Selins Grove Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Selins Grove Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania USA

On tap (nitro) at the brewpub. Orange in color, good creamy white head. Aroma of pumpkin, spices and some cinnamon. Taste was very creamy... Nice taste of pumpkin, spices and cinnamon. It was very well balanced, nothing was overdone or over the top. Very easy to drink, a good creamy texture. Good beer.

On nitro at brew pub. Poured a nice amber with very thick white head that left milk mustache. Aroma was cinnamon, spice, pie crust. Taste was cinnamon, baked pumpkin pie, spice, and nutmeg. Finished very nice, smooth and creamy. Very drinkable and enjoyable, but personally Southern Tiers Pumking is better.

On tap at the Selins Grove Brew Pub. Nitro. This one was the reason for making the long trip out (I had very high hopes for it!). I heard they just kicked a keg before we got there and almost didn’t put on another one right away (they had to call the brewer to find out where it was - or something like that). Poured a medium and cloudy amber color with a smaller sized off white head. Aromas of pumpkins, pumpkin seeks, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie crust. Tastes of pumpkins, vanilla, pumpkin pie crust, and spices. Don’t get me wrong, this was a pretty good beer, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations (that being said, I would drink this everyday if I had the chance to!).

Poured a nitro’d amber, with a creamy, medium sized, off white head that left nice lacing on the glass. Aroma of pie crust, cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, and vanilla. Taste of vanilla, toffee, toasted pie crust, pumpkin spice, and brown sugar. Tasty, subtly spiced, and still a nice pumpkin ale.

Draft at the brewpub. Noses in a soft cinnamon oil, vibrant freshly grated Nutmeg and splash of boiled whole allspice. A bit of malt sugar brings up the rear. Subdued due to temperature and gas delivery. Flavor is rich and nuanced. A great balance of spice and wheat malt(?). There’s a bit of chewiness and caramel that adds depth to the spice profile, which is near perfection. Really this beer wins because of how balanced, diffused and integrated. It’s just at that nice level that’s not overwhelming and potpourri-like. There’s a deeper hearty warm pie character that transcends spice, malt and pumpkin meat. A light leaf of hop adds another drop of complexity. Very delicious, fresh and bright. Very good. Maybe not mind-bending, but excelling thanks to high drinkability, perfect spice level and gentle complex sweetness, something that most spice beers try to achieve, but often fail at doing. And Wow, only 4.5%. Flourishes out with a really delicate, but noticeable wildflower honey note and a touch of soft, caramelized pumpkin flesh.

Draft at Brewpub. Pours hazy orange with an small beige head. Aroma is pumpkin; fresh pumpkin, like you just stuck your head into a freshly carved pumpkin. Hints a spices are evident, but not over done. This is a very natural pumpkin taste, and it makes all other pumpkin beers look bad. Perfect amounts of nutmeg, and cinnamon. Extremely drinkable and very impressive!

Poured a cloudy orange body with an off-white peppered head. The aroma is fresh cut pumpkin that is nicely, but not overly spiced. Just enough to complement but not take away from the pumpkin. The flavor is the same way. Big, fresh pumpkin meat with a little spice. The most natural tasting pumpkin anything I’ve ever had!!

Draft, Selin’s Grove Brewing Co. Pours a hazy, golden-orange color; off-white head with fine-bubbled lacing. Wonderful, generous aroma: shows (oddly enough) the mild, raspberry- and cherry-tinged tartness of the Phoenix Kriek, but melded with an excellent, soft spicing of cinnamon and nutmeg; just a gorgeous aroma and unlike anything I’ve ever smelled; pumpkin pie and kriek. Medium-to-full mouthfeel: dense, warm pumpkin pie spicing and graham cracker maltiness upfront; not overly sticky or roughly spiced at all; generous, beautiful pumpkin ale, with some dried red fruits and more pumpkin and cinnamon coming through at mid-palate; immensely dense for 4.5%. I could drink buckets of this. Medium, cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasty grains in the finish.