Bierly Brewing Pumpkin Belgian Ale

Gluten Free Seasonal Release

I’ve got one more pumpkin beer to squeeze in before fall officially turns to winter. Today’s review is for the Bierly Brewing Pumpkin Belgian Ale, a limited released packaged in 16.9 ounce bottles. This beer is brewed in a dedicated gluten free facility in McMinnville, Oregon.

Bierly Brewing works a lot with sorghum and honestly, they’ve done a fantastic job at cracking the sorghum code and my experience with their beers has been fantastic so far. I’m excited to see what this pumpkin belgian is like.

This gluten free belgian has a 7.6% ABV, an IBU of 20, and is brewed on a base of rice and sorghum. The recipe includes cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg, ginger, sweet orange peel, and of course, pumpkin! The hop bill is made up of Fuggle and Magnum hops.

Below is the beer pour for the Pumpkin Belgian Ale. Read on to learn what I though of this Bierly Brewing beer…

The Taste Test

Gluten Free Pumpkin Belgian Ale

The Pumpkin Belgian poured a dark and luscious blackish brown, which upon first glance, looked quite opaque. When you place it in front of a light source, it does reveal a bit of light, turning the beer to a dark reddish brown. The head is strong, but it fades pretty quickly. Once it’s gone, there’s not much surface texture left in its wake.

The aroma is saturated in Autumn spices, especially nutmeg and coriander. It’s malty, but not particularly pumpkin-y on the nose. My first sip reveals a flavor explosion on the tongue. There’s so much going on that I feel I need a few more sips to sort it out. First off the beer is mildly sweet, well carbonated, very spicy, full of roasty-ness, and even presents a bit of a molasses for me.

The pumpkin is very subtle in my opinion. Perhaps it’s because there’s so many spices at play, but the malty carmel flavors contain the pumpkin quite a bit. It’s a bright and fascinating beer, yet I think the pumpkin gets lost in the party.

It will be interesting to watch how this beer changes as it warms. Perhaps the pumpkin will shine through more when everything else has finished popping. But its Belgian qualities are on point, and considering the pumpkin pie flare…it’s more interesting than a typical Belgian too.

When the Pumpkin Belgian first hits your tongue, you notice a slightly fruity medium-full body and the punch of roast that accompanies those spices. Those spices hit a fraction of a second later and then dance their way to the back of the palate where there’s a bit of a hop kick, which fades into a slightly sweet, slightly chocolatey aftertaste.

I decided to step away from the beer for a little while and see how it tasted after a wee bit of warming. I can confirm that the pumpkin is slightly more present now, but still extremely mild in my opinion.

Have you had the chance to give this spicy belgian ale a try? If so, what were your thoughts? And if you’d like to read up on some other recent Bierly Brewing beers, check out the reviews below!

P.S. Like what I do for the gluten free beer community? Consider buying me a beer for my efforts! ;)

Bierly Brewing Pumpkin Belgian Ale