Beer: Shipyard - Smashed Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Lovely. I was sipping this while scanning the limited vista from my little wooden balcony. The trees are changing color bringing vibrant shades of yellow and orange where there was only green. I wish the season lasted longer, but the reality is that the color in a leaf signifies death and the resulting decay is swift. Of course that fleeting interval provides a certain delicate character. I'm babbling, but the colors are lovely and this beer, as vibrant as it is, fits perfectly with the swift decay of the season, fleeting in a similar way because it was greedily consumed. Picture deep, radiant orange with a fine, fluffy, off-white head which didn't stick around for long leaving a bit of lacing, not much, but enough to remark upon.

Aroma: Compared to the last pumpkin ale reviewed, this is a great improvement. Big pumpkin flesh with nutmeg and that noticeable heft from a beer of relatively high ABV. 

Taste: I might subtract a point for what this beer forgets and that is quite simply that it is a beer. There isn't much bitterness and there isn't much malt in the background, there is only pumpkin and spice and the warming, smothering alcohol. But, it pains me to do so because even though it doesn't have the subtlety of other pumpkin beers, it does bring the pumpkin in troves. This is a beer for people who miss the taste of pumpkin pie, although don't expect it to satisfy completely. You'll still need a fresh slice along with this to be sated completely. A dollop of whipped cream wouldn't hurt either.

Mouthfeel: As mentioned before, the alcohol makes itself known, 9% is quite a bit, but it doesn't overwhelm. I was surprised by how smooth this is, very drinkable, not at all cloying. If it weren't so expensive I would want to enjoy more of it, but I'd rather save my money for the sake of variety.

Overall: I really liked it. The dogfish offering was a subtle work of art, true to it's roots as a brown ale with pumpkin. This takes a step away from tradition and offers something else, lush pumpkin smothered in molasses sprinkled with sweet autumn spices. 

4/5