Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale

Review Date 10/14/2011   Last Updated 9/29/2019  By John Staradumsky

OK, folks, it’s time for a rant. And exactly what am I ranting about, you ask? “High gravity” beers. High gravity, of course, is a code word term for higher alcohol brews. Nobody wants to advertise “higher alcohol” brews, as that might draw the ire of local civic groups (even though most “high gravity” beers are still lower in alcohol than most wines and almost all spirits). Anyway, I’ve only heard the term “high gravity” beers in beer bars. No salesman has ever shouted “Hey John, try this new high gravity beer!” at me in a liquor store.

Anyway, my beef with “high gravity beers” these days is the price. Sure, the brewer needs to make a living. I get that. But let’s be real, it doesn’t cost a whole heck of a lot more to make an 8% by volume beer than it does a 5% one. Still, it’s a premium product, sometimes shipped in smaller kegs, and as a result when you go to the beer bar you are likely to get a smaller serving (11-ounces instead of a pint). And I’m good with that. The point is to enjoy the brew, not get drunk as quickly possible.

Still, many brewers whack you with a smaller serving size and a higher price, which really annoys me. The brewer sets this scheme by the size of the keg and the price they charge for it. For example, my local Taco Mac has Ommegang Aphrodite (8.9% alcohol by volume) on tap as I type at $9 for an 11-ounce pour. That’s ridiculous in my book, so I’ve boycotted it, as apparently other have as well; it’s been on tap for more than two months now. An 11-ounce glass of North Coast Old Rasputin (9% abv) is only $4.25. And full 16-ounce pours of Lagunitas Undercover Shutdown (9% abv) are about $5.00.

Anyway, I guess it’s time that I mentioned the beer that you wanted to read about, Samuel Adams Double Pumpkin Ale. It was the Double Pumpkin that got me thinking about all this, because last night when I arrived at Taco Mac I happily discovered that they had just tapped a keg. I of course ordered it posthaste, expecting to get an 11-ounce glass brought out to me because of the beer’s strength (8.5% alcohol by volume). You can imagine my surprise, then, when my server arrived with a full 20-ounce mug of this beauty instead.

The first I learned of this beer was when I overheard the bartender at Taco Mac talking about it a few weeks ago. He said they had a keg on deck and that it should be tapped fairly soon. Further research concluded that this was a draft-only specialty, at least for 2011. The beer is not available in bottles. Here’s what Boston Beer, makers of the Samuel Adams line, says about it:

Always looking to try something new, this year we decided to brew a variation of our Harvest Pumpkin Ale. The result is Samuel Adams Double Pumpkin Ale, in which we add more pumpkin and more spices to our original pumpkin brew. At a higher alcohol level, this beer is strong and full of the flavors we love during this time of year. We brew with real pumpkin, which adds a full body and sweetness to this dark, reddish-amber brew. Deep roasted malts, including smoked malt, lend a distinct roasted character, while traditional pumpkin pie spices give the beer its spice note.

Style: Imperial Pumpkin
Hops: East Kent Goldings, Fuggles
Malts: Two-Row Harrington, Caramel 60, Special B, Smoked Malt
Pure Pumpkin Puree; Pumpkin Pie Spices

8.5% ABV, 25 IBUs

This was interesting, because when my mug arrived it didn’t really look a lot like Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale; it was a lot darker. Tempted, I dove right in.

Samuel Adams Double Pumpkin Ale pours to a very dark chestnut color with a light creamy head formation and a big pumpkin spice nose of clove and nutmeg. The dark malty palate, full of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course pumpkin make this a lot like a like a slice of pumpkin pie in a glass. There are notes of dark sweet malt, caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla, too. The spices dry the beer in the finish along with some warming alcohol.

This is a much bigger and bolder version of Harvest Pumpkin with more body and richness, really a completely different malt character. To me it seems a different beer entirely rather than just a “double” or “imperial” version of the latter. While not quite at the caliber of say, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin, I like it as much in its own way. The fact that the Weyerbacher runs $7 for an 11-ounce pour while the Sam Adams Double Pumpkin comes a full 20 ounces for just $5.25 is worth mentioning, too. An extra half mug rating for the bargain price.

Update: 10/6/2012 :

For 2012, Boston beer has released Double Pumpkin Ale in bottles as Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale.

Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale pours to a very dark chestnut color with a light creamy head formation and a big pumpkin spice nose of clove and nutmeg. The dark malty palate, full of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, and of course pumpkin make this a lot like a like a slice of pumpkin pie in a glass. There are notes of dark sweet malt, caramel, brown sugar, and a hint of vanilla, too. The spices dry the beer in the finish along with some warming alcohol.

I do seem to get molasses notes, similar to the brown sugar but seemingly deeper and darker, that I didn’t remark upon last year. But for the most part the beer is very much akin to the Double Pumpkin Ale I had at Taco Mac. One of the very best of the “Imperial Pumpkin” ales, it has a deeper, darker texture than Southern Tier Pumking (though that does not necessarily mean it is a “better” beer). It also retains more pumpkin pie character than Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin.

Fat Jack has the same 8.5% alcohol content by volume. The ingredients are the same, although spices are better identified on my bottle as nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cinnamon.

From the label:

This rich and luscious brew indulges in flavor with over 28 pounds of pumpkin per barrel, for a full bodied sweetness and deep russet color.  Classic pumpkin pie spices of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice ignite a warmth and spark that's deepened by an undercurrent of roasty smoked malts. The result is a delectable brew full of enveloping layers of flavor and spice.

Well worth the $5.95 that I pad for a 22-ounce bottle. I like this one even better than last year, I think, and at such a reasonable price on draft and in the bottle I'm bumping it up to a full 5 stars from 4 1/2 last year.

Update 11/16/2014: Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale is back, and it's as good as ever. Perfectly spiced and big and malty with dark malts and hints of brown sugar, this one was a treat while watching a late night Sunday football game. A little more pricey but still a bargain these days at $6.99.

Update 9/29/2019: Going through my stash of bomber bottles today in search of something interesting, I found a bottle of Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale. These beers were not freshness dated, but I am quite sure I bought this with the bottle I took notes on back in November of 2012. In place of freshness dating, the label says:

ENJOY NOW OR AGE IT TO FURTHER DEVELOP RICH AND UNIQUE FLAVORS.

So, of course I aged a bottle, and I am glad I did. I loved this beer when it was introduced and sold for a few years later, but it was discontinued much to my dismay.

Anyway, I found it, stuck it in ice the morning before the evening I would drink it, and and here we are. It is delightful with thick molasses, gourdy pumpkin flesh, toasted pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, caramel, nutmeg and dry spicy clove with warming alcohol at the last. WOW! I'm loving the hell out of this, but sad it's my last one. But is it? Hell I never know....

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.

*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.

(B)=Bottled

(D)=Draft

 
 

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