Cape Ann Fishermans Pumpkin Stout

Brewed by Cape Ann Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Gloucester, Massachusetts USA

Pours with an almost, three finger-thick, lightly browned, tan colored head that is a mix of creamy and frothy consistencies. The beer is a dark brown almost black color that is dark enough to be opaque when held up to the light, despite showing a clear, dark chocolate hue as I was pouring. The aroma is clearly pumpkin influenced as that is what is most noticeable as I am pouring this brew; not just spices either, there is a nice, fleshy pumpkin meat character to this brew. Upon deeper inspecting softly roasted, dark malt notes (light espresso, toasted grain, touch of chocolate) accent notes of cinnamon, caramelized pumpkin flesh and a touch of nutmeg. The nose of this brew has a really nice balance that I was not expecting; this is clearly a pumpkin beer, but the spice notes are quite restrained and the underlying Stout aromatics are a really nice touch.

The beer starts out dry and lightly tart, but picks up a malty, chocolate-like sweetness through the middle at which point some cinnamon notes accentuate the sweetness a bit more. The beer finishes with a flash of pumpkin pie and then a long, lingering, roasted grain character that tastes of charcoal, a light burnt acidity, a touch of blackened chalk, and a dry black coffee finish. Initially the pumpkin meat is not as noticeable in the flavor as it was in the aroma, but I think it does accent the middle of this brew and adds just a hint of squash flavors towards the finish. As the beer warms up though, the pumpkin flavors start to play a little bit bigger role here and are actually fairly noticeable. The texture of this beer is quite nice; soft, sort of creamy, with a palate coating quality to it, yet it is not overly heavy and is a the perfect drinking beer for cooler weather.

Definitely one of the best Pumpkin beers I have ever had; I would not have guessed it but the base beer style of a Stout pairs really well with the typical Pumpkin flavors and light spice notes. I definitely love well made Pumpkin brews, but they have been so hard to find commercially that I am really loving this beer. One of those beers that justs really hits the spot at this particular moment in time.

Holds a head well enough with aromas of cinnamon and pumpkin spice. Theres also a decent amount of chocolate. The body is silky smooth. The flavor mesh really well. A really well built, well concieved and easy drinking beer.

This one caught my eye on tap at Hop Devil Grill, NYC, during their "Stout Month". Nice pumpkin and stout aroma, surprised how well that works together. Dark brown body with decent sized white head. Great taste - wow, this really works! Big stout base, huge pumpkin flavour that never falls out of balance. I could drink this all night, great stuff.

on tap at the spuyten duyvil, 10/29/07. dimply creamy dark tan head, bubbles in the surface - blackish brown body and chestnut amber at the edges. aroma is deep roasted chocolate malt, with pumpkin pie spices like nutmeg and allspice. a little grassy sour in the background and finish.

12-oz bottle generously provided by tjthresh. Pours black with a small, fizzy, light brown head, diminishing with fair lacing. Aroma is heavy malt (cookie, chocolate, nutty), light hops (herbs), average yeast (leather) with notes of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger. Medium bodied, creamy texture, average carbonation, and a chalky finish. Average duration, light sweetness, acidity, and bitterness.

Thanks to John and David for the opportunity to try this! Poured very deep brown with a short yellowy-beige head. The aroma picked up pumpkin meat and related spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom come to mind) above a nice layer of roasted chocolate stoutiness.. I really dug it! The flavor had more roasted chocolate than the aroma, but the pumpkin pie presence was much more than an afterthought.. vanilla, pumpkin meat, and similar spices to the nose were in abundance, with a bit of a sour oaky appeal and some cocoa on the finish.. weird, but tasty. Medium-bodied with lower carbonation.. a touch sour, and delightfully balanced!

Gravity keg at Ginger Man. What a delicious beer! The pumpkin flavors are really strong, and add great complexity. The underlying stout is nice too, and is a welcome change from the typical amber ales that hold most pumpkin brews. Spices are not too strong. Great stuff!

Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with a medium-sized, light tan head. Smell: Dark roasted malts with star anise, unsweetened chocolate, pumpkin, and the obligatory pumpkin spice. Taste: Roasted malt flavor with a fair amount of chocolate and even some licorice. The pumpkin flavor takes a backseat to the stout. However, the pumpkin spice is, well... spicy, and it really helps to lighten things up. Drying, spicy finish. Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Drinkability: Pumpkin Ale and Stout, what a cute combination.