Watching the game on my iPad
New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale |Holland, Michigan
I am celebrating a great win by Auburn over Mississippi State, 38-14 with my traditional brew, a pumpkin brew during Auburn games. This is one of my football traditions, drinking a pumpkin brew. 35 points in the first half. Wow. To be honest I thought it would have been closer but I LOVE IT (and this brew).
So after pouring it into my Auburn glass I could smell the cinnamon right away. It’s got some malty smoothness to start then dries out and leaves a rye-like dryness. Not sure if it’s the cinnamon or the nutmeg providing the dryness. Pumpkin spices vs. pumpkin? Not sure. I guess I would guess more spices than pumpkin. But I like it. This brew goes nicely when nibbling on some potato chips.
Nice dark amber color. Not much head. Nice balance with the malts (2 row, Crystal) and the hops (Cascade).
As it warms up I’m picking up brown sugar or flavors similar to the ever abundant bourbon barrel brews. I think that’s the pumpkin coming out. I was glad to find the New Holland brew because I’ve been to their brew pub in Holland, Michigan which is only about 20 miles from Mrs. Dan’s home town. They have good food and good brew. I used to do IT work occasionally at the Holland Sentinel years ago but the brewery wasn’t as well known then.
I actually had a problem finding a pumpkin brew this week. For the past few years there have been tons of pumpkin brews. Not so many this year or at least the shops aren’t carrying as many (John told me they got burned with a lot last year. I guess I’m in a minority). I’ve (almost) stopped buying 6-packs of any one brew because I want to drink as many different brews as possible. I found a few full 6-packs but when I checked out the pick-your-own six I got stymied. The problem with the grocery stores is that you have to buy 6 and the pick six selection at Whole Foods, Publix, Earth Fare and Kroger really sucked this week. I found one pumpkin brew but I couldn’t come up with 5 more that were worth tasting. I tried the Vineyard but they didn’t have any (I did pick up a great deal on Bell’s Oberon for a $5 6-pack when I bought a Victory Red Thunder bomber. (Okay, so there are exceptions to my no-6-pack rule). I found the Ichabod at Wine World during their First Friday tasting for $1.99.
Their website and their bottle says “Ichabod combines malted barley and real pumpkin with cinnamon and nutmeg in a delicious and inviting brew. After dinner, try it with your favorite dessert.” Or pair it up with your favorite ball team. This one being 4.5% ABV means I could have enjoyed a second one but I’m on a low carb diet so I’m happy with 1. They say to pair it up with roasted poultry, root vegetables, peanut sauce and caraway.
I now have 2 weeks to find the next brew as Auburn has a bye week next Saturday. The next one has to be good because we’re playing Arkansas.
All and all I think I liked both the brew and the Auburn win.
Brewery: New Holland Brewing
Author Bottle Report