I was at the liquor store looking for different pumpkin beers and came across this one. I’ve had a few of New Holland brews, including their Mad Hatter IPA and their Pilgrim’s Dole Wheat Wine, and after those, I was willing to give Ichabod – their pumpkin beer – a chance. Besides, I liked the creativity of associating their pumpkin beer with something surrounding a Halloween story, and not just calling it some creative version of “pumpkin.”
It was surprisingly clear in the glass and had a copper color, a thick white soapy looking head, and some nice lacing. The aroma was caramel malt and pumpkin pie type spices – cinnamon, nutmet, etc.
The body was light and the carbonation created quite a bit of tingle on my tongue, giving it a sharp mouthfeel. Up front, there was a bit of a pumpkin-like vegetal flavor, finishing with cinnamon, and other spices in the finish. The wealth of carbonation gave the spices a bit of a sharp bite, preventing it from being very drinkable.
You would probably want something, slightly bland, with a bit of substance to help cut the bit of sharpness from the spices. My mind kept telling me that this would likely go best with some garlic mashed potatoes. However, that’s not really a main course… so maybe try some grilled chicken breast to go with it.
I liked the pumpkin flavor up front and the spices had a good flavor, but the carbonation int he beer made it a bit sharp and took away from the flavor potential of the beer. Overall, it was good pumpkin beer, but I’ll continue my quest to find a winner in the pumpkin beer category.
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