Pumpkin beer recommendations?

I have yet to find one i can actually call a favorite, all the ones i've tried so far have been pretty mediocre at best.

 

Haven't had many, I'll go with Good Gourd and Lakefront's brandy barrel imperial pumpkin.

 

Schlafly has been all over for weeks. Assuming you are in Northern Virginia check out the Total Wines, Norms in Vienna, or Arrowine in Arlington. Some of the Whole Foods have it too.

While you're at it, get some Alewerks Pumpkin. I think it's even better.

 

Have had 9 of those 21 this year but 36 different in all.

 

I've tried several and I have to say that ST Pumking is still my #1. I'm always looking for the next #1 though!

 

Not a huge fan of pumpkin beers in general, but so far my favorite is Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Could change after I drink the Warlock I have at home waiting for me.

Not a fan of ST Pumking...wish I could have tried it a few years back. Does it smell like honey to anyone else out there? Not offputting but certainly not what I would have expected.

 

Saranac gets extra points for being fun to drink out of a jug

 

But Saranac loses points for being Saranac. That's the worst pumpkin beer I've had IMO

 

don't think I'd go quite that far, to me most Saranac beers are inoffensive but nothing special - if someone hands me one I'm happy to drink it, but given a choice I pretty much never spend my own money on them.

 

Pumpkin Beer is my favorite beer type, and so far this fall I have tried 32 different pumpkin beers. I will post my Top 10 in a couple weeks because I have a few more to test. But tonight I got a surprise.

Tonight, my local Tap House had a pumpkin beer tapping. 10 different pumpkin beers on tap - Pumking, Warlock, Smuttynose, Lakefront, New Belgium, Destihl, Dogfish Head, O'Fallon & SA Fat Jack. Plus several Octoberfests, The Bruery Autumn Maple and Walker Firestone Velvet Merkin 2014. Wow - I'm going back tomorrow.

The ringer was a barrel of Pumking Barrel Aged 2013. Awesome! Everything an outstanding pumpkin beer should be. Fantastic pumpkin flavor, and all the sharp spice notes that are so up front in the 2014 version are mellowed perfectly after a year of aging.

What does this mean? Well, Southern Tier was so nice to flood the Midwest with bombers of Pumking 2014 that sell for $6.99 that I will go out and buy several cases to age until next year, along side a couple Warlocks and several Avery Rumpkin and Pump(KY)n. Can't wait until Oct 1, 2015.

 

What no Good Gourd?

 

No Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin? No Jack-o-traveler? No Saucony Creek Maple Mistress?

 

I love Pumking, but I've gotten to try many new (to me) pumpkin beers this year that give it a run for it's money. These include Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash, Williamsburg Aleworks Pumpkin Ale, and Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale. I'll be interested to see your top ten soon!

 

Love pumpkin beers too, my fave so far is Epic/DC Brau Fermentation without representation. But I'm looking most forward to Brew Rebellions Grandma Suftins pumpkin pie.You could enjoy pumpkin season X2 if you by two of everything and age it for a year and then compare it to the fresh batches next year.

Kern River has a pumpkin ale available at craftbeerkings.com, only place I've seen it.

 

I am dying for a Good Gourd. Can't find it in Chicagoland. No Wyerbacher or Saucony Creek in these parts either. Had Jack-O-Traveler on tap in Fargo ND last Monday. Very good.

 

I've tried maybe 12-15 pumpkin beers this year (drinking a Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale right now) and I have to say, the one I have been most impressed with was Fat Heads Spooky Tooth. Really good.

 

Stevens Point Whole Hog is at the top of my list. Grabbed another 4-pack of it today.

 

Pumpkin beers are definitely something I look forward to every year, and I finally got a chance to try Pumpking while visiting the midwest. And overall, I was disappointed, especially after years of all the talk here on the West Coast. Warlock was outstanding however. Im going to have to go with Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin as my top, especially for a 9% beer. I have a keg and case of the barrel aged version that I have yet to try but am looking forward to

 

Leaving Schlafly off of this list of criminal. Best pumpkin beer out there...

 

I'm drinking a Good Gourd as we speak but...."Gourds gone wild" by Tampa Bay Brewing has easily been one of the best Pumpkin beers of the year! SERIOUSLY if you get a chance to suck one of those bad boys down DO IT!