Highballer Pumpkin Ale

Okay, so I don't know about you, but I tend to associate pumpkins with Halloween and Thanksgiving. So why am I reviewing a Pumpkin ale after those two holidays have already passed? I really don't know. Maybe I'm wrong but I feel like I've been seeing more of these seasonal pumpkin ales popping up after October has passed. I mean, I'm only a few days into November, but I feel like a few brands have just shown up for the first time at the LCBO. Maybe it's an American thing? Seeing as their Thanskgiving does take place in November. Still though, we're in Canada, and the pumpkin ale that I just noticed pop up is this Highballer Pumpkin Ale and it's brewed by Grand River Brewing based out of Cambridge, Ontario. So this is strange but I'll let it pass because it's just beer.

This beer is 5.2% alcohol, which isn't too bad (about average really). Comes in a 500 mL bottle and for $3.60 it's not that bad of a deal - so long as it doesn't taste like vinegar and piss. Now, from reviewing the Grand River Brewing website there's not a whole lot of interesting facts about the Pumpkin Ale. It does say though that Grand River Brewery makes malts the main focus of their brewing process. Malts are pretty tasty. I know I say I'm a hops man, but I do enjoy a good malty beer. According to the Wiki Page on Malt, it's all about germinating grain. I don't want to get too technical cause that can be pretty boring but really it's a dark and sweet kinda deal. So, I'm going into this Highballer Pumpkin Ale thinking it'll be very sweet and dark tasting. Which I generally like. Also it will be highly ballin'?

It pours out pretty clear, not really too dark. The colour is kinda neat, a clear yet dark orange. Not a lot of head though and it smells strongly of nutmeg. It tastes quite nice though. Very pleasant first sip. I'd say that what this beer nails that most pumpkin beers fail at is subtlety. A pumpkin ale that is more subtle and smooth is more appealing to me. It has similar traits to a good winter ale too because it has a very nice sweet and spiced flavour to it. Its main difference, again, is the smoothness and subtlety of flavours. I know that this review may seem a bit contradictory to my past reviews because I tend to like something bold and here I am raving about the smoothness of this beer but maybe because I know from all the pumpkin ales that I've had in the past that they are pretty damn bold in flavour and this one stands out because it is not extremely bold. Being bold by lack of boldness? I don't know. Also, it is very 'nice'. This may very be my favourite pumpkin ale.

I just took a bite of some broccoli that I roasted in olive oil for dinner then a sip of the delicious Highballer Pumpkin Ale. Not much changed, although because it is a nice subtle yet sweet beer I'm sure it would go fine with a lot of food. This is really just a treat on its own though. So very pleasant and nice indeed.

85% : Wow, really surprised with this one. Expected a thick cloudy pumpkin journey and instead got a really pleasant pumpkin treat. This is probably my favourite pumpkin ale. Clean, smooth, and subtle - which works great with this type of beer seeing how sweet and thick a pumpkin ale usually is. Highly recommend this one, I'll be sure to look out for it every fall.