10/21/18: Rogue Ales & Spirits' Pumpkin Patch Ale
2:41 PMEach day brings us further into fall, and closer to the end of Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month. Today, the sun is shining brightly outside of my living room window but, just last night, as the wind was howling a a driving rain was battering the side of my house, I watched a few episodes of a spooky new ghost show and found myself in a downright Halloweeny mood.
Sun or no sun, I'm still feeling the spirit of the season. So, I thought that I'd push through this post today instead of waiting until next Sunday, which was my original plan. Today I'm drinking Rogue's Pumpkin Patch Ale.
Since I've never discussed a Rogue brew before, let's go over a little of the brewery's history (pulled from its About page). Rogue started with a few notable brews created in a brewpub basement. A year later, in 1989, the brewery had found a new home in Newport, Oregon. Although Rogue has since expanded it operation and now distributes all over the US and around the world, it still proudly serves the fishing community of its hometown.
Pumpkin Patch Ale is a 6.1% ABV brew that crafted with pumpkins Rogue grows at its farm. It's also made with Rogue-grown hops and malt--this is a beer that cannot be brewed by any other brewery. Oh, and it also has traditional pumpkin spices, such as clove and nutmeg, as well as orange peel. Be sure to see its page on Rogue's website for more information on the ale.
The beer's bouquet is that of a pumpkin ale. It's spicy; the nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove are all big players here. Having said that, I'm pleasantly surprised to find a mild citrusiness from the orange peel. It's buried beneath the spice and pumpkin meatiness, but it's present and it adds a little something special to the nose. I think Purrl picked up on the orange, too. That'd explain why she only gave it two whiffs (she's not a citrus fan).
The orange also makes it presence known in the ale's flavor. It's there, expertly mixed with the other flavors that contribute to Pumpkin Patch's whole. It's a bottle of fall with a kick of ginger in the finish. Rogue's crafted a solid pumpkin ale from its own, homegrown ingredients.
The ale's mouthfeel is perfectly aligned with what you'd expect from the style: light and drinkable, with a subtle carbonation.
Michelle and I have always carved pumpkins for Halloween. Shortly before our first Halloween together, she came to my apartment to go pick up some pumpkins from the grocery store with me. On the way to the store, I realized that I had no carving tools. We swung by the dollar store on the way to grab a few knives (which we still use on our yearly pumpkins).
When we got back to my place, I threw on a scary movie and we starting carving our Jack-o'-Lanterns. Michelle, being an artist, made one that blew mine out of the water. When we finished carving, we threw the seeds in the oven to roast, put candles in our pumpkins, took our creations to my apartment's stoop, and lit them up. It was a fantastic first Halloween for us, and it's the evening of which Pumpkin Patch Ale is reminding me.
I don't have much experience with Rogue, but I can say that Pumpkin Patch Ale is a solid example of the pumpkin ale style. My bomber ran me about $8, and that's the perfect pricepoint for it. The beer gets an 8.0/10 from me and is something I'd recommend you grab if you need a quick pumpkiny pick-me-up.
Posts
0 comments