This Week On Tap: Tin Man’s Herald Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin beers get a bad rap. I’m sure it has something to do with the fact that they are now released in what feels like mid-summer. For some, it’s not too appealing to sip a festive fall beer in the blistering August heat.

I get it.

Now that the weather has officially started to feel like fall, I decided to pick up one of my favorite seasonal releases from Tin Man, Herald Imperial Pumpkin Ale.

I will admit that I am not a huge advocate of pumpkin. I’ll agree that companies have whored it out in recent years to everything from pumpkin pop-tarts to pumpkin lotion to pumpkin vodka. Hell, I don’t even like pumpkin pie! (Ed. note: boo this man) But I am guilty of trying at least a couple of pumpkin beers every fall in an attempt to “settle into” the season of mild days and chilly nights.

Herald was first released last year around this time, but unlike the majority of “other” pumpkin beers on the market, this one actually allows pumpkin to be the star.

The beer pours a dark orangey copper and immediately you get a nose filled with everything good about this wonderful season (nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger). Shit, for a second I could have sworn I saw my grandma through the kitchen window whipping up one of her infamous pumpkin rolls (that I do like).

Sipping this beer around the bonfire with the cool fall air swirling around me felt right. It clocks in at 8.4% ABV and that alone can make you feel alright. 

The great thing about Herald is that it is a seasonal beer that deserves to be sipped and savored. The higher ABV warms you up and beckons you to reminisce back to previous autumn conquests. So my recommendation is that you grab a 4-pack, throw on those broken in jeans that country singers are always crooning about, toss on your favorite hoody, invite your friends over, and safely start AND contain a fire. ​​​