Mixing Brews #5

Uinta Oak JACKED Imperial Pumpkin (2011) "VS" Woodstock Inn Autumn Ale Brew (2012)

WHAT'S GOIN' ON: Happy Halloween... Motherfuckers! It's that time of year again. Aw yeah. Time to poison small children Oh wayt, I mean fuck hot bitches no, that can wait too, uhh... fuck hot poisoned small children's bitches?! Combining those two things doesn't really come out right. I've been watching too much Epic Beer Time. But wait!, what's this!? I'm posting another beer review! (how exciting) and on Halloween!? Well, pathetic as it is... I'd carve a piece of my heart out tonight, if I had any of it left.

No matter the case though and drunken ramblings aside, tonight I'm doing a little self poisoning of my own by mixing these two incredibly delicious toxins: JACKED, and Oak Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale that clocks in at 10.31% ABV (Get it?), with quite possibly the best tasting beer you'll ever find under 5% (this one is a 4.4%): Autumn Ale Brew! Looks like I'm in for one hell of a tricked out treat tonight.

HOW IT WENT DOWN: Me poured about a third from each bottle into this pint glass here. Head faded rather quickly, but left some bubbly puddles here and there.

While the colors for both beers are similar, this maintained more of the Jacked attributes with its darkness and gloom. It's a dark and cloudy reddish orange with light carbonation.

The Autumn Ale Brew brings the apple cinnamon pastry to this pumpkin party and now this mix smells exactly like Pumpkin Pie. It's marvelous! The wood and heavy booze from the Jacked is a bit subdued, but this concoction is no doubt ten times sweeter smelling than the two of these awesome beers alone.

The taste is, and there's no other way to describe this, just pure unadulterated bliss. It's instant gratification in liquid form! You get all that cinnamon, candy apples, pumpkin pie, sweet and sour, and a gentle fade out. This mix is probably one of the sweetest and most flavorful brews I've ever had, for such a gentle ride. The booze from that Jacked bottle really hides out here, I can't even get a hint of it. This spiced ale mix is the stuff that this season is made of.

Mouth is light to medium, a little watery, tingling, sticky, and fiery.

Due to the oak aging in the Jacked, mixed with the low ABV of the Autumn Ale Brew, this one does fade a bit fast and leaves a watery and wood toned aftertaste. The cinnamon lingers the most, but it was all great while it lasted.

Uinta JACKED Oak Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Uinta Jacked - Oak Aged Imperial Pumpkin Ale (2011)

Limited Autumn Seasonal.

25.4 fl. oz. / $12.99 USD / 10.31% ABV

About: "Uinta Brewing Company introduces the newest addition to their Crooked Line of beers, Oak Jacked Imperial Wood Aged Pumpkin Ale. “Jacked” is a very limited, seasonal beer, only 850 cases were produced (in 2011).

Jacked is brewed with fresh pumpkin and fall spices and has been aging in Oak barrels for 6 months. The oak barrels add subtle nuances of toasted vanilla and bourbon notes. With an ABV of 10.31% (a play on the date of Halloween), Jacked is a big, unique pumpkin ale.

Continuing with the spirit of the Crooked Line, Utah artist Trent Call was commissioned to design the Jacked label. Each bottle is a work of art. Pop the cork and pair Oak Jacked with flavors of the season!"

Thoughts: Decided not to struggle with the cork on this one and took the scissor claw to it. Why? Because my hand hurts from doing manly things... like plowing (if you know that I mean), and jerking (if you know what I mean), and strangling bitches to d... (if y...), and on top of that, it's drinkin' time! Not time to break a sweat on some impossible to open brew. Hell, it's hard enough cracking thighs op... I mean, things open, while tying rope (if you know what I)

Jacked poured a dark and sinister, hazy burnt orange. It's got a bit of some reddish-brown tones to it, maybe even a little auburn. It is really, really cloudy, and the colors are shadowed and / or shining off the light from whichever angle I view this glass. The yellowy orange head was huge to fluff up and eventually left a half moon ring around the edges.

Smells fan-fuckin'-tastic! It's rich and spicy, very boozy, tons of malt... it's like layer upon layer of circling aromas. Gingerbread cookies, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, chocolate and vanilla ice cream cake doused with rum(!). It smells like a frosty cold night in front of a bonfire. Kinda makes me miss those old times I would make a rainbow connection at the beach and leave with sand crabs (if you know wha

First gulp, and yeah, me happy. Up front it's got a rich malty sweetness that's slowly chizzled away by a mini -onslaught of cinnamon, pepper, clove, nutmeg and ginger, finally giving way to a slightly sour mash of pumpkin and some falling leaves. This beer is incredibly flavorful, and tastes really good too... but it seems to fade just a little fast. That could just be the oak barrels though, as that woodsy flavor creeps in and takes over just as the spice boom dies off.

The feel is super smooth and just a little watery. It's sticky and coating, and that cinnamon leaves a dust in the mouth, but it's not really drying at all.

Overall this is a great representation of a pumpkin ale. Drinking the final few gulps straight out of the bottle and I'm really loving that harsh, oaked and boozy feel about the whole brew. I wonder what this years version tastes like? After all, there's nothing like a fresh, ripe pumpkin... if you know what I mean.

Uinta PUNK'N

Uinta Brewing PUNK'N - Harvest Pumpkin Ale (2012)

Autumn Seasonal (Limited Release).

12 fl. oz. (x6) / $10.49 USD / 3% ABV? (or is that 4%? No matter, it's low.)

About: "This sessionable pumpkin ale is brewed with fresh pumpkin and seasonal spices. Malt and hops accented with roasted pumpkin and spices of the season. A subtle hint of vanilla and honey. PUNK'N is a wonderful compliment to foods with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove flavors (naturally, I guess). Try it with roasted turkey, squash or pumpkin ravioli, peach cobbler, or pumpkin cheesecake. / Winner: 2010, Silver Medal, World Beer Championships."

Thoughts: PUNK'N poured out a mild orange color with a huge off-white head. The beer is very clear and there's the carbonation seemed spent upon pour.

First off, with the exception of the Imperials, this has to be one of the best smelling Pumpkin Ales I've ever smelt. Even during the pour when I got the first whiff I was pretty amazed by it. It's got the perfect pumpkin aroma going on. It's very earthy, but also very fresh and a totally sweet too. Nothing is hidden about this beer, it jumps right out at you. I like that.

It's very flavorful for the first few blasts. There's a gentle bitterness and it's not overly sweet, but it's got a seemingly perfect amount of spice to it. Loads of nutmeg and pumpkin mash come through. It's lighter on the cloves and the cinnamon isn't at all overpowering to the brew. It's sweet and mild, doesn't drop off too fast and holds its own.

Mouth is clean and smooth. Hardly watery in nature, this is a light beer that doesn't taste light at all, nor does it feel it.

This gets a passing grade from me, as I'm pleased with this purchase of a six pack. But after that I'm done with it. Until I can find their Imperial (which I'm dying to try!) this one has nothing more for me, other than I didn't curse myself for paying ten bucks for six of them. At the end of everything, it's still pretty weak overall. It's still better than a lot of the other so-called 'pumpkin' brews out there (of the session ale variety), and I'm impressed that it tastes so good for such a low ABV, but at the same time, I can't say go out and buy tons of it. I don't have much praise for session beers after all. But I think we may have found the best of that category here.