Feature photo by pinoyed
Welcome to the second monthly beer article from Gozamos. This month’s beer was a surprise choice for me, and I’m really excited to let everyone else know just how good it is. But first, a warning. This month’s choice is not what I’ve heard called a “beer-y” beer. It is still the best example of the style I’ve ever had. Of course I’m talkin’ about Southern Tier’s Pumking!
I usually hate pumpkin beers. They are often syrupy sweet or over spiced or flat out vegetal in the flavor and aroma. Not this bad boy. This is indeed the king of pumpkin beers. It pours into a goblet the delicious shade of bronze, autumn leaves and tops itself with a small, white head; it is truly a feast for the eyes.
When you bring it to your nose, you’ll be amazed by what you find: hints of vanilla, a bit of cinnamon, and a touch of toffee. When I was drinking it, it tasted so familiar. It was like something I’ve had before. The flavor that was on the tip of my tongue finally came to mind after I finished the bottle. If you can imagine a yellow cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting, then you can imagine Pumking.
Sounds rather strange for a beer, doesn’t it? Believe me, it’s the best example of a pumpkin beer I’ve had. I couldn’t help myself from this beer. The flavor is sweet upfront, but then the spicing and the hops wash any sweetness away. Like any great beer, I was surprised at how quickly the bottle was emptied. I became a slave to the king.
This beer is great and I think everyone should give it a try, but I’ll bookend this article with another warning. I hate buying a new beer only to find out that it isn’t what I was expecting. This beer is a touch sweet, but it is reasonably sweet for the style. It also weighs in at 8.8% abv; it’s a sipper.
Feel free to enjoy this beer on it’s own as a dessert. Or you can even pair it with a bit of plain, good quality vanilla ice cream. You could even drink it with some pumpkin pie, but you might run the risk of overpowering the subtleties of the beer.
Pumking is Southern Tier’s Autumn seasonal and is available now, in 22oz bombers, for about $6.00. Pick it up while you can!