Judging a beer like a pumpkin ale is very subjective and a lot of the scores go towards the judges personal taste. Personally, in competitions I don’t enjoy judging specialty, fruit, or spice/vegetable beers because those categories are so subjective. Some judges look for subtly, while others want the special ingredient to hit hard. Sometimes one may not like a particular spice and end up giving a low score based on personal taste. This is why there is normally two or more judges at each table, to try to eliminate this. But it still can happen. This is why when it comes to specialty beers, like this pumpkin ale, I like to do it alone and just give my personal opinion. Just because I like or dislike this beer, doesn’t mean that you will necessarily feel the same way about it. So lets look at Whole Hog’s Pumpkin Ale against BJCP category 21a, Spice/Herb/or Vegetable beer.

What hits you first in the aroma is the traditional pumpkin pie spice combination. Some pumpkin beers showcase the pumpkin itself, while some try to emulate pumpkin pie and the spices that give the pie it’s distinct flavor. This one obviously is going for the whole pumpkin pie vibe. If you are the type who is looking for the strictly pumpkin character, this beer will disappoint you. However, I am in the pie spice camp so this beer sits well with me. The nutmeg, cinnamon, and all spice is well showcased. There is some pumpkin aroma in there hiding behind the spice. I also get a touch of sweet and toasted malt character and……alcohol. Hmmm, I will have to go check what the ABV on this beer is I was not expecting that. (EDIT: The beer is 7.5% alcohol by volume according to this source http://beernews.org/2009/09/point-whole-hog-pumpkin-ale-debuts)(8)

The color is a light garnet and crystal clear. It poured a small dense khaki colored head that disappeared quickly. (3)

The flavor up front I get toasted and caramel malts up front. There is some pumpkin in the mix in there as well. In the middle you have the spice, mostly nutmeg and allspice, with some cinnamon bringing up the rear. There is not much in the way of hop flavor, and that is OK, this beer is showcasing the pumpkin and spices anyway. There is a touch of bitterness in the finish as well as a lingering toasty malt flavor. Some alcohol is also detectable in the beer as well. What I think would help the beer along is just a bit more pumpkin character. The pumpkin does seem to get lost a bit in the toasty malt and spices. (14)

The mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is in the medium range as well. No astringency. (5)

For a holiday beer, this one is going to be served at my house. The traditional pumpkin pie aroma and flavor will connect well with a much larger audience than just the pumpkin character. What can I say, this particular type of pumpkin beer sits well with me much better than some others. I guess my personal taste rests more with the pumpkin spices than it does the vegetable part of the beer. (8)

In the end, I gave this one a solid 38, which would be a B+ in my book and is in the “Excellent” range on a BJCP scoresheet.