Blue Moon Brewing Company Harvest Pumpkin Ale

**Aroma:** “A smooth blend of pumpkin-pie spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) and a rich, bready sweet caramel malt character (bordering on toffee) compete for dominance, with a pleasant note of fresh-baked pumpkins.” **Flavor:** “Deep malt sweetness comes through as caramelized brown sugar and toffee, supported by a very nice spice character with notes of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Surprisingly balanced, considering the sweetness, thanks in part to the spice profile. Clean, crisp, warm finish with a slight lingering sweetness, but far from cloying. Definitely a big beer.” **Overall:** “This beer has a lot to offer—full-bodied, rich, and complex, with a very well designed spice profile that’s not too spiced nor too sweet. It all comes together well, and the warmth of the beer makes it bigger than most pumpkins. Big yet approachable.”

**Aroma:** “Nice malty nose, but the spices offer more of a phenolic complexity than pumpkin character. The aroma doesn’t promise much.” **Flavor:** “Pumpkin flavor comes through as baked pumpkin with a touch of brown sugar, followed by cinnamon and allspice that add complexity rather than a big pie experience. Nice big mouthful of malt, with toast and caramel standing tall. Crisp with almost a carbonic bite and balanced with a subtle hint of sweetness in the finish.” **Overall:** “Spices are used well to support the pumpkin flavor. Very tasty but comparatively simple in its use of spice and malt complexity.”

**Aroma:** “Caramel malt sweetness with toffee and biscuit notes followed by subtle spices—cinnamon, clove, allspice, and ginger. Burnt sugar on top of ale-yeast fruitiness with plums and burnt pumpkin, yet very light for a pumpkin beer.” **Flavor:** “Caramel malt sweetness and a hint of pumpkin open, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger or clove to support. Spices are full and all well-represented, but I would love a touch more weight behind them. Grassy hops are very low and appropriately restrained. A hint of sweetness in the finish.” **Overall:** “Nice full-bodied pumpkin beer that goes tastefully lighter on the spices—a refreshing choice for a style filled with sometimes over-spiced beers. Great caramel malt notes and a perceivable pumpkin flavor that many pumpkin beers lack. Finishes a touch sweet, which is perfect for the style. Great beer that immediately brings up thoughts of autumn.”