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I don't particularly like most pumpkin beers. However, when the topic comes up, I often refer to Southern Tier's Pumking as a perfectly acceptable beer. I mean, if you're going to go for something that is pumpkin, why not go for the best thing that's pumpkin? It's not going to cost a whole lot more than other pumpkin beers, and it might get you in the mood for the season. Then again, you could probably just drink a good Oktoberfest and be done with it.
The beer has a suitably pumpkiny hue of orange that is added to the otherwise light brown beverage, and it is quite clear. There isn't much head, and it leaves nothing more than a smattering on top of the beverage once it dies down. Many points of nucleation are trying to revive it, even as it tries to kill itself. The aroma is definitely pumpkin, and it definitely has caramel on top. As a result, it actually smells really good. I like pumpkin pie, and I think that these beverages should really try and aim for that as a taste profile. Don't aim for pumpkin seeds, don't aim for some weird pumpkin version of mashed potatoes, just aim for something everyone likes. Well, many people like.
First sip is perfectly acceptable. The sweetness of the caramel seems to be doing a very good job of cutting into the meat of the pumpkin, so you're not stuck with just a mouthful of fibrous pumpkin tissue to saw your way through. It's suitably spicy for the time of year, and the sweet is improving matters significantly. I could see sipping this all night as I gave out Halloween candy. It would be perfectly fine for that, but this isn't really knocking my socks off as a reinvention of the style.
Tip-in is predictable pumpkin with the expected caramel sweetness. There might be a little singed sugar tossed in, but I am almost definitely reading into it too far. The middle becomes somewhat aggro with the carbonation scraping a bit too much and the pumpkin trying a little too hard. The finish adds bitterness into the mix, and that isn't sitting well with the pumpkin at all. Where did my sweetness go? This needed more caramel in the ass end.
Bottom Line: Never going to be my go-to style.
2.0/5
