Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale is Anheuser-Busch’s offering to the world of craft beers, a seasonal release that they first announced in 2005. I was under the impression that it was only available in the Midwest, but my wife found it here locally.

It was okay. Not great, but not terrible, either. Most of the craft brewed pumpkin beers I’ve tried are better, especially my own.

Appearance: Pours deep orange with red hues, very clear. Head is light tan.

Smell: Some pumpkin pie spice notes, but it’s more of a caramelly malt. Grainy and a barest hint of hops.

Taste: Tastes like an amber ale with a bit of a tang—spices? Some spice in the aftertaste. A hint of sweetness and a wash of bitter. No hops. If I taste pumpkin, it’s on the sweet side, almost caramelized.

Mouthfeel: Light and fizzy. A step up from watery, feels very clean in the mouth.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 79 out of 100 with 80% thumbs up. On RateBeer it seems to score somewhat less favorably, with 2.74 out of 5 and in the 26th percentile.