Uinta Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale

The Dirt
Pumpkin ales appeared to be all the rage this past fall, which I liked since I am a fan of this seasonal beer. The Punk'n was actually my first beer from Uinta, and it was a darn good one.

The beer had a slight, but delicious smelling nose of pumpkin and spice. It turned out to have a great balance of taste with these two flavors as well. The beer actually had slightly less pumpkin spices than your average pumpkin beer, but only slightly less, and I really appreciated this. This balanced allowed you to taste the pumpkin a little more without being too earthy. The pumpkin and spice were backed up with a nice malty backbone, further adding to its balance.

All told it was crisp on the front-end and medium bodied, with a great pumpkin and spice profile. It's honestly one of the best crafted pumpkin beers I've tasted. It's not as deep and complex as other beer styles, but certainly at the top of the pumpkin ale food chain.

Worth it?
If Uinta is available in your area, they can be a bit pricey. I was fortunate to grab this six-pack on sale, and it was certainly worth it. But even at full price, Punk'n is worth it, especially if you like pumpkin beers.

The Final Word

 

Sam Adams Fat Jack

The Dirt
Another addition to the quickly growing line of what I call experimental beers from Sam Adams. I love pumpkin beers during the fall, so I was very excited to try this imperial pumpkin ale.

This beer poured a very deep copper color, looking very much like a big pumpkin ale. My first sips reminded me of a non-sweet spiced rum, with noticeable booze and some nutmeg on the back half. As I drank more I could certainly tell there was plenty of pumpkin used. There was a bit of sweet malt 1/3 of the way in, but the taste profile was ending a bit more bitter than I would have liked. Perhaps there was too much booze or maybe even too much pumpkin (gasp!). A bit more malty sweetness would have been ideal for the early drinking of the beer.

I say "early drinking" as it does take a bit of time to consume this bomber, which is a good thing. It became less bitter as time went by and the beer warmed up. But don't let it get too warm, as the spices and booze will come through too much.

Overall the Fat Jack was an interesting and dynamic beer. I recommend enjoying it with a meal, as this too decreases the bitterness or harshness I tasted.

Worth it?
It was a rather affordable bomber. I'd pick Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin over this, but it's worth a try. I think I'd be a big fan if it had a little more maltiness, but it is a good beer, especially after it warms a bit.

The Final Word