Any love for pumpkin beers?

With Schlafly gone from here and Elysian on my no-buy list, this sounds like a plan. We have several excellent breweries around here that dabble in a variety of styles, and it'll be interesting to see what they're coming up with.

 

Pumpkin and spices or in some cases only pumpkin pie spice (cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg) are what define this Beer. Usually based on a light bodied ale but sometimes are Lagers. Pumpkin Stouts, big bodied "Imperial Pumpkin Beer" and barrel aged versions are common.

Beers labeled as "Pumpkin Spice Beer" are often flavored with only the spice and little or no pumpkin, they can be awful.

 

Once upon a time I used to buy 6 packs on Pumpkin Down, Ballast Points fall version of Piper Down which was pretty great and readily available locally. Then they sold out and stopped selling it in 6 packs

Nowadays I just buy Bottle Logic's Picture If You Will every September/October and am quite happy with that.

 

I’ve had a few hard seltzer’s as well left over from my wife’s beach stash. Fill up a red wine glass full of ice pour in the seltzer, and in this humidity they are very light to drink and refreshing.

 

Let me add I’ve never bought a Pumpkin Beer. But my observations come from samples at local tap houses and there’s always a few on tap thru the fall. It dies the take more than 2-3 Oz to know if you’ll run and buy a 6er. I’ve had quite a few over the years, but I just find them too heavily spiced, love pumpkin pie, not so much the beers.

 

Avery Rumkin
Avery PumpKYn
Shipyard Pumpkin head

(Uinta had a specialty one in their "Crooked Stave" line that was good but it's discontinued and I can't think of the name)

 

Aleworks Pumpkin out of VA

 

Love pumpkin brews and have been already picking up a few that have appeared, along with Oktofests etc.....a few favs;
FatHeads Spooky tooth imperial
Masthead Haunted Hayride
Hoppin Frog Frog's Hollow Imperial pumpkin
DFH Punkin
Any of the Elysian brews
(what would have been their 16th Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest in Seattle has been cancelled due to CV19 https://www.elysianbrewing.com/elysian-brewing-events/ )
Whole Hog Pumpkin
Ellicottville Pumpkinville Latte
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin
Shipyard Smashed Imp Pumpkin
New Holland Ichabod
Schlafly Pumpkin (sadly - cannot get here)
Willamsburg Ale Works Pumpkin (also not avail in OH)
Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash stout (no distro here)
to name a few.....

 

So technically Bruery Autumn Maple is made with yams not pumpkins but I'm guilty of liking it
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/44932/

 

Cracked open Lakefront Brewery's Pumpkin Lager the other day! Did not disappoint

 

As mentioned above, Whole Hog's Pumpkin is fantastic. I get a couple of 6 packs each year.

https://wholehogbeer.com/pumpkin

 

Not a big fan, but I do enjoy Warlock quite a bit.

I feel like I haven't truly explored the style, though. I'm absolutely open to trying new ones if I see them.

 

I love "pumpkin" and "pumpkin-spice" pretty much anything, and I actually want to like pumpkin beers, but I generally just don't. They almost always taste artificial to me. I had high hopes for Pumking, but I thought it was just OK. The only one I've ever really liked is Scorched Earth's Crypt Keeper porter, especially the Rye BA version, which is delicious and pretty drinkable at only 8.8%

 

I will say, Prairie has a pumpkin spice beer I'd really like to try, if only because it's called Basic Becky and has a picture of a pumpkin-headed girl holding a latte and a cell phone.

 

Troegs - Master of Pumpkin

The only one I seek out every fall. Try it with a cinnamon sugar rim....

 

You got a good list. Those would be my top three.

 

I echo these sentiments. I've drifted away from many of the overly spiced beers over the years, but don't mind something subtle with pumpkin flavor. How many of the beers listed here even use any actual pumpkin? I would guess that most breweries use minimal pumpkin and amp up the spices.

The only beer I seek out these days with pumpkin is generally Voodoo's Caution! Contains Real Pumpkin BA barleywine. Tons of pumpkin, subtle cinnamon and vanilla, and lots of big oaky barrel flavor make it a favorite of mine.

 

Not a fan due to the spices.

Brew me a good beer with pumpkin or squash in it and I’m in.

Had a local squash saison a bunch of years ago that was great. Nice squash In the finish, no spices at all.

Enjoy

 

I really enjoy trying pumpkin beers. It's the 7th most popular style of beers I try. I've tried 76 at this point.

My top ten at this point:
1)Elysian Punkuccino
2)Avery Pump[KY]n
3)Elysian The Great Pumpkin
4)O'Fallon Barrel Aged Imperial Pumpkin
5)Central Waters Headless Heron
6)Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale
7)Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale
8)Southern Tier Cold Press Coffee Pumking
9)New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin
10)Cambridge Brewing Great Pumpkin Ale

I put Schlafly Pumpkin Ale at #11. I'm not a fan of clove in my pumpkin beer.

I'm spoiled locally because O'Fallon Brewing here makes at least 5 different pumpkin beers annually. Their Pumpkin Ale is underrated and they always have at least 2 new variants every year, usually in a mixed 12 pack with 4 different beers including the base beer. This year they have a "Pumpkin Whip Cream Ale" and a "Mexican Hot Chocolate Pumpkin". Sadly, the other one this year was the Salted Caramel Pumpkin, which is cloyingly sweet. I will have to save those for well into a long night.

I also have 2 friends locally who are fairly into beer. One likes mostly everything except radlers. The other hates IPA's, mostly drinks imports, and prefers malty beers. We all agree on barrel aged beers and...pumpkin beers, defying the odds.