For my third themed list, I decided to tackle another seasonal beer, the pumpkin beers. Of the very many fruit/spice/herb/vegetable beers out there, pumpkin beers are a favorite. Arguably one of the very first seasonal beers, pumpkin beers have a long history in the U.S., dating back to the early 1700's. Of course, back in those days, it was deemed a health tonic. Today the pumpkin beer has become a staple in many brewer's recipe arsenal, with many giving their personal spin on this Fall craft beer classic. So I was able to easily find at least twelve examples of pumpkin beer and I happily sample and share them with you here. In no particular order, I present to you...
The Twelve Pumpkin Beers
Pumpkin Ale
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| Pumpkin Ale, Wild Onion Brewing Company, Lake Barrington, IL |
Starting with my only option from a can, this Pumpkin Ale pours a nice dark orange color. It has a nice, subtle aroma of pumpkin pie and cinnamon spices. Unlike the aroma, the taste was a bit weak. Flavor was a bit thin and nearly bland. Hints of some spice made their way toward the finish. This one falls short on flavor.
America's Original Pumpkin Ale
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| America's Original Pumpkin Ale, Buffalo Bill's Brewery, Hayward, CA |
Lighter orange pour. A bit of pumpkin in the nose, but no spices. Little bitterness up front followed by the pumpkin flavor. No spice whatsoever and not sweet at all. This one is a drinker.
Pumpkinhead Ale
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| Pumpkinhead Ale, Shipyard Brewing Company, Portland, ME |
Pale orange pour with a nice spicy, pumpkin aroma. Light body. Subtle spice in the flavor that last throughout, not too strong. More like pumpkin pie than pumpkins. Very smooth and drinkable.
Harvest Pumpkin Ale
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| Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Coors Brewing Company (MillerCoors), Golden, CO |
Though not highly rated, Blue Moon's Harvest Pumpkin Ale is actually better than a couple of the others I've tasted. Very nice pumpkin pie aroma with the spices, pumpkin, and sweetness. Those same very characteristics come through in the taste as well. A good 'pumpkin pie in a glass' beer.
Pumpkin Beer
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| Pumpkin Beer, O'Fallon Brewery, O'Fallon, MO |
This one is a little heavier and filling. Not sure I could drink more than one or two. Aroma is not strong, but there is a subtle smell of spices. Taste is a little malty, mild with hints of pumpkin and spice. A little bland at the finish.
Pumpkin Lager
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| Pumpkin Lager, Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI |
Six beers in and my first Wisconsin brew. Amber, orange in color. Spicy aroma with nutmeg and cinnamon. Tastes of pumpkin pie and spice with malty sweetness. A really well-balanced beer.
Pumpkin Ale
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| Pumpkin Ale, Smuttynose Brewing Company, Portsmouth, NH |
A little something different this time. Burnt orange color. Nice aroma of nutmeg, spices and a slight pumpkin. I certainly wasn't expecting this one to taste like it did. Definitely more pumpkin and a mild bitterness that lingers. Spices are subtle. Little woody. Very good example of a pumpkin beer instead of a pumpkin pie beer.
Small Patch Pumpkin Harvest Ale
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| Small Patch Pumpkin Harvest Ale, Tommyknocker Brewery, Idaho Springs, CO |
Pouring a dark brown/deep orange color, this ale has an aroma of faint pumpkin with mild spices. The taste is sweet and smooth with cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Nothing special here.
Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale
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Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale, Tyranena Brewing, Lake Mills, WI
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 90) |
One of my favorite pumpkin beers from a great Wisconsin brewery! This amber ale is infused with pumpkin and spice. Pours a burnt orange color. Malty, nutmeg, and cinnamon aroma. The taste matches the scent with heavy spice, sweet, malty, and mid pumpkin. Great pumpkin ale!
Pumking
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Pumking, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 98) |
Now this is a pumpkin beer. In my opinion, one of the very best pumpkin beers that I have ever had. Golden orange color. Sweet, buttery, pumpkin and spice aroma. Taste is pumpkin pie all the way. The pumpkin is not overpowering and the spices linger through the finish...nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar. It packs a punch too at 8.6% abv. Fantastic pumpkin beer!
Ichabod
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| Ichabod, New Holland Brewing Company, Holland, MI |
This pumpkin beer pours a burnt orange. Definitely more pumpkin and a lot of nutmeg through the nose. Smooth taste. Mild spices. Taste more cinnamon where I thought I'd taste nutmeg. A drinkable Fall beer.
Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale
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Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale, Hoppin' Frog Brewery, Akron, OH
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 91) |
Clean, clear orange pour. Wonderfully spiced aroma with lots of nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. Spices come through in the taste as well. Very crisp pumpkin pie flavor with a spicy, hop finish. A surprising 8.4% abv too. Amazing pumpkin beer!
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There you have it folks...my Twelve Pumpkin Beers. As I mentioned, many breweries are making their own pumpkin beer recipes. So why am I stopping at twelve? Here are a few more that I found...
Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale
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| Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, Stevens Point Brewery, Stevens Point, WI |
Surprisingly delicious pumpkin ale. Meaty pumpkin and spice aroma. If I closed my eyes, I would have thought there was a large piece of fresh pumpkin pie in front of me. That pumpkin pie comes through in the flavor, but with some hoppy bitterness. Very well balanced. Great pumpkin beer.
Imperial Pumpkin Ale
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Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 96) |
I can't believe this beer is so highly rated. I actually think it's terrible tasting. The smell is right on the money with other pumpkin beers with cinnamon and pumpkin. The taste is something else though. There's some kind of metallic taste, which is strange coming from a bottle. Not a fan.
Wasatch Pumpkin Seasonal Ale
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| Wasatch Pumpkin Seasonal Ale, Schirf Brewing Company, Park City, UT |
Mild allspice and pumpkin aroma. Little more pumpkin coming through in the taste, but the spices are evident. Feels like its missing something. Just average.
Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin
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Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin, Boston Beer Company, Boston, MA
(Spice/Herb/Vegetable, Rated 93) |
What a great way to finish this pumpkin beer themed list. Pours a darker orange-red. Lot of great pumpkin and spice in the aroma. Classic pumpkin pie spices come through in the taste...cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin, ginger. Nice malty pumpkin pie flavor that warms your throat at the finish. The 8.5% abv helps too.
There are a lot of similarities with the sixteen pumpkin beers I've sampled here. The ingredients for one. They all use pumpkin and spices, though in varying amounts. They can't all be the same, right? I enjoyed the more flavorful pumpkin pie beers over the traditional pumpkin ales. I'm just glad there are so many options to choose from. That way each person can find the one that they like best and enjoy it every year around this time. It's sampling many of them that I like best. Sure, I do have my favorites from this list...Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale, Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale, Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin, Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale, and Pumking are definitely up there. What are some of your favorites?
