Heavy Seas The Great'er Pumpkin

The Heavy Seas (from Clipper City) already produces one of my favorite pumpkin beers, "The Great Pumpkin."  They then take that awesome brew, age it in spent bourbon barrels, and call it "The Great'er Pumpkin."  I've heard about this one for a few years now, but never had the opportunity to pick one up.  This year it was released in the CT market, and we made sure to get some!

The Great'er Pumpkin pours a slightly hazy, burnt-orange, almost rusty color.  It's a little darker than I remember the Great Pumpkin being, but I doubt I'd be able to tell them apart just by looking at them.  The foam is pretty thick at first, but fades pretty quickly.  I'm surprised at how much white foam there is at first, because this Great'er Pumpkin checks in at 9% abv, making it one of the stronger pumpkin beers this year.

The nose is awesome; filled with all kinds of pumpkin pie spices, I'm getting cinnamon, nutmeg, and I can't help but think of ginger for some reason.  There's a mild amount of pumpkin aromas too, but it's hidden behind a substantial amount of alcohol esters.

Wow, once I take a sip, I am impressed!  This is gorgeously spicy, a bit malty sweet, a little pumpkiny, and quite boozy.  It's pretty much everything I like in a beer.  Now, it's not nearly as heavy in the pumpkin as some others out there, but the spice is great, and I honestly love that little bit of a boozy nature.  The alcohol isn't over-powering, but there's enough of it that you definitely notice it.  I think I'd like to see a touch more pumpkin, but otherwise, I love this beer!

Well I'm getting down to the last few pumpkin beers to try this year, and the Heavy Seas "The Great'er Pumpkin" has really set the bar high.  I think tomorrow night might be the time for the Pumking, and we'll see if it holds it's own again this year.

Heavy Seas by Clipper City Brewing
The Great'er Pumpkin
TCSH Rating - 9.5/10
Aka - Awesome and delicious, I love it!

Eli
Bibo Ergo Sum