Long Trail Brush & Barrel Imperial Pumpkin
This limited release, seasonal treat is small batch brewed with pumpkins, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves with increased malts and a touch of bitterness for the perfect balance.
3.4
152 reviews
Bridgewater Corners, United States
Community reviews
This poured a red amber with a beige head. Nose of pumpkin, Medium mouthfeel. Flavor is pumpkin. Some spice show into the finish, but not a lot. What there is is nutmeg and cinnamon.
On tap at Mugs and from a bottle. It was better from the bottle, since on draft there was some sour funk. Attractive label that looks like a book cover. Smooth, sweet aroma that picks up some yeasty funk as it warms. The flavor is full with some unusual notes. Pumpkin to start, with clove, hops, and ginger warmth coming in. It creates a fair amount of sensation on the palate. An interesting beer for sure.
Bottled. Not bad for the style. A nice blend of ginger, spice, pumpkin and crust. Body could have been a tad thicker, but overall good job.
Nice pumpkin aroma and flavor. Spices are on the weak side but I suppose that’s better than being too strong.
650 ml. bottle. Gorgeous label. Obtained in a trade with AdamJackson. Thanks! Dark amber, small tanned head. Sweet familiar pumpkin nose, sweet with solid vegetable touch, light metal, spices are in the back largely, tad copper malt, quite a bit of cloves. Faintly bitter cloves taste, touch vegetable pumpkin, light pennies, dough & spices are light in the back, quite a bit of bitter malt, light burned sugar, faint cough syrup,… Faintly metallic & tad burned sugar body. This is decent but I feel like it could have been so much more & I have had better in the style. This one is only for fans of the style I think.
Orange and amber in color with a fizzy (not foamy) light tan head. Some maltiness coupled with a bit of pumpkin. The spices are not too strong and overpowering, just complementing the flavor. A bit strong over the course of a 22oz bottle.
Mad mex. Certainly some sweet pumpkin like aroma. Spices are in ther. A darker looking beer. Feel is somewhat flat but does have hints of co2 in there. Laid back for the amount of alky but bitter medicanal feel is really present. Not sure if there is any real pumpkin in the er.
Spices and cinnamon in the nose. Dark amber color. Alcohol whafts through a dark heavy malt body. Big pumpkin and spice taste. Nice pumpkin ale! !!
Bomber into wine glass. Aged brass color. Warm malt with light dice in nose and mouth. Fair roasted pumpkin flavor, spicing is light. One if the more enjoyable versions of pumpkin I’ve had
22 oz. bottle. Date of 2013-06-28. Tasted on 2014-10-25. Pours a cloudy copper with not much of an off-white head. Aroma is sweet - no pumpkin spice at all. Taste is sweet with a touch of spice. Finish is the same. I was expecting a little more from an imperial and from Long Trail. It’s not bad, but I thought it would be better.
Aromas of savory pumpkin soup. Hazy orange-amber with a lasting off-white head. Very floral. Medium bodied, quite refreshing.
On tap at the brewery: Pours dark amber with a thin tan head. Aroma of nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin, and toasted malt. Taste is really, really sweet with lots of spice and just a little bit of pumpkin. Typical of most imperial pumpkins, it’s just sugar and spices. Medium body, disgustingly sweet, not very good.
Bottle. Deep dark purple brown color. Sweet cinnamon taste with a artificial sweet potato flavor. Not bad
New Beer Distributors, NYC 650ml ($6.25): (as Brush & Barrel Imperial Pumpkin) -- Pours brown with a tan head. Aroma is a mix of pumpkin spice and nice English toffee infused malts. Taste is spicy in that normal pumpkin spice way, but the nice malty base beer here is the real winner. Nice aftertaste. Pumpkin isn’t the only thing playing the game here.
650 ml bottle from Premier Gourmet. Pours a murky amber-copper colour with small eggshell-coloured head. Aroma is fairly spicy with sweet, fruity malt and some pumpkin. Flavour is sweet fruit, candy sugar, caramel ginger, nutmeg and pumpkin. Medium to full body. Nice.
Outstanding aroma that made me breath deep before sipping and raising my anticipation of the coming experience. Smooth, pleasant mouthfeel and a depth of complex flavors, skillfully balanced, that all played well together. Reminiscent of a Barley Wine but with spices and caramelized sugars. I'm not a huge fan of most pumpkin ales but, especially as an imperial, Long Trail does this style very well. Definitely worth cellaring several of these.
---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPad
had at recent bottle share. im not a pumpkin beer fan, but this one was better than most.
Transfer from BA review on 9-23-13-
Served on tap in a pint glass
Appearance – The beer is served a darker reddish orange color with a one finger foamy head. The head has a good level of retention, slowly fading over time to leave a decent level of streaky lace on the sides of the glass.
