Serious Eats: 5 Great Beers for Pumpkin Beer Haters

Stoked to see TREAT there, as I really enjoyed that one last year.

 

Love the Oktoberfest's, tried Leinenkugel's Big Eddy Uber Oktoberfest and I'm sold on it. Wish I could find some more.

 

Thank you for this! I will also look for the pumpkin beer recommendations, even though I am quickly categorizing myself as a pumpkin beer skeptic (not quite a hater, since I'm determined to find a good one), as I have yet to try one that I like.

As a side note, Schlenkerla's Urbock is so rich and intense...and I love it so much. Can't wait to see it again stateside!

 

You are the second person I've seen to praise this brew. I have never seen it! I've seen other stuff from them, just not Urbock.

 

Most Midnight Sun offerings aren't too hard to find near me, and TREAT took a few weeks to disappear here. I went out of my way to try the style last year, and that was far and away the best. Most did very little for me. I managed to keep my hands off of one, and looking forward to pulling out of the cellar soon...

 

It's heaven for fans of rauch, but you can't go wrong with any of 'em.

 

It might be because I got into beer around 2007 (Belgian beers). They might've been on the shelf, didn't sell, so they took em off the shelf before I could try it. I'm now really intrigued since you, @TongoRad and @Mizz all say wonderful things about it.

 

Another shout out for Schlenkerla's Urbock. I love them all but I've found the Urbock to be the best. Has a bigger body than the Marzen which made it better (to me at least).

 

Yes, one of the best lists I've seen.

 

Not as easy to find as the others but I generally dislike pumpkin beers and I loved Hill Farmstead's Elaborative 2. Very subtle pumpkin flavor and extremely good.

 

I am Ventura County, but check Wade's Wines in Agoura Hills. They have a bunch of Midnight Sun, but I don't see TREAT yet on their website...

http://www.wadeswines.com/Wades/main.html

This place has 1 left, but never been to physical store...
http://www.craftbeerkings.com/midnight-sun

Good luck!

 

What am I? Chopped liver?

 

Cool list. I'm looking forward to finding and trying out TREAT.

 

Oh, DFH Indian Brown...perfection!

 

Just a heads-up that if you are not accustomed to smoked beers, it might take a few to get on the band wagon. But when you do, there's nothing else quite as satisfying.

@herrburgess , who has had the pleasure of drinking quite a few in Bamberg, has posted that the locals will say that you have to drink three half-liters before it really hits you.

The base beers underneath the smoke in all of the Schlenkerla beers are all so well made and full of depth that they would be a perfect place to start, if you can find them in a place where they move and don't sit on the shelf too long. Good luck, and enjoy!

 

I'm sorry, mate. @zid also. He also recommended it as well.

 

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