When the term Imperial shows up on your beer, it’s time to get ready to brace for impact.  As the folks over at theKitchn point out, most Imperial beers pack quiet the punch, weighing in between 8 – 12% Alcohol By Volume. [By the way, the post does a great job adding context to the history, definitely check it out]  To put that in perspective, compared to a standard 12 oz beer, you can have somewhere between 5 – 7.5 oz of beer and get the same buzz.  That’s more than two to one at the high end, or the same as a standard glass of wine!  In terms of carving, bigger is better for pumpkins, but does it also hold true for Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale? 

Sight:  A rich, deep brown caramel with a short slightly almond skin colored head that dissipates quickly.

Smell:  There’s a nice pumpkin pie filling smell that leads off, heavy on the spices side, primarily channeling cinnamon and nutmeg, but with definite cardamom hanging around.  There’s also a nice brown sugar kind of smell as well.

Sip:  The brown sugar leads off the pumpkin pie filling, complete with a double helping of cinnamon, nutmeg, and light cardamom.  The brew is smooth, but weighty, with plenty of body. [A.B.V. 8%]

Savor:  The cinnamon and cardamom hang around, complemented by cloves.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale is big, bold, and full of spice.  Unlike many of the other pumpkin ales, the cardamom is nice touch that helps differentiate it, and sets the tone to spicy.  Aside form that deviation from the normal pumpkin ale recipe, this is a much better than average example of what pumpkin ale can be.  At $2.49 for a 12 oz bottle, this is almost a poor man’s Pumking.  Almost.  Give it a try,  just be aware of the imperial status!

Verdict:  Bold, Super Spicy, Pumpkinlicious
Price: $2.49 / 12 oz bottle
Easton, Pennsylvania
http://weyerbacher.com/

Looking for a second opinion?
Check out Hop Bunny G’s Take