The Beer Garden

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 5
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 3

Let me first say that I haven’t had a pumpkin flavored beer in years because the last version I had left a horrible taste in my mouth and an irreplaceable hole in my wallet. Loathe to duplicate that experience I refused all manner of pumpkin brews. Then a good friend told me I should give this one a try. I did, and it was a worthy homecoming! There isn’t a head to speak of but it filled my glass with a beautiful dark orange color. The bouquet is strong in this one and the first sip is really potent! Just as you swallow is when the Great Pumpkin really kicks you in the back of the throat. The aftertaste lingers longer than I would like, but certainly won’t stop me from consuming this again before it goes out of season. If like me, you were disappointed with a previous foray into the pumpkin genre, I whole heartedly suggest you give this brand a try. It is packed with loads of flavor and really has a spicy kick! The label is also tastefully done, with a great choice of a matte paper label, distressed type and subtle use of color.

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 4
• Color: 5

This is one spicy beer, like water from a potpourri bong! Call me crazy a pot(pourri)head, but I kinda liked it. The aftertaste was little long-lasting and after about 1/4 the beer, it was a little much for me, but flavored beer is not really my thing which may make me a harsher critic than this beer deserves. I will say, Dogfish Head has some really terrific beers - all worth trying. Their website is cool; I’m a fan of the design work on it, their packaging and merchandise. Hope to make it to their Rehoboth Beach, DE brewery next summer. Like I said, I’m probably rating this lower purely based on personal preference in beer, but I will say for those of us who appreciate beer as a total experience - this is worth a try. Everything about this beer made me remember why I love fall so much; the smell, the taste and especially the color which was a nice warm orange that glowed like a candle in a jack-o-lantern!

UPDATE!!! - It’s been 2 years since my initial review of this beer. I’m much more fond of it and have found myself seeking this beer out for the past couple falls and buying it up like a squirrel hording nuts for the coming winter… Here’s my updated review:

• Taste: 4.5
• After Taste: 4
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 4
• Color: 5

On a side note… Made the trip to Rehoboth Beach this past summer. I found it a mixed bag. [I’ll be fair and say I had fair share of “quantity” drink the previous night while visiting my brother who plays for the Aberdeen Ironbirds in MD - Awesome team, fantastic ballpark, great time] so this for me was kind of like filling up on stale dinner rolls before eating a fillet. If you are planning a visit to the Dogfish Head flagship, don’t expect all your favorite beers to be on tap… now, naturally, I didn’t expect to find the pumpkin beer to be available in July, but I was disappointed in the availability of some quality staples. The service was lousy, the food was your run-of-the-mill bar variety fare (but, who’s going there for the food anyway, right?) and ambiance was lacking. However, I thought the samples were generous and reasonably priced and just would have liked to have more options to try. Oh - one more thing I’d like to correct from my last post… I said all Dogfish Head beers are worth trying… I had spoke before I tried the “Midas Touch”. It might be the nectar of choice for Turkish Kings, but, I’d rather drink Bud Light Lime than have this pass through my lips again. At least I can get a 12 of BLL for the price of 4 MT’s that I’d feel too guilty to even pawn off on unsuspecting guests.

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 4
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 3

I agree with my fellow Bottle Recappers - this is a great beer to have in the fall months. The warm, spicy flavor is the perfect drink to help you warm up on a cool autumn evening. The only problem is that in order to enjoy the Punkin Ale on those cool autumn evenings, you need to stock up on six packs during the sweltering days of August. We learned that lesson the hard way as most of our local establishments were out of this brew before autumn truly began! If you want to enjoy this seasonal brew next year, you should keep an eye out in the early part of the season or else you might miss out.

