Portland’s Hopworks Brewery always has a fun lineup of seasonal beer specialties, and this year the brewery sent me its fall selection: the tequila barrel-aged version of Rindless Watermelon Gose, the returning Great Gourds of Fire Pumpkin Ale, and of course Fresh Hop Abominable, the fresh Centennial-hopped version of its Abominable Winter Ale.

I have my full notes on the first two, plus an afterthought or two on Fresh Hop Abom. Read on!

Tequila Barrel-Aged Rindless Watermelon Gose

This is an interesting one; I haven’t had the regular Rindless Watermelon Gose, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with this barrel-aged version. I’m always interested in beers aged in tequila barrels, as (in my probably limited tasting experience) they tend to pick up smoky notes from the tequila as well as simply being a rather unique spirit barrel to age in.

Since I haven’t tasted non-barreled Rindless, here’s the brewery’s description of both:

Regular Rindless:

Watermelon candy and bright lime aromas with flavors of bright lime and sweet watermelon, with some light saltiness to clean off the palate.

Barrel-Aged:

We aged our Rindless Watermelon Gose in tequila barrels for 6 months. The barrels have slightly softened the sourness of the beer, added oak and some fruity caramel notes, plus a soft tang of tequila.

The barrel-aged version is 6.7% ABV and, according to the website, only 3 IBUs.

Appearance: Copper colored with decent clarity, with an off-white/tannish head that dissipated quickly.

Smell: Pickled watermelon with a warming note of tequila that’s a touch smoky, a touch oaky. Tart notes coming through with a bit of a balsamic aroma.

Taste: Gose tartness with a bit of salt that combines with the watermelon for a briny, pickled rind flavor with a good amount of sour. Light oakiness with a nicely subtle tequila character giving some light cocktail vibes. Acid has a bracing quality with a nice balance.

Mouthfeel: Bright and medium-light body with lingering oaky notes.

Overall: It’s tasty and compelling, savory and culinary-minded.

Great Gourds of Fire Pumpkin Ale

I loves me some pumpkin beer (you might have noticed) and Hopworks’ take with Great Gourds of Fire combines roasted pumpkins with ancho chilis for a spicy twist on the seasonal specialty. The website description is pretty simple:

Roasted pumpkins from Bella Organic Farm send good vibes along with cinnamon, ancho chilis, cocoa, and other spices.

It’s 6.5% ABV with 21 IBUs and don’t worry, it’s not as hot as you think. (Or at least I didn’t think so.)

Appearance: Deep amber orange color, translucent, with a pillowy and lacy off-white head of foam.

Smell: Roasted, mashed pumpkin, with subtle chili spice and heat along with hints of pumpkin pie spices—they are kind of muddled and indistinct, but maybe I can pick out cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Touch of caramel maltiness.

Taste: Earthy and spicy, with a little bit of a vegetal note, and roasted chili flavor that wants to be hot but isn’t, more like how cinnamon can be “hot” without much heat. Rich malt base with some dark fruits (raisin), Grape Nuts cereal, hard-toasted brioche bread. A touch of astringency (from spices?) but it has a good pumpkin notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-full body, toasty, earthy finish with a bare hint of lingering spice heat.

Overall: Enjoyable! One of the more unique pumpkin ales out there right now.

Fresh Hop Abominable

Not too many breweries start with a hoppy winter red ale as a base for a fresh hop beer, but that’s where Hopworks goes each year with this fresh hop version of its Abominable Winter Ale. Here’s the description:

This India Red Ale is brewed with Fresh Centennial hops from Goschie Farms in Silverton, OR that add juicy notes of citrus and pine. Caramel sweetness balances out the assertive hop additions to create the perfect PNW Fresh Hop Ale.

It’s 7.3% ABV and while I don’t have a full review this time around, you can read my review from last year, as the beer remains pretty consistent year to year. The IRA base pushes the malts more than the fresh hops, but I still found pine and orange elements in this year’s edition. The spicy-minty note are there as well.

Centennial is a good hop to use for a fresh hop ale like this, with a malt-heavier base, since regular Abominable plays into that pine character already; I suspect many of the newer hop varieties would probably clash. At any rate, I enjoy drinking this one every year, even though it doesn’t have the “freshiest” character compared to many others; regardless it’s become a classic.