Pumpkin beer recommendations?

Captain Pumpkin's maple mistress from saucony creek brewing is my favorite this year.

 

I thought good gourd this year wasn't as good as previous years. I really had to hunt good gourd down this year and got 4 bottles of it. Popped open 2 the other night at a pumpkin beer tasting and was thoroughly disappointed in this years batch as was everyone else there. It didn't have much pumpkin flavor imo. It was really weak and had no nose whatsoever. Couldn't smell any pumpkin or spice at all. I dunno, maybe I got 2 bad bottles of it. But I'm thinking of trading my other two, but would feel bad if these two bottles were bad as well. Anyone else think this years batch wasn't as good as previous years or did I just get 2 bad bottles?

Anyway, my favorite pumpkin beers this year were Southern Tier Pumpkin, Elysian The Great Pumpkin, and Elysian
Punkuccino. Though Punkuccino to me wasn't a pumpkin beer at all. I tasted all coffee, but what a great cofffee beer it was.

 

Might as well fan the flames with my first post. I DESPISE Pumking. I consider it a terrible beer. In my opinion, the pumpkin beers by Dick Cantwell at Elysian are in a class by themselves, not one, not two...but dozens of annual Pumpkin beers from them. The Baltic Porter in the 21st "He Said" collab with Cantwell is a great Baltic Porter even without the pumpkin (I didn't know it was even a pumpkin beer til I looked it up) Their new Punkuccino this year was fantastic as well and IMO is better than the Stone Xocoveza everyone raves about. And...definitely the Wolavers...It's tastes like fresh roasted pumpkin without too much spice and very deserving of its medal. Dogfish Punkin fans should take notice.

 

"Ill Repute." 150 cases of this one-time run Imperial Pumpkin Porter will hit shelves next week 3 days before Halloween.

 

My second-nearest liquor store sold out of Dogfish Head Punkin, which shouldn't surprise me given the ridiculously low price (less than $7.50 a four-pack for a fresh batch!), but nonetheless annoys me. It's one of the best non-imperial pumpkin beers in my opinion, likely due to a superior choice of base beer (English brown ale rather than American "amber" ale). Also, brown sugar was a nice touch.

Oh well, the lack of Punkin means I bought a Heavy Seas Bourbon Barrel Greater Pumpkin instead. So now I get to try that one.

 

O'Fallon Pumpkin is solid! That is one of my favorites and I haven't seen anyone mention it yet. I drive to Missouri and buy a case every year. Not sure if they distribute out of Missouri much though.

 

I did a pumpkin vertical with a few buddies a couple weekends ago.

Top Tier (in no particular order):
Alewerks Pumpkin
Schlafly Pumpkin
Southern Tier Pumking

Second Tier (no particular order):
Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin
Epic/DC Brau Fermentation without Representation
Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin
Ithaca Country Pumpkin

Also Ran:
O'Fallon Pumpkin
Smuttynose Pumpkin
Evolution Jacques au Lantern
Dogfish Head Punkin
Long Trail Brush and Barrel Imperial Pumpkin
Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin
Southern Tier Warlock
Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin
Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin
Heavy Seas Great'ER Pumpkin
Barrel-Aged Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale

Better than expected: Country Pumpkin, Fat Jack

Most disappointing: Punkin (very light on the pumpkin, which, depending on your tastes, may or may not be a good thing)

 

I'm not a big Pumpkin Ale fan but Griffin Claw Bourbon Imperial Pumpkin is amazing!!!

 

How much did you pay for the gross troegs? $15.99 for the 4pack?

 

I payed 3.99 for a single bottle so it was no harm no foul just an unsatisfactory beer

 

You wont get a Good Gourd Almighty most likely but Good Gourd is the cake, take a GG and put a drop or two of rum in it but otherwise, check out Shipyard Smashed Pumpkins BA, the ABV's 12%, it should be the shelf, still, in most places. I still have it at my store.

 

Though I like Pumking, it's nice to go away from the spice. My fav right now is The Great Pumpcan from MadTree.

 

I had the Lake Front Imperial and so far that's my favorite.

 

Best of this year?

Spooky tooth - Fatheads

Punkin Drublic - Coronado

Of all time?

Rumpkin - Avery

Best fall release?

FBS

 

Just had the best Pumpkin beer I've ever tasted. Elysian Punkuccino

 

There is a reason people try to compare all other pumpkin beers to Pumking.

 

I had both over the past weekend and I did not enjoy them as much as I had hoped. I've had 3 pumpkin beer and DFH Punkin Ale was my favorite. Pumking was too much pumpkin flavor, and not the good pumpkin flavor, like the flavor of a raw pumpkin... Warlock was a little better because of the little sweetness that was due to it being an imperial stout. Overall, I felt those two were very over-hyped.

 

Perfer Warlock then Pumking. Love the semi stout backbone plus the same great taste of Pumking . but then again maybe I should thred some of my Ten Fidy with Pumking, thoughts?

 

Exactly. Plus, it seems to be relatively easy to find, which is nice. I recently tried Good Gourd and was very impressed, however I would probably still choose Pumking or Warlock over it given the choice.

 

DFH Punkin' is my favorite but I haven't had to many (Alewerks, Schlafly, Pumking, Warlock, Boxcar, Shipyard and a few others). Next year Punkin' is probably the only one I'll buy.