Fort George starts Halloween when it sees the first pumpkin, which this year meant weeks ago. The Astoria brewery has now put a beer behind the sentiment.

Jump Scare is an Imperial Spiced Pumpkin Stout at 9 percent ABV, brewed with roasted pumpkins from Topaz Farm on Sauvie Island. The brewery reports 150 pounds of roasted pumpkin in the batch. It is available in four-packs, half cases and cases, with a release date of September 16.

The recipe is described in terms of what gets emphasized and what does not. Fort George says it went heavy on the pumpkin, heavy on the roasted malts and heavy on the hops, then deliberately light on the spices, aiming for something rich and roasty that stays drinkable at its strength. That last part is the harder half of an imperial pumpkin beer: the style tends to accumulate sweetness and spice until the glass becomes a commitment.

The restraint on spice is the choice worth noting. Pumpkin beers are conventionally carried by the pie-spice blend rather than the vegetable, to the point that the spice profile is often the entire flavor identity. Leaning on roasted pumpkin and roasted malt instead puts the weight on caramelization and grain character, and reduces the seasoning to an accent.

The sourcing is local and specific. Topaz Farm is a working Sauvie Island farm running pumpkins, tomatoes, u-pick berries, animals, mazes and farm-to-table dinners through its autumn season. Fort George has drawn on the farm before, in a separate spiced pumpkin ale it released last month under the name Topaz. Jump Scare is a different and considerably bigger beer.

Cans are available through the brewery's online store and at the Duane Street pub, where the release lands in the middle of Fort George's fresh hop season.

Editor’s Take

The spice rack is where most pumpkin beers are actually brewed, and everyone knows it. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, a little allspice if you're feeling brave - get the ratio right and you can suggest pumpkin to a drinker who has never had any pumpkin at all. It is a magic trick, and it works.

So a brewery going heavy on 150 pounds of actual roasted squash and then easing off the spices is doing the trick backwards. Fort George is asking the pumpkin to carry itself, with roasted malt as the partner rather than the cover story. Roasting is the part that makes that plausible - raw pumpkin is mostly water and politeness, but put it in an oven and you get caramelized sugar and something nutty, which is a far better match for a stout's roast than for a dusting of clove. Pair it with anything that came off a grill and got a little too dark at the edges.

Source & Editorial

JollyPint independently prepares release articles using information published by breweries through newsletters, websites, and other official public communications. Brewery-supplied descriptions and tasting notes are reported as provided, while editorial context is added by JollyPint.

Jump Scare Goes Heavy on Pumpkin, Deliberately Light on Spice

Fort George built its Imperial Pumpkin Stout on 150 pounds of roasted Topaz Farm pumpkin and then went light on the spice rack. The pumpkin is the ingredient here, not the seasoning.

Source & Editorial