Beer in Review – Alaskan Pumpkin Porter

It’s been a little while since I have done a beer review, so I thought I would dust off the cobwebs and give one a whirl. Here it goes…

Today we’ll be trying Pumpkin Porter from Alaskan Brewing. I have reviewed an Alaskan beer before and found it quite tasty. This beer is also part of Alaskan’s Pilot Series – which is a proving ground from Alaskan’s more experimental or seasonal beers. I haven’t had anything from the Pilot Series that I didn’t like.

This beer pours a very dark brown with very little head. There is almost no lacing left on the glass. This is pretty typical of the porter style.

Speaking of the porter style, I think it’s important to mention that Porter and Stout are not interchangeable in the beer world. Porter is the mother of the Stout style of beer. There are a few varying stories as to how the beer got it’s start, but the general consensus is that in the early 18th century a dark, hoppy beer became the favorite after work libation of the dock workers (or porters) in London. Later in the century, a stronger, more potent version of beer was introduced and called Stout Porter. Even the venerable Guinness Stout was once called Guinness Stout Porter. The styles are similar, and their history is intermingled, but they aren’t the same! BeerAdvocate has a great article on the subject if you’d like to read more. I’m glad I was able to get that off my chest, now back to the beer.

The aroma of the Pumpkin Porter is big and roasty. There is a definite smell of burnt pumpkin pie. Lots of nutmeg, and maybe a bit of cinnamon. The pumpkin is there in the background, but it is not the star of the show in the aroma.

The taste of the beer follows the same pattern as the smell. With all the roast coffee taste, there is some chocolate that sneaks through and rounds things out. This is a well balanced beer that is very easy to drink.

The mouthfeel is light and the carbonation cleans everything up before the next sip.

Overall, this is a very easy drinking holiday beer. It holds up top the spices and reminds you of fall without tasting like pumpkin pie flavored beer. I’m a big fan of pumpkin beers, and this one doesn’t disappoint. With only 7% alcohol, it’s fairly mild in the booze department, but big enough to let you know it’s there. I could drink it everyday and not be upset.

Overall – 3.5/5.0