First of all allow me to apologize for being negligent and absent for a few weeks.
First I had a bad cold that laid me up. Then we went away for a weekend and the next weekend was our anniversary. 
So there is quite a back log of beer tasting notes to get to.

Those who have read this blog might have guessed by now that I am a fan of Two Roads Brewing. I enjoy finding good craft brewers in the state of Connecticut. And I have yet to meet a beer from Two Roads that I did not like. The streak is unbroken with Roadsmary's Baby, though you have to be prepared for something a little out of the ordinary when you give it a shot.

Of course the clever name and inspired design on the can should be a tip off that you are in for something unusual. And that you are. 

Roadsmary's Baby advertises itself as pumpkin ale brewed with spices. But that is only the beginning of the story. It is aged in rum barrels and vanilla beans added. I guess they couldn't fit a kitchen sink in the tank. That is a lot going on in one little can.

There was a definite orange hue to the ale as it was poured from can to glass. That was followed with the aroma of pumpkin spices as the glass was brought closer. And by that I mean the spices one would associate with a pumpkin pie. 

The impression that hits with the first taste is the spices. There is also the hint of vanilla. With subsequent tastes you begin to detect the rum. There is also a slight bitterness from the hops. Overall though the ale was in fine balance.

I did find that the slight rum taste got more pronounced as the beer warmed. (Or maybe that was as the ale warmed me?!) There is definitely no doubt that rum and vanilla were involved in the brewing process of this pumpkin ale. 

This is likely not a beer you'll find yourself drinking all night. It's a little too heavy with the spices and other flavors for that, at least it is for me.

But it is more interesting and complex, and definitely unique compared to all the pumpkin and spiced brews that flood the market this time of year. Two Roads has yet to disappoint. 

I know spiced pumpkin ales aren't for everyone, and it's probably good they are only on shelves for a few months at most. But somehow they now go with autumn as much as apples, cider and cider doughnuts. And Roadsmary's Baby is a good rendering of the type. 

With that I'm giving Roadsmary's Baby from Two Roads Brewing 7 mugs out of 10.

Two indicators of the season can be found in the picture above. 

The first is the glass which speaks to the political season we find ourselves in. This was a gift from my brother and his family after they took a trip to DC. The images on the glass represent a time when the two major political parties actually worked together and repealed Prohibition. Certainly a great moment in American history.

The second sign of the season is the bottle to the left of the glass. A Pumpkin Ale. Yes it does seem that from mid-September through at least Halloween everything turns up Pumpkin. Lattes, donuts, beers. Pumpkin it's not just for pies anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I love pumpkin. The pie is my favorite variety. I do enjoy the flavor of pumpkin and of the spices that usually accompany it. But after a while even I have to say "enough is enough".

This particular rendition of Pumpkin Ale comes to us from Magic Hat brewing company in Vermont. Given to fanciful brews and names as they are, they call their version "Wilhelm Scream". I'm sure there is a story behind that name but I haven't found it.

When pouring you first notice the caramel like color. Then you notice the spicy aroma which is definitely on the sweet side.

This spicy sweetness continues as you begin to drink the brew. The flavor is that of pumpkin pie spice for sure.  So if you're a fan of pumpkin pie and go in expecting a beer on the sweet side you'll like Wilhelm Scream.

However as with the pumpkin craze that seems to overrun us every October now there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

I did find Wilhelm Scream very drinkable. But it is sweet and heavy. There is too much sweetness and pumpkin pie spice flavor for my liking. There is a hint of bitterness in the finish, but it really needs to be more pronounced to balance the spice and sweetness. 

This is a good brew for the season. But it is not an ale you can drink for any length of time or in any quantity. 

I give Magic Hat's Wilhelm Scream Pumpkin Ale 5 mugs out of 10.

I know it's been a while since the last posting. Has been a very busy couple of weeks both at work and outside of work (and no signs of that abating). Still that's no excuse. 
And it's not like I haven't been drinking any beer since last posting. 
A short time back I had written about Pumpkin Ales (see Blog 13), a drink-worthy one I had found and contrasted that with a more typical style brew of the genre. 
So just wanted to quickly pass along another version of a Pumpkin Ale I found very drinkable. This one comes from the solid line of ales from Long Trail Ale out of Vermont. 
As with the McAuslan version out of Canada this one is tasty without being so sweet you think you're drinking a liquid pumpkin pie. Sure the spices are there and very noticeable, but not overpowering. It's sweeter than you would normally want in a beer, but if you know going in to expect some sweetness since it's a Pumpkin Ale you're okay. The sweetness is not cloying.
So if you're still in the mood for some autumnal brews as we prepare for the holiday season and its parade of dark beers and still more with assorted spices and flavors I say check out Long Trail Ales Pumpkin Ale. Satisfying and puts you in the fall mood.
I rate it 7 mugs out of 10.

Certain images, tastes, sounds and smells are associated with this time of year. Crisp air and crisp apples. Apple cider. Cider doughnuts. Detect a theme here?
And of course pumpkins. Pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin pie. And now that you're lucky enough to be of legal drinking age - Pumpkin Ale.
Personally I think Pumpkin Ale is an over-anticipated sign of the season in that it sounds better in theory than it turns out to be in reality.
And yet every fall season I go right back in. Have to drink those pumpkin brews while they're available! It must be the association with my favorite season, autumn, and its sights, smells, tastes, etc as referenced above.
My experience has been that the best Pumpkin Ales have been those tasted at their point of origin. I recall having one at the Boston Beer Works, a brewpub across the street from Fenway Park, while awaiting a Red Sox-Yankees matchup. Maybe it was the anticipation of the game but I remembered it as being delicious. I also recall having one at a small brewpub in South Orange, New Jersey when visiting our son for parents weekend at Seton Hall University. I remember that brew as very satisfying.
This year though all my exposure to Pumpkin brews has been of the bottled variety, brewed elsewhere, and then delivered either to my door or the local liquor store. Pumpkin Ale definitely loses something in the travel. Or maybe the styles required for bottling as opposed to serving on tap at the brewery are the difference. All I know for sure is that Pumpkin Ale is not one of my favorite fall pleasures.
Recently I have tasted two samples, Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale and McAuslan Brewing's St. Ambroise Citrouille. St. Ambroise is the street in Montreal where McAuslan is located and Citrouille is French for Pumpkin Ale.
Obviously Sam Adams brews are found far and wide and this came from their Fall Harvest collection 12 pack picked up at a local supermarket. McAuslan I had not seen before but it was one of the offerings in this month's Microbrew of the Month club selections that arrived the other day.
I definitely prefer the McAuslan. It has the usual spices that hit your nose as soon as you pour it. It smells like a pumpkin pie. But it is not as sweet as one and so is quite drinkable. But still the combination of pumpkin and spice is just not to my taste. It's good and balanced and not cloying. I can just think of autumnal brews I'd rather be drinking. And I love pumpkin pie!
McAuslan gets 7 mugs out of 10.
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is up to its usual standards. It is solid, well crafted, and again not too sweet. It is also very drinkable. However I did not like it as much as the McAuslan version. The spices were more noticeable in both the aroma and the taste. It tasted a little more like a pumpkin pie, which for me means it was a tad too sweet. And while the McAuslan was a pleasing brownish color with a hint of red, the Sam Adams was much darker in the glass. So it wasn't visually as appealing either. 
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale gets 6 mugs out of 10.
Can't wait to drink and report on more of this latest monthly Microbrew of the Month Club selections!