I’m out at dinner with my friend Joe, at Leon’s Full Service, a restaurant in Decatur, GA. We already hit the Wrecking Bar Brewpub earlier in the evening, so we’re doing pretty good. So we ordered an appetizer (seen here) of bacon and peanut butter (Joe tells me it’s a southern thing). Also, since I’m a pumpkin beer guy, I saw they had this one on tap, and it gave me a chance to try yet another brewer’s version of the style.
Location: On tap and served in a slightly curved pint glass at Leon’s Full Service in Decatur, GA.
Numbers: 6.0% ABV, 26 IBUs, 1.061 OG, 180 Calories
Appearance & Aroma: It’s dark copper-amber in color and, although it was dark, seemed fairly cloudy. The head was two fingers thick and foamy, with decent retention and lacing. The aroma was mostly cinnamon and other light pumpkin pie spices.
Taste & Feel: The body is medium and the mouthfeel is smooth and slightly crisp from the carbonation. The flavor up front is a sweet caramel maltiness with a good dose of cinnamon. The spice flavors grow in the middle, along with some pumpkin in the background. The spices dominate the finish with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg mostly coming through. The spices last for a minute or so in the aftertaste.
Food Pairing: For dinner, I had the beef brisket, which was great, and this beer went nicely with it. The peppercorn gravy and fried onions helped cut down on the spices and complemented the pumpkin flavors. I’d pair this beer with heartier dishes like this that help cut down on some of the heavy spices.
Overall Impression: As I’ve said before, pumpkin beers can be a bit tricky because the spices are so volatile. In the case of this beer, the spices were pretty strong, and overtook the pumpkin. I could tell it had the potential to be a good pumpkin beer, but the spices were a bit strong. The pumpkin flavors in the background were good, and overall, the beer was pretty drinkable. Despite the strong spices, I’d definitely add this to my Top 10 pumpkin beers list.
My Rating: 
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