Poll: Pumpkin Pie vs. Pumpkin Squash Flavor

I have seen pumpkin beer take a variety of postures just like all the other styles . I like the ones that taste like beer. Maybe that is the yeast. I don't want pumpkin pie novelty sweet beer. I do like the flavor of pumpkin pie. The worst part about pumpkin beer is cinnamon. Cinnamon and beer are an unlikely combination imo BUT I have liked it some beers. The pumpkin beer is one of them. I like the squash flavor or the flavor that is not citrus hops better with a nice hop bitterness and ithaca and smuttynose were tops on my list last year. Ithaca's had a more citric hop than smuttynose if I remember right. Smutty's was woodier? OH! Now I have to go buy pumpkin beer.

 

I like pumpkin pie anything, almost. As far as beer - I'd like it to still taste like beer, otherwise I may as well just have a pumpkin pie/shake/blizzard/etc. I see that 76.8% of those surveyed want pumpkin pie flavor or a combination of that and squash in a beer, but it's all subjective. As with anything, you see reviews all over the map as to whether a beer is a great pumpkin beer and tastes like the expected pie, spices, or squash. I started trying pumpkin beers last year and had all those distributed in Southeast Dakota, maybe 15-20, and could not find one that hit that right balance for me. Just reading the reviews and the posts here, sure sounds like there are some out there I should like, like Schlalfly, Steven's Point - but I might have to travel a bit. Luckily I live about 4 miles from the intersection of South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

 

Add another one to your list. freaktoberfest BIG OL' pumkin ale by Coney Island Brewing Co. Just purchased this limited release pumpkin ale only cause the bottle caught my attention. Of course I go right to rating it to see how good it is. 74, just OK on Beer Advocate. Even Rate Beer gives it a 21 on Style and a 22 Overall. I went to put it down, but all the ingredients caught my attention again. What an awesome combination of ingredients, surely this has to taste good. Coney Island Brewing, the brewer is good one too. Hmmm? So I dug deeper and opened the 74 rating to see what everyone said. Well look at that, the BROS rated it a 90. I bought it. It is outstanding pumpkin ale! I agree with the BROS on this one. Its actually an Oktoberfest/Märzen Style. Not a Märzen fan, but this one is very good!

 

The bottled Coney Island beers (and, no doubt, the majority of the draught) are brewed by their parent company, Boston Beer, at its PA and OH breweries. Coney Island is owned by BBC through their Alchemy & Science subsidiary, which also owns Traveler, L.A.'s Angel City and Miami's Concrete Beach.

 

I prefer a good squash base, and I always love cinnamon which tends to dominate the spices so I voted mashup. If you get too much spice and not enough squash, a lot of pumpkin ales are forgettable because they all taste the same.

 

I voted mashup. One of my favorites was SA Pumpkin Batch, a saison brewed with pumpkin and spices. Good sweetness and body from the pumpkin, and the spices melded nicely with the yeasty character of the farmhouse ale. None this year, sadly - although I did find some from last year in a discount cart at the grocery store a few weeks ago. Still drinking nicely, BTW.

 

Ever make a Pumpkin Pie Float?

 

I honestly can never taste pumpkin. Just spices! And I'm aware that some "Pumpkin Ales" do not contain any pumpkin at all.

 

Sure , it's even become an annual Thanksgiving thing for me nowadays . I even planned ahead and already got extra Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin this year .

 

Saucony Creek Maple Mistress... its out now, and I've had it before so generally pass over it, but I fondly remember that beer tasting delicious

 

Not sure I'll ever find a decent pumpkin pie beer, so perhaps I'll buy myself a bigass pumpkin pie, some whip-cream, and wash it down with one of my favorite beers; a CBS, BCBS, or Pirate Bomb.

 

The less pie spice I can taste in a Pumpkin beer and more pumpkin I can taste, the more I am likely to enjoy it.

 

I will be on the lookout for this, I like pumpkin beer and adore porter. Mothers has a great Oktoberfest that I really like right now.

 

It is almost like finding the right balance between malt and hops. The same with squash and spice.

 

And sugar. Avery Rumpkin could have been a great pumpkin beer if they didn't start by filling the bottle with sugar, then pouring in as much beer as the sugar would absorb. I was bummed since I like rum BA beers and pumpkin, and they made Rumpkin cloyingly sweet. Couldn't taste the rum or pumpkin. Avery Pump[KY]n is much better.

 

I don't like my beer too sweet either.

 

I forget the beer but the brewer used roasted not canned pumpkin and it was delicious!