Happy Halloween! I saved my last pumpkin beer to review in honor of the holiday. I still hold Southern Tier's Pumking as my all time favorite pumpkin seasonal, but I wanted to try out a new pumpkin ale from Two Roads Brewing.
I did a post a while back on Two Roads Brewery located in Stratford, Connecticut. Ever since then I have been excited to try their pumpkin ale cleverly titled Roadsmary's Baby. The packing immediately enticed me with its Halloween colors and its pumpkin inspired baby carriage. The name and the carriage of course playing homage to the 1968 movie Rosemary's Baby starring Mai Farrow.
The main reason behind my excitement for Two Road's pumpkin seasonal is due to the unique brewing process. The beer is aged in Caribbean rum barrels and is made from REAL pumpkin, vanilla beans and spices.
It pours a clear, dark copper with a small head. Aromas of pumpkin are the first thing to hit my nose. What really drew me in was the vanilla, cinnamon, spice and sweet molasses notes. I do have a sweet tooth so I enjoyed the sweet caramel and brown sugar flavors that accompany the mild pumpkin taste. Coming in at 6.8% alcohol there is some heat present and a mild rum flavor. The finish is my favorite part with a strong vanilla presence that lingers.
I only question the length of age in the rum barrel, because a tad more rum flavor would have been nice. Otherwise, I enjoyed this interesting take on a pumpkin ale. Just the right amount of sweetness, pumpkin and spices for it to all come together nicely!
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