Remember last year when I did up Wolf's Ridge's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak? You do? Good. What if I were to tell you that that was the second Wolf's Ridge pumpkin beer of which I'd become aware? Because that's the truth--it was. The first was a beer called Slice. I'd first spotted it a year before and thought: "That looks fun. If I happen to see it priced as a standalone can, I'll pick it up for the blog."

The kicker is I never saw it as a standalone can. The sixers at my bottleshop were never broken up for the beer to be priced individually. Until now. At the end of September when I grabbed all the beers I'd do for this month, it was there, alone, a single can. So, into my growing sixer it went. Was it worth the wait? Will I be kicking myself for not nabbing it earlier? Let's find out.

Wolf's Ridge (if you've forgotten over the last 360-some days since I've written about them) is from Columbus, OH. Father and son team Alan and Bob Szuter started the brewery because they wanted to bring the quality of beer from big-city breweries to little ol' Columbus. Thirteen years later, here we are, with me holding a can of Slice. Here's their "About" page.

Speaking of Slice, let's talk about it before I get to the drinking. It's a 6.5% pumpkin ale brewed with real pumpkin, toasted malt, and spice. According to its official writeup, Slice mixes "...big flavor, reasonable ABV, and just the right amount of sweetness...."

The pumpkin is big in the bouquet--it's the first note to hit me and the one that sticks around the longest. After that, I'm finding vanilla (which isn't listed as an adjunct), ginger, and nutmeg. Digging a little deeper, I can suss out the toasted malt adding a little bite of coffee to the affair. Really, though, Slice has a simple nose. I'm still working on figuring out Melba, but I think she's afraid of simplicity? That's my guess, since she only gave my can three quick whiffs.

My initial swig presents pumpkin, vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. Some pumpkin ales add adjuncts in an attempt to emulate a pumpkin pie crust. Not so with Slice. The finish, which is short, is roasted pumpkin and a hint of coffee from the malt. I'm honestly not finding much hop flavor here, but maybe it's mainly serving to enhance the coffee character I'm finding.

The mouthfeel here is bubbly with a bit of bite, but thin nonetheless. I wish it was a tad more robust.

Slice is a scary movie night beer. You're on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of you. Michael Myers doing a good stab or college kids are growing ever more lost in the woods on the screen. A blanket's on your lap, your arm's around your better half, and a dog or cat is curled into your side. That's a great night, one Slice would enhance.

While I'm not kicking myself for not nabbing the ale earlier, I'm still finding that I'm fond of Wolf's Ridge's Slice. It's not a perfect beer, but it's one that could easily become a fall staple in my household. It gets a 9.0/10.