Sep 5, 2014

Redhook Brewing Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter

The fact that I drank a pumpkin beer of any sort in late August upsets me. It has nothing to do with Out Of Your Gourd, a tasty pumpkin porter from Redhook. It has to do with the fact that it was August — Hell, I saw pumpkin beers on some shelves as early as late July. That just makes no sense to me what-so-over. And it’s not the fault of breweries. It’s us, the consumers, that are to blame for Fall seasonals appearing on shop shelves so early.

I’m a firm believer that any beer of this sort is best enjoyed in the colder months of Autumn and even into early December. The heat of a Virginia Summer is no time for a pumpkin beer to be in my glass. And yet, here I sit with this pumpkin porter in hand. I’ll admit, the only reasons I drank Out of Your Gourd is because it was free (a sample from the kind folks at Redhook) and I was lucky enough to have a rainy, gloomy weekend on which to imagine it was October.

My griping has nothing to do with Redhook or this particular beer. They are just doing what they need to do to keep up with everyone else. As far as Out of Your Gourd is concerned, it’s a tasty porter that does it’s best to stand out with the addition of pumpkin and maple syrup. I’m not sure the syrup really works for me, but the beer is nicely suited for he October/November time frame.

Redhook Brewing Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter photo

Appearance

The brew pours a dark, cola brown in color with a rocky cap of light brown foam.

Aroma

Coffee, chocolate notes, earthy pumpkin, distant spices and soft maple syrup all combine for clean, inviting aroma.

Taste

The brew certainly has plenty of Autumn flavors throughout as maple syrup, coffee, chocolate and pumpkin all come together. Distant spices hang out in the background as a hint of roasty char accompanies. There’s a low-to-moderate amount of bitterness that lingers in the lightly warming finish. The brew has an appropriate medium body for the style.

Overall

I like the concept of what’s going on with this beer. The addition of the maple syrup should work, and it probably will for many folks, but it just doesn’t feel right for my own personal liking. The brew has an interesting character that will help it stand out from the plethora of examples currently available. It’s just way too early in the year for me to really get into Out of Your Gourd.

Rating: 3.5/5

This is a review of a promotional sample.

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