Opened up the first bottle of my Pumpkin Ale this evening. (I would have tried it last week, on Thanksgiving, but I was too sick.) It’s quite good. It has the hint of pumpkin pie spices in the aroma—not as much as I’d like, but it’s noticeable (perhaps next time I’ll "dry-spice," or add spices at bottling time).

It’s a bit hazy; real pumpkin tends to do that, and I even used Irish Moss in the batch for clarification. I also didn’t rack to a secondary, which would have helped in this regard. But no matter. The color is a nice copper, just right for the amber dried malt extract I used. When poured, it presented a nice, creamy head.

Tastes good, too. Rich and malty, and spicy, definitely. The hops are there too, but not as prevalent, which is how I wanted it. Good mouthfeel.

It’s a winner! I’m going to enjoy drinking it for the holidays.