Smell – The aroma is heaviest of a nice blend of lightly roasted pumpkin and spice of nutmeg, coriander and cinnamon. Along with these smells are a good showing of sweetness with aromas of caramel and brown sugar as well as a bit of a bready like aroma with some characteristics of a yeasty like smell.
Taste – The taste begins with a rather moderate showing of a biscuit malt taste as well as a decent amount of a pumpkin. Upfront there is a rather high level of sweetness from flavors of caramel and brown sugar. As the taste moves on, the pumpkin takes on a lightly roasted taste with the spices that were detected in the nose joining the taste profile. At the same time the sweetness lessens ever so lightly producing slightly drier (although by no means dry) taste which matches the increase in roastedness well. In the end a light alcohol taste comes to the tongue, leaving a warming spiced, still rather sweet, pumpkin flavor to linger on the tongue.
Mouthfeel – The body of the beer is on the medium to slightly thicker and creamier side with a carbonation level that is slightly below average. The thickness and slightly lower carbonation are quite nice for the style as it gives the beer a more creamy like feel complimenting very well the pumpkin flavors.
Overall – An overall quite enjoyable pumpkin brew. It had a good level of sweetness which was balanced by the pumpkin, spice, and light roasted flavors quite well. A good one to give a go to if you have the chance.
Notes from the Pike, Reading, PA, Oct 26 2013. Nice pumpkin, reasonably balanced for this style. Aroma of spice (nutmeg, cinnamon), just bitter enough. This drank really easy for the abv, I can see it sneaking up on you.
Bottle. Copper in color, with a light off white head. Spicy and covers the ABV very well. Taste is slight cinnamon, and not overly dank. Nice pumpkin beer.
Bottle from wegmans. Pours hazy amber with a medium sized off white head. The aroma has nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, pumpkin. The taste has a nice spiciness, pumpkin semi sweet.
Nutmeg and clove on the nose. Appearance is a light brown with an off white head with avg retention. Flavor is towards the malt side. Toasted malt with stone fruit. Ginger is present in the taste up front with clove and nutmeg on the end. Mouthfeel and carbonation is medium. High alcohol notes are present. Overall, it's a decent strong pumpkin ale.
Bomber. My bottle is very different from the one pictured. This is kind of red hued and has a nice beige head. A pumpkin aroma. A powdery feel. Flavor is pumpkin and big malts. Plenty of spices including nutmeg and cinnamon. Some earth. No hops detected. Something kind of harsh remained throughout and was a negative. It reminded me of burnt brown sugar.
(bottle - 22 oz) Copper pour with a thin white head. Light pumpkin and a good amount of cinnamon and nutmeg in the aroma. Flavor is spices at the start but a nice pumpkin middle and a slightly bitter pumpkin pie and cinnamon aftertaste.
2013-02-22 - tasting hosted by blankboy, with gregclow, jercraigs and mabel - bomber c/o blankboy. Pinkish copper pour with a smallish but lasting rocky slightly cream tan head. Vegetal (but the vegetable is pumpkin, so that’s okay) and candy necklace sweet aroma, a little pumpkin pie spice - even a little hint of jalepeno, which really detracted from the overall; a bit boozy. Spicy, some alcohol, pumpkin malt, not as sweet or vegetal as the aroma - not bad, not a great one though. Average body, a little astringency from the spicing, low level carbonation, finishes quick and dry with a somewhat gritty/earthy aftertaste ... not badly made, but a little all over the place for me.
Syrupy pumpkin. Not strong enough pumpkin. Not drunk enough pumpkin. Not pumpkin enough pumpkin.
Bottle sample at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Thanks Tom L. Pours orange to red hazy with a medium head, aroma of pumpkin, pumpkin jam, sweetness, flavor is spicy with malt, pumpkin, clove and other spices, medium bodied
Pours deep copper with a subtle off-white gently head. Head fades to a minor ring with light lacing.
Sweet pumpkin notes lead the nose with hints of nutmeg. Drinks with a moderate bitterness that is almost balanced with the spiced pumpkin. Medium-body with high carbonation.
Not overly sweet like other pumpkin ales but not on the level of Pumking or Punkin.
Bottle. Pours amber orange with a beige head. Sweet caramel malts, banana yeasty notes, light toasted bread, and pumpkin pie spice. Pretty good.
Bottle sample at a tasting at the Beer & Beyond shop. Thanks Tom L. Hazy amber with a beige head. Nice aroma of pumpkin, some clove, a bit cinnamon. Sweetish flavor with malt, caramel, pumpkin, some spices and a drier finish with some bitterness. Medium-bodied.