Fat Heads Phantom Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Fat Head’s Brewery & Saloon
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
North Olmsted, Ohio USA

Tap @ Fat Head’s. Pours a clear copper body with a creamy white head that fell to a thin film. The nose is pretty great, more pumpkin forward than most, the spices are where they ought to be, in the background. Same with the flavor, though it does seem a bit thin. I like this because it isn’t all pie spices. Mouthfeel is pretty full but not sticky or clingy with light fizzy carbonation. One of the better pumpkin beers I’ve had. I’d like to see this on nitro vs. Selins Grove Pumpkin.

Not bad. I thought it was significantly missing something vs. Dogfish head & southern tier, but as I drank it along with my sandwich, it was markedly better. The salt from my food seemed to add the touch extra I was craving. The flavor of the beer is caramel malt, very little spice, a touch of pumpkin and almost a rye-like flavor.

On tap at brewpub
It is the season for pumpkin ales so in that spirit I ordered a sample of this to start the evening. Solidly made it falls near the squash end of the "pumpkin ale" spectrum. These are not my favorite but I could still finish a pint of this without any problems.

Aroma / Appearance - Blood orange and carbonated it smells like buttered squash which has cooled after being taken out of a hot oven. Cinnamon and orange peels accent this somewhat but overall it could have more sweetness.

Flavor / Palate - Spicy with a yeasty kick it tastes like a pie crust which has been left to bake for a hair too long. Mellow and drinkable my biggest complaint is the vegetatal nature. This is probably not a flaw since it was brewed that way but I prefer my pumpkin beers more sweet generally.

Sample at the brewpub. Clear amber pour with a medium beige head. Malty aroma with notes of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Caramel malt flavor with cinnamon and ginger sprinkled in before a bitter finish. Decent brew, but I prefer my spice beers to be over the top on the spice.

very decent and likeable pumpkin ale- great ,somewhat creamy mouthfeel. requisite spicing leads to a nice aroma and flavor. nothing outstanding, but very drinkable and a nice fall quaffer.

Enjoyed at Fat Heads Pittburgh on tap in a pub glass. The beer pours a lightish amber color, with a medium-sized ivory head. The nose gives a moderate to heavy level of spice, obviously indicating Halloween and Thanksgiving-type flavors, but markedly lacking the refinement or interplay achieved by such classics as Southern Tier’s Imperial Pumpking. The palate is overly spicey, giving the drinker the impression that he is simply drinking spiced alcoholic water, with little indication that there is an underlying beer. Little malt character is detectable, and no hop character is present. The addition of some high crystal or Special B malt would go a long way here. Overall, not terrible, but not very good, either.

On tap, poured a slighlty murky deep orange color. Nice spice aroma with some pumpkin sweetness. Balanced flavor, spices do not dominate as much as the aroma would dictate. Smooth palate and a rich taste. Nice fall beer.

Disappointing. Almost undetectable pumpkin/spice flavor in an acrid, bitter brew. Better luck next year?