Pumpkinhead Ale -- Shipyard Brewing Co. (Portland, ME)

I was fortunate enough to visit Shipyard a couple summers back -- good people with the goal of making good beers and an obsession with Fuggles hops. Their flagship brew is a good one, but the flavored offerings don't always make the grade.

Characteristics: Warm-gold color; light body with light-to-medium carbonation; a consistent straw-grass flavor dominates throughout, with some yeast and a slight squashy taste at the finish.

Not-so-minor Gripes: Pumpkinhead is extremely thin and carries zero flavor when cold -- it starts out somewhere around a light American lager. It opens up a little over time, but there's ultimately not much to find. The progression or evolution in the flavor is very slight over the course of a swallow or a full glass.

Bottom Line: I prefer my pumpkin beers to be a little heftier, with cinnamon and nutmeg hints (though not as thick as a winter ale). Pumpkinhead is too thin, like a Pale Ale that trades out some hops and adds some raw pumpkin to the mash tun. It's better than the Shipyard Blueberry (which was too sweet for me) but not the pumpkin brew I'd recommend.

Rating: 4 / 10