The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Heavy Seas Brewery
OK, so I might be stretching it a bit by including my review of Clipper City Brewing's Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale in my annual Christmas in July dissertation. After all, the beer is released in September and might be considered a fall beer, perhaps more apropos to Halloween than Christmas. The sinister looking skull and crossbones on the label only adds to that impression.
Pop open your bottle, however, decant into a glass, and take in the heady, pungent aromas redolent of spice and pumpkin and you'll see that this beer is a natural for a winter holiday too. The warming alcohol can easily take the chill off a cold December night, and the spiciness makes it perfect for pairing with holiday desserts.
Imperial beers are all the rage these days. Realistically, they're simply brews bigger in body, ingredients, and alcohol than most examples of their respective styles. Here, Clipper City has taken the delightful pumpkin ale style and fortified it with more of just about everything. The beer is brewed with real pumpkin and spices, and comes in convenient 22-ounce "bomber" bottles. I paid about eight bucks for mine, a real bargain, and have been aging it until now.
The Great Pumpkin is part of the "Mutiny Fleet" line of beers under the Heavy Seas brand, which in turn is a property of Baltimore, Maryland's Clipper City brewery. The Mutiny Fleet beers come bottled exclusively in bombers, though you may see them on draft as well.
This is a big beer indeed (my bottle says 8% alcohol by volume, the Heavy Seas website says 8.5%), and you can easily detect the alcohol burn in the finish. Along with the spice, that makes this one finish extremely dry and drinkable. A wonderful sipping beer in July, October, or December. As fate would have it, my local Kroger was running a "Pumpkin Pie in July" promotion, and I paired a slice with a glass of The Great Pumpkin for a little bit of Pumpkin lover heaven. The warming dry richness of the beer accented the sweetness of the pie wonderfully.
Update August 13th, 2026: Well, hello old friend! I have not seen The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale since 2010 I don't think. In 2013, I sampled the bigger, stronger, barrel aged version, The Great'er Pumpkin, and remarked I thought it had replaced The Great Pumpkin, and it seems that for a time, it may have. Fast forward, though, to 2026, and Heavy Seas beers are featured at Taco Mac as beer of the month. One of them is The Great Pumpkin! The beer was as delicious as I recall, maybe even more so on tap, medium in body and chock full of fresh squashy pumpkin notes plus plenty of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove spice, especially in the dry finish. I paid $7.51 for a 23-ounce mug and I got a free (and really cool) Heavy Seas pint glass with my purchase.
About Heavy Seas Brewery
In 1987, Hugh Sisson worked with Maryland legislators to draft a bill to legalize brewpubs in Baltimore City - the bill passed on first attempt. Fast forward to 1989, "Sisson's" becomes the first brewpub in the state of Maryland.
After the brewpub scene for a few years, Hugh felt the need for a bigger stage (theater-pun intended.) In 1994, he left "Sisson's" for his next business venture...and the rest, friends, is nothing short of Maryland craft beer history.
Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin Ale in a Taco mac Chancellor Mug
Tasting Notes
Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale pours to a bright orange amber color with a light, almost wispy head formation and a vibrant pumpkin pie nose. Taking a sip, I'm not surprised by the big, rich body of the beer. Hey, this is an Imperial pumpkin ale after all. I do like the big pumpkin pie flavors here, lots of meaty real pumpkin flavor dressed up nicely with strong notes of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of ginger and clove, too.
Value & Verdict
I paid $7.51 for a 23-ounce draft at Taco Mac.
So happy to see this one again. If you see it, drink it.
