Pumpkin Evaluation

Comparing my pumpkin ale to the Smuttynose model again; I did this once before and decided the spice level in mine was too low and added further spice directly to the keg. Something like 6 cloves plus cinnamon and nutmeg to the tune of a scant .2 oz total. Gotta get a scale that converts to grams for stuff like this...

My beer is a big loser in visuals. I put pumpkin right into the primary and this created a serious haze. Honestly I don't care though.

Other than that, the beers are really close in quality. Both have big, full spice noses. Being bottled, the Smutty has pricklier carbonation, whereas mine has a softer draft feel (probably a plus for this style actually). The spice flavor is underlain by a fairly solid malt foundation, with a delicate carameliness. The Smutty is a little bit more firmly hopped. If I were going to do a bottled version and drink it off and on for a year or more, it'd make sense to give it 8-10 more IBU's.

Overall, that was encouraging...