are the best 3 of the over 15 I had.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale
brewery: Southampton Publick House – www.publick.com
style: pumpkin (fruit/veg beer. whatev)
abv: 5.5%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $3.75

Overview
Southampton Pumpkin Ale is an unique amber-colored brew that has particular appeal during the autumn months and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. We use a generous amount of pumpkin as well as traditional “pumpkin pie” spices to give this unusual brew a definite seasonal character. Available in 22oz bottles and seasonal draft.

What I think
Odd I was able to buy this as a 12 oz. Oh well.

The off white head provided a stylish compliment to and unusually clear body which threw me for a loop since most of the pumpkin beers were a bit hazy. The aroma was straight up nutmeg and pumpkin with a slight malty tone. Smooth to drink but a little too much spice for my liking. The finish was malty and didn’t linger around which was good for me because if that spice stayed I’d have to scrape my tongue. Decent pumpkin beer and good representation of the style.

Spoon’s rating: B-

Last year I had the first ever pumpkin beer that I enjoyed every drink of. Since then I swore it was the Southampton Pumpkin Ale and guess what, I was way off. When I drink a pumpkin beer I like the taste of pumpkin roll. Pumpkin beers are made of either real pumpkins or pumpkin spices. Very noticeable difference if you put the 2 side by side. Trying to keep in the spirit of the season my next few reviews will be pumpkin beers. This is also the last HDH on this domain. I opened my trap about the new HDH domain and now it’s coming up on a local distribution list.  Basically I have to get the site done. Motivation baby! You will see my new format for reviewing also.  Excited eh?

The Beer
Past on past experiences with pumpkin beer I can usually count on one thing. Over spiced. Southampton while having a noticeable amount of nutmeg upfront and cinnamon in the back, it wasn’t an overkill mount. The nose on it was a little rough as it sparked memories of a spice bomb. I was actually pleased with the selection this year but as a bomber bottle (22oz) you really need to make a commitment to drinking once you open it. It was average but very drinkable. The head didn’t hang out very long as about 2 fingers worth was gone from the time I placed it down and picked up my camera.

Spoon’s rating: C+