Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale

Brewery:  Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

Location: Lexington, KY
Style: Pumpkin Ale/Seasonal
ABV: 10%

Price: $14.99/4pk

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. There's cool weather, football, and pumpkin-flavored everything! I have a few staples during this time of the year when it comes to pumpkin beers: Dogfish Head Punkin, Cigar City Good Gourd, and Southern Tier Pumking. But each year, there are newbies that find their way on the shelves, and I am always a sucker for trying new pumpkin beers.

Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale is one that I have been excited to try and eagerly anticipated its distribution here in Jacksonville. Beer:30 was the first place that I saw with the Pumpkin Barrel on the shelves, and I was eager to bring it home and give it a taste.

So why was I eagerly anticipating this beer amidst the many other pumpkin ales that one can buy this time of the year? Well, for starters, anything aged in bourbon barrels gets my attention, and Alltech has proven themselves with their other releases. Combine that with an ABV of 10% and a limited release and I am all but salivating. Ok, I lied. I was definitely salivating. 

After a few hours in the fridge, I cracked one open and indulged. Here are my tasting notes: 

Appearance:  Nice copper color. Clear and rusty. The head is pretty too. It's a quarter-inch in size and sticks around for a bit, but not long enough in my opinion.

Aroma: This is Fall in a glass. I can pick up on some cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, oak, and bourbon. These scents liven as the beer warms. I was able to identify a new ingredient every other minute or so. It's like an aromatic candle that keeps on giving...except you can drink it too!

Taste: Smooth is the first thing that comes to mind. Before I mention the various flavors, I think it's important to highlight how smooth this one is. The bourbon and vanilla stand out to me, which blend to create a well-balanced drink. Of course, the pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon are easily tasted as well. The bourbon is blunt, which I appreciate. The finish is boozy and slightly bitter, possibly from the oak.

If you have had the standard Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, you'll recognize a lot of the same flavor profile. Only this one is complimented with the harvest spices. Like the standard ale, the pumpkin variation is sweet, but it's not overwhelming. It seems to fall somewhere in the middle. 

Mouthfeel: This is a medium bodied beer with an appropriate amount of carbonation that is easily forgotten due to the overall creaminess of the beer.

Overall: I enjoyed this one when I first sipped it and I liked it even more after about 20 minutes of letting the beer warm in my glass. The aromas and flavors really blossomed after about 15-20 minutes. The 10% does have a warming effect, which isn't a bad thing. 

The only complaint I have with this is the price-point. $14.99 is steep. I know it's 10% and barrel-aged, but it still feels a bit overpriced for a 4pk. Nonetheless, Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale has earned itself a spot on my annual list of pumpkin beers I can't wait to come out each Fall.

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout

Brewery:  Alltech's Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co.

Location: Lexington, KY
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 8%

Bourbon barrel stouts create a lot of attention. Until recently, the style was reserved for limited and special releases, and were often highly sought after creating even more hype to the already buzzworthy style. But in the last few years, more and more breweries have jumped on the bandwagon and have created bourbon barreled beers (some stouts, some not) that are more accessible and not so ridiculously priced. It seems like every brewery has their own bourbony concoction to offer. Lexington now has two. Aside from their award winning Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, they now have a barrelled imperial stout to offer patrons with a boozy appetite.

If you follow me on Twitter, you probably already know that I am quite disappointed with this beer. However, before you read my tasting notes, I do want to qualify my review with this statement (which should be applied to any beer review you ever read--yes, even reviews from those Alstrom brothers): Each person's palate is unique and it's impossible to give a completely objective review as we all have our personal preferences when it comes to flavors. So, my metacognitive self recognizes that I generally lean towards full-flavored beer and, when it comes to bourbon barrelled beers, I expect homerun hitters.

On to the tasting notes...

Appearance: dark as expected, but has a significant amount of carbonation that more closely resembles a Pepsi than a stout-- maybe that says more about my archetype of a Stout than anything else. 

The head is minimal, tan in color, and dissipates quickly. 

Aroma: Sweet vanilla and bourbon come out strong. Beneath that I can pick up some burnt sugars and molasses.

Taste: At first, I had trouble picking up on the flavors. The carbonation seemed to really interfere with the palate. I let the beer warm for about 7 minutes before taking another sip to see if the carbonation would mellow any.

After sitting for 7 long minutes (I'm not good at being patient), the vanilla definitely sang a deeper tone, but I still struggled to get the bourbon or anything else for that matter. This beer is very sweet up front which really masks the other flavors. I get a lot of coffee in here too, but more of a vanilla cappuccino than a dark-roasted coffee that you might expect. The bourbon is definitely there, especially on the finish and aftertaste, but it's weaker than expected and not nearly as pleasant as it is on the nose.

Mouthfeel: The body of this beer is somewhat light, too light for a stout. It's over carbonated, a bit watery, and lacks character.

Overall: Again, I am disappointed. Though the beer did open up with warmth, it was still too weak and watery for my liking. I thought the vanilla, at times, was overpowering and too sweet. The complexity that one would expect from an imperial stout is missing and I won't even reiterate what I expect from a bourbon barrelled imperial stout. I expect many will enjoy this beer because it's not nearly as intimidating as others in this style and its light body and subtle booze makes it a very approachable beer.