Review: Barn Hammer Moonlight Desires Smoked Pumpkin Saison


Aaaaaaaaaaaand pumpkin beer season is now underway in Manitoba. I think the MLCC brought out more options this year than any other year so far. There's too many to count. I decided for today's review to check out Barn Hammer's Moonlight Desires Smoked Pumpkin Saison. Smoked... Pumpkin... Saison! At least 2/3 of that description intrigues me (not so much the pumpkin). This is the first time I've ever seen Barn Hammer's beer in bottles here in Brandon, but this is only a one time thing, just for MLCC's pumpkin beer promotion.. otherwise, I have to wait once every few months to get a growler fill at the brewery or hope that there's a special promotion going on at tap at the Liquor Mart's growler bar.

Appearance: Moonlight Desires pours a cloudy, caramel/amber body with a very thick amount of beige head on top that's just not going anywhere.. so I'm waiting for it to go down a bit so I can take my first sip, eventually. 

Aroma: There's notes of saison in here - giving off notes of Belgian yeast (and a bit of a breadiness), an incredible amount of smoke in here so if you're not a fan of smoky beers, this isn't for you. There's also notes of cinnamon and nutmeg as to be expected. Slightly sweet with caramel and a hint of fruit such as apple or pear, and thankfully not really noticing pumpkin so far.

Taste: On top of ol' Smoky! The smoke sure packs a punch right at the beginning, I like it.. it reminds me of the upcoming bonfires we will all be experiencing once it's cold and winter. The smoke is a bit too overpowering to the point that it's the dominant flavour here. There are also notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, which compliment the smoke a good deal. It's somewhat creamy yet light on the palate. It has an earthy hop presence, light amount of sweetness of caramel, and a light hint of pepper popping up. Also, there's a bit of a saison zestiness in there, but it's mostly masked by the smoke.

Overall Thoughts: Glad that I'm not noticing any pumpkin, but the smoke may be a bit too much for some people.. but seeing that Half Pints' Smoketoberfest doesn't seem to exist anymore (or does it? Let me know) this may be my new Autumn smoked beer tradition. Decently spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and even a bit of pepper in there. This definitely compliments the longer, chillier nights for me. 5.4% ABV/20 IBU

No comments: