Beer Flash: Southern Tier Pumking (vintage 2013)

In honor of Halloween last week, I cracked open a 2013-vintage Southern Tier Imperial Pumking. I've had it in my cellar since last year, and curious to see how it ages, I figured now would be as good a time as any to try it out.

Notice how last year's bottle has a different label than this year's.

I wanted to see how this beer aged; as you know, aging a beer changes numerous aspects like taste and consistency and alcohol content. I poured some out into my usual glass, and noticed the eye is the usual clear orange. There's not a heck of a lot of foam in there.

The nose, as usual, is bright with pumpkin aromas and a hint of spice.

But now the real indicator - the taste. I have the fortune of knowing already what Pumking tastes like - both this vintage and the current release. So I'm at a bit of an advantage, since I know what to expect on both counts. The taste itself is actually rather muted - it still maintains the pumpkin flavors, but it's much less bright and heady than a current-year release might be.  There's still a warming mouthfeel that only gets better as the beer sits out for a few minutes. 

It may have to do with the freshness of the ingredients, but I'm going to sadly conclude that this beer does not cellar extraordinarily well. Sure, it still has some of the flavors, but one of the pleasures of Pumking is being able to enjoy it fresh with all the corresponding bright flavors and warm, fresh malts. Cellaring this beer for a year won't damage it terribly, but it won't appreciate it either. I was hoping that cellaring it for a year would make it stronger but none less tasty; and since this is my first vintage bottle of Pumking, I can conclude that aging does take away some of the texture that I personally find very appealing. I have another two vintage bottles, one of which I shall drink in short order. The other one I'm going to keep until this time next year, to give it another year to change.