Chestnut brown with ruby overtones, La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado pours with a soft, smooth head and an earthy, complex aroma that suggests maple sugar, light spices, herbs, and, of course, pumpkins and yams. (The Bruery has some experience brewing with yams, in its perennially excellent Autumn Maple ale.) Yet no spices were used in La Citrueille; this is not the kind of pumpkin beer you may be used to, the kind with cinnamon, nutmeg, and an overbearing sweetness. The aesthetic here is one of subtlety. The body is medium, the carbonation is moderate, and the hop character is reasonable. The alcohol content is low (for these brewers, anyway) at 5 percent by volume.
In the age of imperial pumpkin, La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado is a surprisingly delicate and sophisticated twist on the style. The beer is scheduled to arrive at Massachusetts distributors today, so it should be in liquor stores next week. It will retail for $3.49 to $3.99 per 12-ounce bottle. Unfortunately, this collaboration is a one-time brew, so even though it's late in the pumpkin-beer season, don't wait until next year to try this one. It won't be around.
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Pumpkin beer season is apparently not over. A brand-new one arrives this month.