# Gage Roads Pumpkin Ale



## Bats (13/10/12)

Just got back from my Local BWS with a couple of bottles of Gage Roads Pumpkin Ale.

I had a mate that tried it and said it was only just ok.

Apparently it lacks in the spicy notes (nutmeg, cinnamon etc) that Pumpkin Ales are renowned for.

I plan on cracking a bottle later this arvo but interested in hearing what other people who have tried it think of it.

Cheers, Bats.


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## sinkas (13/10/12)

its got plenty of them,
so your mate needs a tounge transplant

its one of the best and most interesting beers the GR crew have made,


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## yum beer (13/10/12)

Total waste of money,

yes you could taste the spice and the pumpkin, if you closed your eyes and tried real hard to block anything else from entering your mind, yes,
you could taste pumkin and spice, just.
If I close my eyes and think about pumpkin and spice I can probably convince myself I can taste it, was expecting to able to pick the flavours,
the bottle raves on about heaps of pumpkin pie taste, if so its a pretty boring pumpkin pie.
IMO just enough flavour to stuff up what may have been a good ale. Could not finish the bottle and I tried hard, thought maybe it was too cold, let it warm, 
no difference. Another underdone Gage Roads brew, they seemed to be the masters of 60%...you get about 60% of the flavour you expect with any of their beers.


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## bruce86 (13/10/12)

had never had a pumkin ale before this one so was not sure what to expect. but it was kinda bland. no real spice or even pumpkin notes. didnt hate the beer tho. but prob wont buy again.


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## pete3550 (13/10/12)

I agree, very bland and lacking in spices, the pumpkin is there but thats it. Won't be buying that again.


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## jayahhdee (13/10/12)

I had a bottle a few weeks ago and relly enjoyed it, first pumpkin ale i've had.

I guess I can see why some people would want more of everything but I found it nice and subtle, clearly I need to try some other pumpkin ales.


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## jimi (13/10/12)

the bottle I had a week ago had plenty of cinnamon and nutmeg and I thought it was nice. I haven't been impressed by Gage Road stuff in the past, but I'm with sinkas on this one - to me its one of their best beers.
When Tim was at Five Islands he used to do a seasonal Pumpkin ale, which had a bit more roast pumpkin flavour but it didn't have nearly as much spice as the Gage version. That's the only other pumpkin ale I've had for comparison.


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## jphowman (14/10/12)

I found the spices to be quite prominent and complex, without being overpowering. I could get a little pumpkin in the background, but it was VERY subtle. Overall I didn't mind this beer, but my biggest gripe was the base beer being too light. It was so devoid of maltyness and mouthfeel it was more like drinking spiced ginger ale rather than a beer.
I think to get the most out of the spices and pumpkin they needed to go with a base that could support them.


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## Bats (14/10/12)

I had both bottles, one in the arvo and another later on that night.

The first lacked the flavours I was hoping for. Very little pumpkin and spice profiles coming through. It didn't have a lot of mouth feel either. Almost watered down.

I noticed more cinnamon coming through in the second bottle. Still not overly impressed with it though.

I still drank them but probably wont buy any more.


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## flano (15/10/12)

I drank it.
Didn't rate it too be honest.

Not my go.
tasted sort of off.


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## pmunny (15/10/12)

can anyone recommend a good commercial pumpkin ale?


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## Filfy (15/10/12)

As pumpkin ale goes, it was terrible. Weak, watery, very poor example.


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## earle (28/10/12)

pmunny said:


> can anyone recommend a good commercial pumpkin ale?



Saramac pumpkin ale now available at Dan's. Not sure if its a great example but definitely better than the Gage Roads.


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## a_quintal (28/10/12)

earle said:


> Saramac pumpkin ale now available at Dan's. Not sure if its a great example but definitely better than the Gage Roads.



Agree. I drank it quite warm. Was ok. Way better than Gage fail Roads


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## Blitzer (28/10/12)

a_quintal said:


> Agree. I drank it quite warm. Was ok. Way better than Gage fail Roads



Haven't had the Gage roads, but the Saranac had no pumpkin taste at all.


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## earle (29/10/12)

Blitzer said:


> Haven't had the Gage roads, but the Saranac had no pumpkin taste at all.


I'm not sure they're supposed to taste like pumpkin or more like pumpkin pie which is more about the spice.


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## Brad Sofield (29/10/12)

Yeah have to agree with a few of you- this was my first taste of pumpkin ale and have been interested in trying since seeing Brewmasters episode with Dogfish head doing a Punkin ale. I noted they added canned pumpkin to the boil which I reckon is what was missing from the gage roads version. Could only tatse cinammon


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## wyane (29/10/12)

Had a GR pumpkin ale and one of their English best bitters over the past two nights. Agree with the poster who said 60% of the way there, but GR is IMO like the Squires range, a gateway drug on the road to real beer. Road, geddit!?
But really, they are what they're supposed to be. Not everyone is a hop head, that's why we brew


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## super_simian (31/10/12)

The Gage Roads version tasted a lot like Speculoos; a spiced dutch sweet spread thingo. Quirky, but not my cup of meat...


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## benno1973 (5/11/12)

Tried this over the weekend. Was actually surprised how good it was, plenty of spice without it being _only_ about the spices. It was pretty interesting, and I'd have to say it was one of the only(?) Gage beers I've liked. Have to agree with this comment though:



franks said:


> ... my biggest gripe was the base beer being too light. It was so devoid of maltyness and mouthfeel it was more like drinking spiced ginger ale rather than a beer.
> I think to get the most out of the spices and pumpkin they needed to go with a base that could support them.


