Any love for pumpkin beers?

Alewerk's Pumpkin or Blue Mountain Breweries Spooky, as far as Virginia brews; Schlafly or smack ya motha, as far as national distro! DFH was always a favorite, but it has been thin the last few years. This years' tasted like a lager with cinnamon sprinkled in...such a let down.

 

HAHAHAHA you know I wish we got their distro down here in TN but alas we don't. :`(

 

I totally agree with you about the DFH, I had one the other day and wasn't even sure that I was drinking the same beer that I have year after year now.

 

I've stumbled across exactly three pumpkin beers I really like over the years. In fact, just for fun, every Halloween I like to watch the movie "Pumpkinhead" while drinking a beer of the same name.

 

Pumpkin beer is the country music of beer. Hear me out.

It's "cool" to hate on it and a lot of people who take themselves seriously hate it very loudly, but it's not all bad- in fact there's probably more good than bad out there- it's just that the very worst examples are also somehow the most popular.

 

Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela. Wild and tasty.

 

I feel like pumpkin beers are coming full circle. Kind of like how people shit on fruit beers for years and now they're "cool." All of those dessert stouts have opened the door back up for 'em.
I've always had a soft spot for them, but I tend to get burned out after a few each year. Usually long before October, too.

For me, Eddyline Pumpkin Patch, Mountain Sun Dark Harvest, and BJ's pumpkin tend to be the ones I get most years. The new Pumpkin Yeti is way better than I expected. With Mountain Sun locations still being mostly closed, it fills that void.

 

Can't do it. Tried several and it's just not for me. I had one at a large capacity pub in Savanna once that I enjoyed....but this was also the end of the night so we all know how inaccurate the palate can be

 

Some definite truth to this. For me there's so many that I usually just mix a six or two and then I have enjoyed a variety over the season but I rarely buy a six pack+ of the same pumpkin beer.

And due to the Imperial aspect of many they can sometimes be too sweet and/or spicy by the end of the glass.

 

I skipped the pumpkin beers last year but I think I’ll at least grab a few this year. Love DFH Punkin and weyerbacher imperial pumpkin.

 

I have stopped actively buying them in the past years, but if I'm at a brewery and they have it, I will order. I used to like Alaskan Pumpkin Porter. Yum, but not sure they still make it.

 

So I'm getting together with 4 other friends of mine who not only like beer, but pumpkin beer at that. That's this Friday night. So far I think we have 19 different kinds on hand. I'm also going to be bringing some Krispy Kreme pumpkin donuts. Apparently they have 4 varieties available this month.

We have

1)DogFish Head Punkin' Ale
2)O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale
3)O'Fallon Vanilla Pumpkin Ale
4)O'Fallon Salted Caramel Pumpkin Ale
5)O'Fallon Mexican Hot Chocolate Pumpkin Ale
6)O'Fallon Pumpkin Whip Ale
7)Griffin Claw Screamin' Pumpkin Ale
8)Mother's Mr. Pumpkin
9)Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale
10)Big Muddy Pumpkin Smasher Ale
11)Elysian The Great Pumpkin
12)Elysian Night Owl
13)Elysian Punkuccino
14)Elysian Howl O' The Moon
15)Hoppin' Frog Double Pumpkin
16)Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin Ale
17)Shipyard Pumpkin Ale
18)New Holland Ichabod
19)Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash

If I have time on Friday, about 10 minutes from Krispy Kreme is a liquor store that has 4 Noses Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale. That would put us at 20.

 

Picked up a 4 pack of Good Gourd, looking forward to finally trying it

 

This year's DFH is much less brown ale and more spice. I don't hate it. I will say I prefer the malted version they used to make. Spice overpowers the malt here. I feel schlafly is a spice forward beer, but the malt is an excellent compliment. It's like DFH took the base away. Should have kept before they decided to ramp up the spice.

 

Pumpkin pie is mostly about the spices, I’m thinking the pumpkins part is irrelevant to a point. Same with beers, if you like the spice combo you like the beer.

 

I would have said that, too, until I had Whole Hog. It completely replicates the pumpkin flesh / pumpkin custard character which really surprised me. It had great spice balance as well, but it was that legit pumpkin flesh flavor that won me over. I can't say I had picked that up before in any pumpkin beer as well as this one. Including Good Gourd, ST Pumpking/Warlock, DFH Pumpkin', etc... All great, but like you said, really comes down to just the spice blends and such you like.

Really excited to try Schlafly for the first time real soon here, as the Whole Hog made me much more excited to try more this year knowing how good they can be!

 

You are right about that!

 

Family friend gave me 3 of the Elysian pumpkin sampler (coincidentally ones I've never tried before):
Punkaccino (sp? coffee pumpkin ale)
Night of the Moon (pumpkin stout)
Great Pumpkin (impy pumpkin ale)

Had the Punkaccino last night. It's OK, not Cold Press Coffee Pumking level, just OK.

A cpl of these have been available to me before this, but I've never tried them, because: f**k bombers.

 

Pumpking Nitro.

Might not reach the Whole Hog for me, but this is really great. Custardy. Reminds me of a local ice cream shop that makes a phenomenal pumpkin ice cream in fall, its got that "walked into an ice cream shop smell". Its got a more balanced, eggy/custard quality and some pie crust to tag along with the pumpkin spices. I'll def pick up some more of this. I must say, becoming a much bigger fan of pumpkin beers in general this fall. Really have been impressive this year for me.