Monday, October 22, 2012

Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale


Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale, ale brewed with pumpkin and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and clove). 8.4% Alc./vol. 76 OG (18.4 P) 7.3 IBU.

Nice orange/amber coloring, thinnish, though staying, white ahead.

Potent aromatics pour out of the glass. Warm blend of spices, mixed with the real fruit of the pumpkin. Sweetness and spice and everything nice.

Taste: Mmm! Full flavor, full body, a big bombardment of pumpkin-ness, with a blast of spice on the side. Minor hops, major malt. Very mellow, and very delicious. Just enough of everything. MMm, pumpkin pie!

I loathe sorry-ass pumpkin beers that just toss in the spice, and leave out the gourd.  I try to steer far clear of those duds. This is one of the good ones. Mmm, as I said, mmm.

Here's what they say on the label:
"Frog's Hollow Pumpkin Ale: There's a place jus south they call Frog's Hollow, with cauldron's afire in Fall, and they only speak in whispers of the name. There's a brewery they say who has the secret of spices picked just right. With a crying shout, they'll knock it out, and hand you this Frog's delight."

A bit too flowery for my taste, a touch too precious, a tiny too poetic. Well, so what. The beer's good enough to warrant it.

(I've since discovered that I actually had, and reviewed, this beer some six years ago. the notes were fairly similar. )

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