CulturAle Press

Sometimes We Just Stay Home and Drink #14 : Avery Rumpkin (very) Strong Pumpkin Ale

Date:  June 13, 2019  —

The Story— Adam Avery has brewed exceptional beers for many years and has earned his reputation as one of the country’s most creative and skilled brewers.  We’re not sure how much Adam does of the hands on brewing these days, but his company continues to turn out remarkable beers.

The downside is that the creators of expensive-to-make beers with good reputations don’t sell their high end beers cheap.  We’re guessing that the double digit cost of a small bottle of this beer represents a fair and not exorbitant return for the brewery, but we’re also guessing the price is one reason why you can still find them on shelves months after their release.    This barrel aged powerhouse checks in at 16.73% abv. and the price probably includes no more than a reasonable return.   The bottom line for most breweries that take this long and work this hard to produce a super premium pumpkin beer is indeed the bottom line — if you like them enough to pay enough money to make it worth their while, they’ll still make them and you can still drink them.

The Beer–  Very rich big caramel, butterscotch, candy and lots of rum and burned sugar. Rum and barrel favors grow with sustained chewy malt and evident coffee.  Herbal notes and pumpkin spices are on a merciful short leash, but Ellie, though she respected it, thought it was just too much.

Value — Fair.  But good if this is the beer of your dreams.

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

Sometimes we just stay home and drink beer — hundreds of them over the course of the year as we hunt for a new favorite.  The searching for the beer of the day never stops, so for a while, there will be fewer travel-oriented posts and just some to-the-point descriptions of beers we’ve enjoyed.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is in answer to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers, and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”