Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
- From:
- Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
- Delaware, United States
- Style:
- Pumpkin Beer
Ranked #84 - ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 88
Ranked #19,610 - Avg:
- 3.92 | pDev: 12.76%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 2,250
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 06, 2026
- Added:
- Sep 26, 2002
- Wants:
- 390
- Gots:
- 1,498
SCORE
88
Very Good
88
Very Good
Also known as Punkin Brown Ale
A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.
Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin (check out some of these Discovery Channel videos of Punkin Chunkin, you gotta see it to believe it!). In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!
28 IBU
A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.
Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin (check out some of these Discovery Channel videos of Punkin Chunkin, you gotta see it to believe it!). In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!
28 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by DarrellK:
Rated by DarrellK from Florida
3.67/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Sep 18, 2025
3.67/5 rDev -6.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Sep 18, 2025
More User Ratings:
Rated by muchloveforhops3 from Montana
3.75/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
*archived rating*
Apr 06, 2026
Reviewed by CoasterRider from Washington
3.82/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.82/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours an amber/golden color with a medium head that goes away quickly. Aroma is pumpkin and pepper. The taste is the same with a nice pumpkin flavor and a hint of pepper. Better than the pumpkin spice flavor. BB 1-2026
28 IBUs
Nov 30, 202528 IBUs
Rated by DoctorRobert1969 from California
3.25/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.25/5 rDev -17.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
How’s this a brown ale? It’s crystalline orange. Taste is maybe a bit sweet. A little watery. Not bad but not great either.
Oct 31, 2025Reviewed by Seinfeldfan from Ohio
3.18/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
3.18/5 rDev -18.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Poured light brown with some light orange, lots of carbonation and a solid 2 inch head that stayed for several minutes. Smell was some pumpkin and the accompanying pie spices and some roasted malt. I got more brown ale taste than pumpkin but the can description does say it's a brown ale , but I still expected more pumpkin flavor. Mouth feel was too carbonated for me. I do like pumpkin beers, but I would not search for this one again
Oct 22, 2025Reviewed by Mikelikesbrew from Texas
3.31/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.31/5 rDev -15.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Poured from a can into a glass. A full soapy head that last a good 5 minutes. Medium brown color with a slight pumpkin spice smell. A more of a lighter tasting pumpkin ale.
Oct 14, 2025
Reviewed by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota
3.81/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.81/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz can. Best by January 2026.
This beer has a dirty golden color to it. There's a steady stream of small carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. There's a 2 finger off white colored head. The head looks creamy and has decent retention, with good lacing on the glass.
The aroma is as expected with this beer. I am getting a good balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The spices come into play right away in the flavor. Good balance between the flavors. The spices do fade a bit and a slight earthy flavor comes in, which is the actual pumpkin. There's a bit of a bitterness when this happens. The finish is again the spices, but it seems more cinnamon than the others.
The body is quite good overall. It has a good thickness to it. The spices coat my throat in a clingy feeling.
This is a good pumpkin beer, and I can see how it has stood the test of time
Oct 05, 2025This beer has a dirty golden color to it. There's a steady stream of small carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. There's a 2 finger off white colored head. The head looks creamy and has decent retention, with good lacing on the glass.
The aroma is as expected with this beer. I am getting a good balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The spices come into play right away in the flavor. Good balance between the flavors. The spices do fade a bit and a slight earthy flavor comes in, which is the actual pumpkin. There's a bit of a bitterness when this happens. The finish is again the spices, but it seems more cinnamon than the others.
The body is quite good overall. It has a good thickness to it. The spices coat my throat in a clingy feeling.
This is a good pumpkin beer, and I can see how it has stood the test of time
Reviewed by Oktoberfest from Ohio
3.71/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
How is it that I've never reviewed this after all these years?
The truth is that this has gone from an appointment beer to kind of an also-ran.
It's not bad. The pumpkin flavor is kind of weak. Honestly, the Sam Adams pumpkin is better.
Sep 30, 2025The truth is that this has gone from an appointment beer to kind of an also-ran.
It's not bad. The pumpkin flavor is kind of weak. Honestly, the Sam Adams pumpkin is better.
Reviewed by Chickenhawk9932 from Pennsylvania
3.84/5 rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.84/5 rDev -2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a dark amber with a cream colored head.
Pumpkin, molasses, dark bread, and Forrest hops.
Dark sweet bread, pumpkin, and a dry, earthy finish.
Sep 27, 2025Pumpkin, molasses, dark bread, and Forrest hops.
Dark sweet bread, pumpkin, and a dry, earthy finish.
Reviewed by running3dogs from Maryland
4.08/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
4.08/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Deep amber but with great clarity. Pretty good lacing too. Fresh malt aroma with spices kept in the background. The base beer has a burnt caramel edge to it and the spices are radically underplayed here. Mostly nutmeg, I think, with the usual blast of cinnamon dialed way back. This actually tastes like pumpkin meat sweetened up with some brown sugar. The most beery of the pumpkin ales.
Sep 26, 2025
Reviewed by brewme from Massachusetts
3.5/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Have had this brew many times over the years, including a few this past weekend in Brigantine, New Jersey. This beer is fine for what it is, but I would never seek it out.
Sep 18, 2025
Reviewed by MrOH from Virginia
3.69/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.69/5 rDev -5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Clear burnt sienna, I wouldn't call this a brown ale going off of looks, thick off-white head, good retention, rings of lace
Pumpkin spice aroma, a touch of roasted malt, a little bit roasted squash and brown sugar
Sweet spices dominate the flavor, but a bit of sweet malt, winter squash, and brown sugar are underneath
Medium bodied with appropriate carbonation.
Not really a fan of pumpkin spice stuff since it's come to dominate everything from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, but this is a well made and drinkable beer.
Sep 13, 2025Pumpkin spice aroma, a touch of roasted malt, a little bit roasted squash and brown sugar
Sweet spices dominate the flavor, but a bit of sweet malt, winter squash, and brown sugar are underneath
Medium bodied with appropriate carbonation.
Not really a fan of pumpkin spice stuff since it's come to dominate everything from Labor Day to Thanksgiving, but this is a well made and drinkable beer.
Rated by matthew-d from Massachusetts
1.4/5 rDev -64.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
1.4/5 rDev -64.3%
look: 2 | smell: 2 | taste: 1 | feel: 2 | overall: 1
Tastes like sweat.
Sep 12, 2025
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