beauty and the brew

So again, back to discussing Shakespeare's Pub in Kalamazoo, I went out with some friends last week and there were just so many great and interesting beers that I needed to drink flights the whole night.

Southern Tier's Pumking (8.6% abv) had been elusive to me until this day. It's so good, it's not an easy brew to find considering its popularity means that bars and bottle shops run out pretty quickly around here. I had to grab it while I could.

Pumking has always been one of my favorites. It's definitely a sweet one.

Pours bright orange, certainly the most concentrated orange color I've seen this year, with a thin, but retaining head.

The aroma is pretty heavenly, loaded with nutmeg and cream, like a pumpkin spice coffee creamer. Some almond cookie, cloves, and vanilla. The whole nose is very bold.

This beer is as bold and agressive in flavor as it is in aroma. You've got a lot of pureed pumpkin right up front mixed with some solid malt character that leads into some heavy baking spice. The finish is unique in that it almost has this whipped cream or vanilla ice cream type creaminess and flavor, like pie a la mode. It's pure decadence.

Overall, this a great option for the holidays, especially because it's distributed nationally (considering I've done a few this month that are only available in Michigan or the midwest). If you enjoy a good pumpkin pie, this beer is certainly for you.