Samuel Adams - Fat Jack

Evening everyone! So Fall has finally arrived here in San Diego and I just so happen to have a fall type of beer in my fridge. I've never had this one and I'm really happy to have found it this year. I tried to get it last year and came up empty. 

So tonight I'm drinking Samuel Adams Fat Jack which is an 8.5% abv Double Pumpkin ale brewed with pumpkin and spices. That's right! It's time for a Pumpkin beer! I'm going to throw this out right now, but I'm not a fan of pumpkin beers. I've never had one that has made me want to buy it again. I've had a few and they're OK but just not really my thing. But enough intro, let's get the Fat Jack poured and see if this is a Pumpkin beer I can fully endorse.

Fat Jack pours out a pretty clear ruby red color, maybe amber but definitely leaning more towards the red category. There's a nice little bit of a very steady carbonation streaming up from the bottom of the glass. There was about a finger of egg shell colored head, fairly foamy with a lot of tight white bubbles. It doesn't stick around too long and leaves behind a somewhat sea foam-esque lacing. This looks like a pretty nice beer, definitely reminiscent of fall with the red/amber tones. Let's get the nose.

First thing I get is brown sugar. Lots of sweet brown sugar. I'm picking up some nutmeg and some cinnamon. The cinnamon is a little on the subtle side. It's more hiding in the background, lurking, stalking.... you know it's there but it's not overbearing. A nice bit of pumpkin pie coming through as well. From the pumpkin filling to the buttery crust. There's also a little bit of dark fruits. Raisins and dates are present but very much in the background like the cinnamon. Some bread like characters here as well. Genuinely a really nice smelling pumpkin beer, very much reminds me of a slice of pumpkin pie. Only one thing left to do now. Let's drink! 

Wow. This follows the nose perfectly! Right away there's some sweet brown sugar on the front of the tongue. Immediately followed up with some creamy pumpkin pie filling with nutmeg, cinnamon and maybe even some vanilla, or vanilla cream. Sides of the palate you get more of that pumpkin, more brown sugar, a nice bit of a buttery crust. Back end of this you get a little burst of bitterness, some more spice, cinnamon is more noticeable here. As the flavors linger a bit you get the dark fruits especially the raisins. This is just a really nice, enjoyable pumpkin beer.

So overall, this beer is fantastic. I came into this expecting nothing. Honestly, I expected this to be OK and maybe a bit difficult to finish a full bottle. I was wrong. This is exactly what I want in a pumpkin beer. Good spices, nothing too overpowering, full pumpkin flavor, great mouth feel. It covers everything I look for in a pumpkin pie all while still keeping that integrity of being a beer. If that makes sense. Basically, this isn't a pumpkin syrup nightmare. Get this if you can. I think it's highly enjoyable and very much a fantastic early fall/late fall beer.

Rating :A