Uinta Punk'n.

Yes, it is already pumpkin beer season. Southern Tier releases their Pumking in August, which will not elude me this year. Pumpkin beers crack me up because they are generally reviled but breweries still put them out every season. It's very much a early holiday season staple like fruit cake and Cosby sweaters that are too ugly even to be ironically hip. I happened to come across this one last week. This is my first beer from Uinta, a renewable-y-powered brewery in Salt Lake City, UT, though not the first time I've seen a beer from Uinta. I haven't made up my mind whether or not to pick up some of their anniversary barley wine. Anyway, as per my expectations of and experience from my semi-epic, semi-fail (accidentally typed 'semi-fail, semi-fail' originally; maybe how I really feel about that...) pumpkin beer tasting from last year, I'm both a little excited and setting low expectations for this one. After all, this is a pumpkin beer from a new brewery and not an East coast brewery. Then again, most pumpkin beers are pretty bad.

It poured fairly typically, amber-y, orange-brown, and had a little head, which is leaving a little lacing. Carbing is bit sharp but maybe it goes with season. Initially, I thought the taste was a little bland, maybe a slightly squash-y amber. A few sips in, it is still a squashy amber, but all the complexity is on the back end. The unseasoned pumpkin flavor (read: not sweet) intensifies enough to be known and lends a little bit of creaminess. The spice profile is fairly mild and front-loaded, though I get a strong nutmeg impression at the very end.

I do like the mouthfeel on this one. It's just full enough to keep you satisfied in the colder weather but not so much so that you couldn't drink more than one or with dessert. Not being too sweet, I'd think it'd go pretty damn well with a slice of pumpkin or pecan pie. Given its flavor, it's definitely a limited seasonal drinker though. I don't think I'd be interested once December is in swing and the stronger red ales, Scotch ales, and wee heavies come out. I also have to wonder how this would stack up against the other, more versatile autumn seasonals (Goose Island's Harvest Ale comes to mind). Unlike the wee heavies and their ilk, this is a lightweight beer at only 4%ABV, for better or worse. Overall, it's not a bad drinker. Not foul, not offensive. It's average. I'd call that a win for this style.

• Appearance: Orange-brown amber, small head with a little lacing.
• Smell: Mild canned pumpkin aroma. Not cloying.
• Taste: Fairly mild until the finish. Not as sweet as the smell belies, it's more on the squash-side than dessert-side of pumpkin.
• Mouthfeel: Slightly heavier than an amber, a good fit for the intended season. Carb seems high, but it lends an appreciable crispness.
• Drinkability and Overall: 4%ABV. A mild, balanced pumpkin ale. Not a bad choice for the season, but very much a seasonal beer.