Tommyknocker - Small Batch Pumpkin Harvest Ale

Tonight I'm bringing us squarely back into Autumn beer territory.  Tommyknocker Brewing has produced the epitome of the pumpkin seasonal brew.  Adding freshly picked pumpkin with a touch of molasses and spice, Tommyknocker positioned this beer as one that shouldn't knock your socks off with a heaping load of cinnamon and nutmeg.  The fact that they said "a touch of spice" on the bottle is actually what attracted me to this brew originally.  When it comes to spiced beers, I prefer the spice to be an accent as opposed to the primary flavors.  Much like Summit's Imperial Pumpkin Porter.  That stuff was delicious!

The last, and only, brew we have reviewed from Tommyknocker has been their Imperial Nut Brown Ale.  Unfortunately, Duns didn't come away too impressed.  He found it to be just a bit on the sweet side for his hop-loving taste buds.

It appears as though this is a brand new beer for Tommyknocker as well.  In fact, it may be so new that they don't even have it listed on their website yet!  I'm not sure if that means we got this beer early or their web developers are lazy.

Small Patch Pumpkin is a nice, woody deep brown color that produces very little foam.  The aromas are pleasantly spicy with hints of cinnamon, pumpkin and nutmeg backed up with a solid maltiness and sweet, but subtle molasses.  So far so good!  The flavors are a bit weak which is disappointing.  All of the aromas are still there in the flavor, just watered down.  The body of this brew is thin but the carbonation is at the right level to allow some flavor through.  At 5% ABV, the alcohol remains subdued through to the end.

Overall - The aromas and color grabbed my attention.  But the lack of head retention and the flavors left me wanting more.  It's another example of a beer that has good things going for it but couldn't quite cross the finish line at full speed.  If Small Patch Pumpkin Harvest Ale had more body with a bolder base flavor I would have been hooked.  Actually, I wonder what would happen if we blended their nut brown with this.  I bet we would get the mouthfeel and body we are looking for with the subtle hint of spice I tend to like with this style.  If anyone is adventurous to give this experiment a shot let us know.  I think its worth trying it out.