Atwater Pumpkin Spice Latte
Brewed By:
Atwater Brewing
Detroit, Michigan
Style: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 6.80%
3.6 / 5.0
Look: 3.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 3.5 | Feel: 3 | Overall: 3.5
Brewery at a glance: I’ve been a big fan of Atwater Brewery since I first had their Vanilla Java Porter which, for the record, convinced me that porters were pretty much my favorite style of beer.
Since then, I’ve had the fortune to try a number of their brews, recognize their more off-kilter brews, such as their amazingly delicious Blueberry Cobbler ale, as something sorely lacking in brewing culture, and blue collar branding to be amongst my overall favorite approach to breweries out there right now. If you ever get a chance to visit their tasting room in Detroit, do not hesitate to do so.
Their tasting room is located in their distributing warehouse sandwiched between their brewing vats and pallets of bottled beer. It just oozes the charm of the Midwest, working-class brewery that I want to shove in the face of people who claim there is nothing beautiful about my region.
Look: Your girlfriend’s (read: basic white girl) favorite beer pours with minimal foamy head that fizzles quickly leaving virtually no lacing on that glass after the pour and once it is finished. It pours a murky, auburn-orange color that is almost completely opaque.
Smell: This is where this brew excels. There are strong scents of cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, clove, and earthy pumpkin that hit you up front that carry over nicely to the taste. This brew is advertised as being brewed with coffee but no coffee smell is present on the nose. Rather, the coffee notes come in the form of vanilla notes that are very faint.
Taste: I had really hoped this would be the boozy equivalent to Aly’s addiction to Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes this time of year. Rather, there is virtually no coffee flavor and very little sweetness associated with the infamous PSLs of Starbucks yore. Instead, there are very strong pumpkin spice flavors that carry over from the nose and a boozy, earthy spice flavor that sticks around and finishes with strong flavors of oak. Once at room temperature, the brew almost tastes boozier and the spices meld into a stronger earthy punch. While good, this one tastes better a little colder.
Feel: This PSL is very lightly carbonated and has a taste profile that sticks around long after the first sip. Most of the mouthfeel is transferred up to the nose and there is warmth from the slightly stronger ABV that leaves tastes of a molasses-like quality.
Have you had this brew? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below.
Cheers,
-J