As Roberta pointed out, this beer has a wonderful color… although her beautiful and poetic description of the particular shade of orange may be lost on some. You know, those who choose to put strobe lights in their foil-lined jack-o-lanterns, clearly violating predetermined and agreed upon contest rules. Not that I’m bitter or anything…

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 2
• Buzz Factor: 3

Damn good head on this beer, thick, creamy and lingered a long time. This beer has a good balanced flavor, but isn’t going to knock your socks off. I don’t have a lot to say about the beer itself though. The label however is a colossal failure! It didn’t have to be this way! The illustration is a pretty cool oil painting and I like the Weyerbacher logo font. Then someone took the time to ruin it all by slapping a huge UPC code right over the illustration. It’s stark white contrast makes me sad and angry all at the same time. Whoever made this design decision should be forced to drink Odouls for a month!

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 5
• After Taste: 5
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 3

I didn’t know what to think about this bottle when I pulled it out of the beer fridge. Originally I was attracted by the sweet, sweet label, but as I emptied it into my glass I was immediately treated to a beautiful, blood, red hue. The head wasn’t super substantial, but well represented. After the first sip, the only thing I could think to shay was “Oh!” In short it has a nice crisp flavor that I will gladly pour into my glass again in the near future! The label is fun and really fits the spirit of this ale. Go find this and buy it right
now!

ROBERTA’S REVIEW

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 4
• Label: 4
• Buzz Factor: 4

If I drank beer as a kid this is what I would have drank. My mom could have packed this in my old tin strawberry shortcake lunchbox with my pb & j and fruit cup. I swear I can taste apples in this beer; it almost feels like a cider. It’s sweet, but subtle and I enjoyed it from start to finish. I like the label - it’s unique and colorful and I would have given it a 5 if they didn’t use 7 different fonts.

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 4
• Buzz Factor: 3

Pours out a deep mahogany with a small white head that seemed to get up and run away. Tastes good, kind of caramel kind of chocolate with a malty finish. It’s in the 70’s outside, but I am betting this would have really hit the spot if it were about 54 degrees and I had just finished watching someone rake my leaves… I do long for a little more kick in this brew though. Good use of colors and text in the label, though, I am not so sure about the over prints.

JASON’S REVIEW

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 3

I don’t know if it’s because I had a preconceived notion of what this ale would taste like, or if the initial aroma was misleading - heck, it could have even been the lingering aroma of Amish Friendship Bread in my kitchen (don’t ask) - but when I opened the bottle, I could have sworn I smelled a wonderfully warm array of autumn flavors and spices. Imagine my disappointment when this sensation did not correspond with the flavor of the beer. Although certainly not dreadful, this beer lacks the impact I was looking for when I found out it was next to be reviewed. I would definitely try it again (maybe after raking Shawn’s leaves), but I just don’t see myself seeking it out at the local establishments any time soon.

Breckenridge labels succeed where I have failed. I’m constantly trying to duplicate the “vintage” looks in many of my design projects, but I come up short every time. The font choice, typesetting and color pallet fit together perfectly. I chuckled quietly to myself (yes, I do that sometimes) when I noticed it actually said “After Rakin’” and “It’s Special” on the label. I wish I could wear a label or button on my coat that said that I was special… without people thinking I meant the “other” kind of special.

ROBERTA’S REVIEW

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 3

I have to admit - I wasn’t really thrilled with this beer at first; I originally gave it a 3 on taste, yet I found myself pulling it from the fridge, repeatedly picking it over others until it was gone. Go figure. Maybe it was the label - I have to admit, I’m a packaging junkie. I’d probably drink antifreeze if it was packaged better. Maybe not… but, I do give it to the neighbor’s cats all the time and they seem to enjoy it. Just kidding - put the red paint away, PETA. Really, this beer is pretty good, all packaging aside. It’s a nice dark ale with a warm flavor. It’s frothy until the end, slightly bitter and all-in-all a pretty darn good fall beverage.

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 2

Pours into your glass with a light amber color and zero head. Taste is a bit sour with a lemony flair to it. I liked this more the first I had it, after round 2 however I wasn’t as impressed. The fruity flavor is spicy and pleasant, but more taste can be had elsewhere. The label has a cool dirty look with a mysterious “circus boy” interacting with the fun font.

