Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Available in regular six packs, Weyerbacher Pumpkin tastes like the kind of beer one expects to get in a bomber or growler. (It's priced that way too-- be ready to pay ten bucks or more for a sixer). Indeed, at 8.0% ABV, a pint of this delicious brew is all you really need to get a pleasant buzz on; drinking a full six pack, or even splitting it with the estimable Pumpking, will get you drunk in a hurry. (Which explains, in part, why there is only review going up today. Like the Dwarves of Moria, we dug too deeply and too greedily into the chilled beerstock last night). The bold taste, too, suggests something that traditionally comes in a singular, large serving size. It's got that special, "there can be only one" je ne sais quoi. Like the Pumpking bomber, more than one of these is simply glutinous. We recommend starting a beery night with Weyerbacher, and then moving on to more manageable brews, like Saranac or Blue Point. 

But this is definitely a beer worth trying. The craft brewery, out of Easton, PA, boasts that their product is "the mother of all pumpkin ales... heartier, spicier, and more 'caramelly' and 'pumpkiny' than its faint brethren." They got the first part right, in any case. Upon the pour, sift&sniff, and first taste, one is treated to an indulgent (if slightly overwhelming) burst of caramel as well as strong hints of cinnamon, like a pumpkin infused Twix Bar. To be sure, then, Weyerbacher upon first blush is among the sweetest pumpkin beers available, comparable to UFO in its prime (see post below). What makes the brew interesting is that it mellows after the first few sips-- or perhaps the taste buds acclimatize-- becoming somehow robust instead of deliriously saccharine. It grows more balanced as you drink it down. Does Weyerbacker live up to its claims of achieving optimal pumpkinyness, you might justifiably ask? That depends on your definition of pumpkiny. If you want your pumpkin flavor to resemble reduced-sugar pie filling, then yes sir, that's your baby; if you are looking something with a little more bite (and why wouldn't you when purchasing a self-proclaimed imperial ale?) you might be disappointed. We were assuredly not disappointing, however. I wish I could tell you more about it, but as I say, drinking more than one of them may cause impaired judgment and memory lapses, among other things. Oops.

From the haze of last night, though, this at least is a true statement: Weyerbacher Pumpkin is a gem of a beer. Grade: A-.