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## tricache (5/11/12)

I had one on the weekend as well...I found the warmer it got the better it tasted (or maybe the drunker I got haha) 

Wasn't impressed by the spice flavour of it, too weak for me...the best spiced beer I have ever tasted was is still BrewDog's "There Is No Santa" that thing was OUT OF CONTROL with spices!


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## Damien13 (5/11/12)

Brew Dog has to have the best names and descriptions of their beers.

EG Punk IPA......

This is not a lowest common denominator beer.

This is an aggressive beer.

We don't care if you don't like it.

We do not merely aspire to the proclaimed heady heights of conformity through neutrality and blandness.

It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to appreciate the depth, character and quality of this premium craft brewed beer.

You probably don't even care that this rebellious little beer contains no preservatives or additives and uses only the finest fresh natural ingredients.

Just go back to drinking your mass marketed, bland, cheaply made watered down lager, and close the door behind you.

BrewDog: Beer for Punks.

BrewDog is about breaking rules, taking risks, upsetting trends and unsettling institutions but first and foremost, great tasting beer.




Awesome... just awesome....


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## Filfy (9/11/12)

Great little round of some US 'Pumpkins 

http://draftmag.com/features/12-perfect-pumpkin-beers/


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## krausenhaus (9/11/12)

franks said:


> my biggest gripe was the base beer being too light. It was so devoid of maltyness and mouthfeel it was more like drinking spiced ginger ale rather than a beer.



I did hear that the Matso's Mango they brew at GR now is just Dry Dock plied with mango syrup, so maybe they're pulling a similar trick with the pumpkin ale.

Don't _really_ want to start rumours, but I heard it on good authority and I guess I've been waiting for an excuse to post it.


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## jimi (9/11/12)

Damien13 said:


> Brew Dog has to have the best names and descriptions of their beers.
> 
> EG Punk IPA......
> 
> ...



I'm following you way off topic here Damien, but I really don't care for this kind of craft brew marketing. Like everyone here I don't want a bland beer, but the old spidey senses start tingling with similarities to pretentious wine snobbery when I read the self advert by BrewDog above h34r: . May be just me, may be we'll get lucky and the gruen transfer will cover this next week


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## Lecterfan (9/11/12)

Just my 'opinion' (that might get me in trouble heh heh), but - 

I sometimes wonder why, as 'craftbrewers' there (for some) seems to be a need for a beer to be completely off its farken rocker? Gage Roads IPA - not an IPA by a longshot, but not necessarily a _bad_ beer to knock down the gullet. Pumpkin Ale - not the equivalent of eating pumpkin pie, but not a _bad_ beer, Atomic - a really boring pale ale, but not a _bad_ beer. Even that English thing...not remotely close to being an English anything, but in and of itself not a particularly _bad_ malty amber beer.

Sure, they peddle VERY toned down (and sometimes downright misleading) versions of what they advertise, but - maybe I'm just a shit brewer - I'd be happy to consistently churn out beers in this sort of ballpark (not necessarily the 'types'). Sometimes consistently brewing the easy-drinker is much harder than the super-duper 800 IBU coriander-infused black wheat IPA with toe-nail clippings.

I've only had one other pumpkin ale which was ShaneR's from a Melb caseswap a while ago and it was incredibly interesting and a fantastic beer. But I can happily drink one or two longnecks of the gage pumpkin towards the end of the night...just not the same thing... like lumping any ale with a heap of dark malts into the concept of a 'stout'.

Whether doing what they do is a good or bad thing in terms of introducing the mainstream to more interesting beers is another issue again (not one I feel strongly about).

Anyway.

No affiliation...just gettin' my drunk on.


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## jdsaint (9/11/12)

ive tried bothe gageroads and american saranac pumkin ales both ordinary, they having nothing on murrays craft brewing smashing pumkin ale which is only on tap
just my opinion


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## Aydos (9/11/12)

jdsaint said:


> ive tried bothe gageroads and american saranac pumkin ales both ordinary, they having nothing on murrays craft brewing smashing pumkin ale which is only on tap
> just my opinion



I can also vouch for Murrays, it is quite a nice pumpkin Ale. But im pretty bias to Murrays as well as they make some REALLY good beers!


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## Dribs (23/11/12)

With this at $4 a (mini-)long neck and Saramac pumpkin ale at $14 a six pack at BWS I tried both. At that price, they're both pretty good but I'd go with Saramac been the better tasting, more malty of the two.


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## Rina (7/12/12)

I've tasted both. I prefer the Saranac. Gage roads at times was very spicy with little to back it up except alcohol. Saranac is a lot more balanced imo- though as others have said could do with more pumpkin flavour.


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## Swanstar (4/3/13)

Gotta say it's the first pumpkin ale I've tried although I'm gonna put one down soon. Not too bad, subtle hints of pumpkin and spices, very drinkable, off to see if First Choice has the Saranac one(will post a comment after I try it).
Also very biased towards Murrays ever since trying all they were brewing at Taylors Arms AKA The Pub With No Beer


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## Brew Matt (18/11/13)

Just wanted to resurrect this post, to see if anyone has tried the 2013 release of the Gage Roads Pumpkin Ale.... as well as the Saranac Pumpkin ale.

These have recently appears in the local DM - both have new labels so just wondering if the recipe for each is the same.


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## ricardo (18/11/13)

Damien13 said:


> Brew Dog has to have the best names and descriptions of their beers.
> 
> EG Punk IPA......
> 
> ...


Not very original, Stone used this kind of marketing way back with Arrogant Bastard


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