In case you hadn’t noticed, fall is slowly sneaking into the northeast. The nights get cooler, the leaves change color and our beer shelves get populated with pumpkin beers…and just when you think you’ve tasted all of them, we bring you an interesting and surprising twist on the style.Coming to us from Bend, OR, today we’ll be sampling Jamaican Me Pumpkin from 10 Barrel Brewing. This seasonal release starts with an imperial pumpkin ale, and then 10 Barrel somehow manages to barrel age this beer for 24-months. If that’s not enough to make you want to try it, the beer is actually aged in Jamaican Rum barrels. This was an interesting combination that was quite honestly hard to even imagine what it would taste like…so off we go.
The color of this beer will make you want to take a quick sip, and I’d describe it as a deep (and inviting) orange-ish mahogany. The aromas lead with some traditional fall spices like cinnamon that are followed by a prominent oak and Rum presence. The beer has a lot of pumpkin pie-like flavors with mulling spices and caramel malt up front. Two years in the Rum barrel imparts a significant dose of Rum and oak to the mix, but there is a pleasant complexity that I really liked. The balance of Jamaican Me Pumpkin is very good and it leans a bit toward sweet with notes of vanilla and toffee, especially as it warms.
Overall I really enjoyed how the pumpkin spice and Rum flavors mixed in Jamaican Me Pumpkin and it had just enough boozy presence to make it warm and satisfying. 10 Barrel Jamaican Me Pumpkin is available now in 500ml bottles so get out there and try it for yourself…and when you do, be sure to let us know what YOU think.
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