Almanac Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine (2013)
This is a beer made with real pumpkins. We hand-roasted over 500lbs of heirloom pumpkins from La Tercera Farms in Bodega Bay. The caramelized gourds were then added to our velvety American Barleywine and aged in brandy barrels for a year. Finally, we blended the barrel-aged beer with freshly brewed ale and added a delicate hint of pumpkin pie spices to round out this decadent autumn sipper.
3.8
156 reviews
Alameda, United States
Community reviews
"Looks pretty...dark amber with ruby highlights. Nose will keep you coming back...understated brandy, spices and natural pumpkin, with some carmelized malts making their presence known as well, especially in the flavor. Smooth medium to full bodied palate and a wonderful flavor (nothing is over or underdone) that lingers. Probably the best I’ve had from them, and a top tier pumpkin beer."
Bottle... Hazy burnt-orange pour with a small, fizzy, off-white head. The aroma is a blend of caramel, toffee, oak and brandy with suggestions of autumn spices. Full-bodied with a milky mouthfeel and modest carbonation. The flavor is a warming, hearty swirl of brandy, caramel and toffee, accompanied by gentle notes of holiday spices. The finish is a lightly boozy, comforting hug that really warms my chest and belly.
Sweet with a thick palate. Mild brandy flavor, but the high abv is hidden in the flavor. Moderate amount of pumpkin, or, squash flavor generally.
Bottle share at Tribes Alehouse. Pour is hazy copper with a small white head. Aroma and flavor of pumpkin pie, maple syrup, cinnamon, wood, and booze. Finish is spicy and sweet.
Bottle thanks to my local group for sharing. Amber pour with very little head. Aromas are caramel, pumpkin, and lots of spices including ginger, cinnamon, and clove. Tastes like pumpkins and cinnamon. The other spices are there but muted. Get a little caramel apple in the finish. Good pumpkin beer. Abv well hidden.
Bottle. Cloudy amber pour with an off-white head and good retention. Big pumpkin and caramel aroma with spice and brandy. Big sweet but not overly sweet flavor - caramelized pumpkin, clove, ginger, and cinnamon. Smooth mouthfeel with medium-plus body. Velvety texture. Damn good beer.
Bottle: The aroma consists of pumpkin, caramel, ginger, and clove. It pours a transparent amber with a small off-white head that quickly fades to a thin ring outlined by a slightly thicker ring. The flavor starts with carnal and pumpkin. The finish has huge spice with a lot of clove, ginger, and pepper. It’s medium bodied with mild carbonation and a somewhat soft mouthfeel. Overall, it starts off tasty but the finish is a little over-spiced.
375 ml bottle. Pours a cloudy brown color with a big beige head that has great retention and plenty of sticky lacing. The aroma is all pumpkin pie spices and a bit of sherry. The taste, like the aroma, features pumpkin pie spices, almonds and sherry. The palate is full and smooth with soft carbonation. The finish is long and dry with lingering spices. Overall: One of the better pumpkin beers I’ve tried. The spices are well balanced and capture an authentic pie experience. My only complaint--why is this newky released in July?--hello, McFly, anyone home?
Cloudy deep golden amber pour with a thin off white head and light lacing..... Aroma is of pumpkin spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice), some dark fruits, and caramel malts ..... Taste is of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and vanilla with light ginger and some light booze notes .... Has a bit of an overcarbonated aroma and taste .... Slight evidence of the barrel aging in the form of dry oak and has some fruity yeast of the barley wine style .... Has a bitter dry bite in the finish .... Clean no lingering ... Abv hidden pretty well ... Interesting combo and def above average
375 ml bottle via trade with bytemesis - thanks again! Pours a somewhat cloudy orange-amber with a small beige head that settles into a small ring. Good amount of brandy in the nose, with pumpkin, tangy fruits, vanilla, toast, pralines, allspice and nutmeg. The flavor starts with a big toasty pumpkin and spice note that almost seems like yellow curry, but as it warms, more brandy sweetness comes through - vanilla, dark fruits, caramel, and boozy warmth. Medium-bodied, with medium carbonation and a sweet, boozy, spicy, tangy mouthfeel. Pretty unusual beer that mostly worked very well for me.
28th May 2014
Tasting at Chez Bruce. Thanks to Leighton. Hazy amber beer, good pale tan head. Airy palate with good fine carbonation, semi dry. Nice combo of pumpkin spices, not overdone, and toffee malt. Touch of minty spice and light perfumey floralness. Light semi dry finish. Slight pumpkin spice linger. Really well joined up, interesting, unusual and tasty.
Bottle split at Bruce’s pad, thanks to Leighton, 28/05/14.
Marmalade orange/dark amber with a big light beige covering.
Nose is bitter orange, herbal qualities, spice, hay, lemon rind.
Taste comprises spice, pumpkin seed, bitter fruit rinds, caramel, sweet licks, herbal tones, stewed fruits.
