Beer people tend to have either a love it or hate it relationship with pumpkin beers. While I lean heavy on the love side, seeing pumpkin beers in late July (finger pointed at you
Smuttynose) had me grimacing and screaming foul. However now that the weather is turning, a slight chill is in the night air and the last days of summer are upon us, it's time for the flavors of Fall. Unleash the pumpkin brews!
The abundance of pumpkin offerings this year is staggering. More breweries than ever are making it their big fall seasonal. Sorry, Oktoberfest lovers the squeeze for shelf space is on. Some companies like
Elysian offer multiple styles:
Night Owl (pumpkin ale),
The Great Pumpkin (imperial pumpkin) and
Dark-o-the-Moon (pumpkin stout). With so many options I stuck with a few tried and true beers and then mixed in several bottles that were new to me.
When it comes to pumpkin beer they tend fall on a sliding scale. At one end there are the pumpkin pie wannabe's. All the spices of pumpkin pie coveniently in liquid form. The over used, "pie in a glass" applies here. On the other side are beers with less of a sweet pie complex. The pumpkin is there with spice but the hops and malt are more pronounced. The following beers are all judged on the Pie-In-a-Glass scale (aka P.I.G scale). 1 denotes it's less pie like, while 5 means breakout the whip cream.
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Thank you Dave for putting this in my hands. This is getting high praise over on that advocate site so my interest was peaked going into the first sip. This screams pumpkin pie spice as soon as it's poured in the glass. Cinnamon is the muscle spice here with a nutmeg back-up. The clove barely creeps in. The pumpkin is all pie quality. Think Grandma baking on Thanksgiving. This one will have you forgetting it's beer. With an 8% abv this could make for a dangerous dessert. If you dig the pie this is for you.
(Did my Grandma make this?)
Dogfish Head Punkin
Hello old vampire shark friend (see the label). It's been awhile. This may of been my first pumpkin beer and remains a beer I purchase every year. The pumpkin pie spices are there but don't call it pie. The brown ale base is very noticeable with nutmeg and allspice mixing in well with the hops. It's a treat but not an overly sweet candied one. It happily maintains it's beer bite.
P.I.G scale 2 (Yum, I can tell I'm drinking a beer)
O' Fallon Pumpkin Beer
This is where things get interesting. Real pumpkin comes forward in the aroma, not just pie spice. However the same isn't true when it comes to the flavor. The pumpkin fades and spices come forward with cloves running the show. There's even a slight cider flavor detectable. The P.I.G is there but only if your grandma's pies were covered in dry clove buds. Finally, this was also the thinnest of all the beers which didn't make for the best drinking experience.
P.I.G scale 4 (only if you love cloves)
River Horse Hipp-O-Lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale
This is the non offensive pumpkin beer out of the bunch. Somewhat of a surprise since it has the "Imperial" tag. Everything here leans to the light side. There's pumpkin and pie spices but they don't strike big. Sweet, malty cinnamon and nutmeg balance out the bitterness. The booziness that lags at the end is the only hint that this wants to be known as an imperial ale.
P.I.G scale 3 (Imperial ?)
South Hampton Pumpkin Ale
This is another middle of the road offering. The aroma is light roasted pumpkin and pie spice. The flavor is pumpkin bread upfront with a good balance of cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar appearing later. Sweetness is under control and nothing over powers so you know there is an ale under the spice.
P.I.G scale 3 (Middle of the road pumpkin)
This is only the begining of the season. Prepare for more beers from the cellar.
The Invasion of the Pumpkin Beers Part Deux........ coming soon!