• Taste: 2
• After Taste: 2
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 2

I dig the Magic Hat Brewing Company, really I do. Their beers, their labels, their marketing — everything seems to fit together for a very strong brand identity that helps promote their quality product. But I really just think they missed the mark with this beer. The first few times, I enjoyed it, but any more it just seems really strong and somewhat acidic to me. It’s got a strong bite to it that I just don’t want when drinking a Hefeweizen. I’m sorry guys, I’m just not feeling it.

As for the label, it’s what you would expect from Magic Hat - well done. Although I admit that I didn’t see the actual little “Circus Boy” sillouette until Shawn pointed it out.

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 2

Pours out a bright yellow color with a half inch head. The taste is damn sweet, a mixture of honey and orange. This beer isn’t my style, but if you drink wine coolers and are looking to make a switch to beer, this could be your starting point.

The label gets a bonus point because I like scratch board style illustrations.

• Taste: 2
• After Taste: 1
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 2

The label on the bottle refers to this beverage as being infused with a mixture of honey and orange peel - more like a mixture of motor oil and day-old pizza crusts! This beer was terrible! This is one case where I am glad the honeymoon was over… I couldn’t wait to finish it so I could move on to my next review.

As for the previously mentioned label, the design is nice and the color palette is well chosen.

• Taste: 2
• After Taste: 2
• Label: 3
• Buzz Factor: 2

I really have to agree with Jason here, it’s just not good. This beer really should have taken a lesson in subtlety. It’s just too much. It’s a summer ale; however, I really didn’t find much refreshing in this beer; it has none of the lightness or crispness you’d expect to find in a similar beverage of the season. There’s really not else much to say here, I guess it could be worse though… it could be Tequiza.

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 2
• Buzz Factor: 2

This nectar pours out a nice cloudy orange color with a decent snow white head. It has a taste of fruity citrus goodness and is hella refreshing in today’s heat wave. The aftertaste is a bit malty though, which I find a bit offensive. I would still give this spicy concoction a recommendation though, especially on a warm summer day.

The label has a decent illustration, but it is repeated three times on the bottle, which is just a waste of space.

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 2
• Label: 2
• Buzz Factor: 1

I really enjoy this beer — It’s fresh, light and refreshing. I was first introduced to this beverage this summer when a friend, coworker and fellow cyclist, ordered it at the local watering hole after a long ride. The next week, after riding with the same crew, I decided to try one for myself. If I remember correctly, the bartender served it with an orange slice which brought out even more of the “fruity” flavor, but I can assure you that it still tastes great even without the orange.

I agree with Shawn about the label. The little monk is a nice touch (although I’ve never quite understood the connection between monks and beer — I guess they need SOMETHING to keep them busy), but he appears on both upper and lower labels as well as the bottle cap. A bit overkill, if you ask me. Oh, and green bottles kind of creep me out.

SHAWN’S REVIEW

• Taste: 3
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 2
• Buzz Factor: 2

I usually like the wheat ale, but this doesn’t fit the bill. It’s color is pretty clear, with not much of a head. This beer does feel good on the pallet, it is smooth and creamy. The flavor is dry, with slight hints of apple and lemon. Sadly, aside from the feel, this just isn’t an exciting brew and the label is equally dull. The hypnotizing graphics would be completely lost on anyone that is even slightly color blind. There is a bad ass bee illustration, but I have no idea why it is there.

JASON’S REVIEW

• Taste: 4
• After Taste: 3
• Label: 5
• Buzz Factor: 2

I happened to have one of these recently while enjoying a delicious frozen pizza (it’s not delivery… it’s… my friend’s turn to cook dinner and that’s all she had to make.) It has a nice, clean, refreshing flavor that I would definitely have again (The beer, not the pizza. The pizza was disgusting.)

As with all of Magic Hat’s packaging, I dig the label.