Medium + body, fine carbonation, semi drying close.
Ok pumpkin effort, not sure about calling it a barleywine mind!
A- Pours a reddish orange hue with a frothy, off white head that fades quickly with little lacing.
S- Pumpkin, citrus, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, brandy
T- Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, caramel with a boozy back end.
M- Medium bodied with ample carbonation.
D- I really enjoyed this brew. Very different. Usually I don’t like spiced pumpkin beers but this one was malty enough to balance out the spice notes.
Bottle shared in London - picked up in CA. Pours clear, light amber-orange with a soft, frothy off-white head. The nose holds tangy pumpkin, light citrus and hints of nutmeg. Medium sweet flavor with punchy alcohol, some boozy and pulpy pumpkin, light astringency, faint toffee, berries, rubbing alcohol. Medium to full bodied with fine, massaging carbonation. Warm to hot finish with pervasive alcohol, some pumpkin essence, spices. Just lots of stinging alcohol throughout, which overpowers the other elements.
Bottle thanks to Leighton. It pours hazy red-brown with a medium dark beige head. The nose is earthy, plum, date, dried fig, candied peel, brown sugar, vanilla and more candy. The taste is bitters-sweet, toffee, orange peel, sweet pumpkin, sherbet, candied peel, booze and candy with a dry, sweetish finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. A touch sweet, but not bad.
bomber shared. poured a dark cloudy orange color with an off white head. the aroma was a nice pumpkin spice and brandy scent...very pleasant to the nose. this I a medium to heavy bodied beer chocked full of flavors. lots of pumpkin spice and the warmth and alcohol of the brandy. very nice blend together. truly a sipper on a cool evening but what the hell drank one today.
38cl, at 12%Vol, new exclusive American brew Anno 2013, with pumpkins, thx to Tyler!, very complex brew, spicy/alcoholic/sweet and slightly woody, heavy, yet balanced, cloudy, small head, good brew
Pours a dark orange color with a nice cream colored head. Nose is sweet pumpkin with allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste is pure straight up pumpkin with the aforementioned spices, just bathes the palate ! Finish is sweet, spicy with a moderately long ending. A premier pumpkin ale ! Quaff Score 9 / 10
Pours an amber orange with a tan head and nice pumpkin, spiced aroma. Taste is delicious, tons of great pumpkin pie flavor with spices - allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg - caramel and alcohol leading to a long spiced pumpkin finish. Very flavorful, drinkable pumpkin brew, one of the better ones you will find for the style
Had this at a tasting, reviewed from notes: pours a nice dark orangish-amber color. Pumpkin, sweetness, brandy, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove on the nose; all follow onto the palate. The spicing really comes through on the finish. Very good pumpkin beer.
Autumn 2013 bottle to snifter.gorgeous dark amber color that looks like a cognac in the glass. Pumpkin and honey fragrance with a hint of metallic oxidation. Fortunately no oxidation qualities present themselves in the taste. I get pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and whiskey. Thinner bodied than expected but noting is lacking. A nice sipper.
Pours thick hazy cooked deep caramel with a foamy beige head. Aroma is divine, the caramelized pumpkin fruit spotlightling with a gentle sweetness almost honey notes. Flavor brings sweet pumpkin spices and smooth tangy sweet booze blended awesomely on the tongue so well.
Bottle. Reddish orange pour. Amazing aroma of pumpkin and mild cinnamon spice. Smooth fuller palate and full flavored. Terrific.
Sampled in a bottle that was aged a few months. A really exciting brew. Big time malts and a great spice palate. Really cool and enjoyable.
Bottle as shown thanks to Tom. Pours a cloudy copper with medium frothy off white head. The aroma is spice, nutmeg, cinammon. Medium mouthfeel with strong spice, pumpkin, and light tartness. Very good.
Brown pour, average off-white head. Aroma of a spicy pumpkin pie, alcohol, Flavor is more of the same, caramel, spice. Probably my favorite pumpkin-themed beer thus far.
2/7/14 notes: Bottle. Pours a nice tarnished orange, with a good frothy head. Aroma is pungent smashed pumpkin, maple, cinnamon, marshmellow. With a creamy textured mouthfeel, flavor arrives naturally, a lightly sweet spiced pumpkin with a woodsy, earthy complement. Alcohol is perfectly integrated. An excellent creation, a real treat to be had especially on a cold late afternoon. 4.1.
33cl bottle shared, Friday, March 7, 2014
Thin creamy white. Hazy amber pour. Lots of pumpkin.
Bottle at Dean’s aged pale lager tasting. Hazy orange pour with floaties. Aroma of fruity shower gel, fruity, spicy, pumpkin, a little messy and quite peppery. Flavor is spicy, quite sweet, a little messy and quite warming. Nice and well balanced.
Bottle @ tasting, thanks Vaisha. Aroma is saison, brett, funk, peppery yeast, tangy barnyard notes. LRAB.