It must be Maine week around here. There are a lot of those but when boxes with bottles show up one really ought to make a point of posting. Shipyard has been very good to keep me updated with their Pugsley's Signature Series beers like the newest, Smashed Pumpkin Ale. Like their Imperial Porter that I wrote about last December, the branding is just as swank and the beer weighs in even bigger at 9%.

It pours an attractive orange amber with a fine white froth and foam. On the nose there is sweet malt and pie spices with, I think, some cardamon with the cinnamon and... hey, the press release says only nutmeg - what do I know? In the mouth, pie. Plenty of malty of the pastry persuasion and then with the pumpkin and the spice and the rich body and all the goodness. I like. Pumpkin beers are a great idea which I think maybe even the Globe and Mail might be aware of now.

Big big BAer love.