Pumpkin Ale: America's Oktoberfestbier

I love pumpkin ale, I love sweet potato ale. It is an American original, really a truly indigenous style. It takes craft brewing back to it's roots, anyone who disparages this style is dissing American Craft Brewing.

 

I love nearly everything pumpkin - pancakes, ice cream, pie, candy, etc. When I got into craft a couple of years ago I figured I'd be able to find a bunch of pumpkin beers I'd like, but have been largely disappointed. I do keep trying new ones though, and after trying dozens there is only one I'll buy again - Avery Pump[KY]n. Besides tasting like pumpkin pie, it is also BBA. Avery Rumpkin sounded good on paper since I love pumpkin and RBA beers, but is was waaaaay too sweet.

Most of the other ones have no pumpkin taste at all, some taste like squash, and others have the pumpkin spice flavor but are overpowered by other flavors. I am unreasonably looking for pumpkin beers to taste like pumpkin pie - but then if they do, they won't be very "beery", so that's a tough balance to find. I have heard about several brewers such as Schlafly and Dogfish Head that reportedly have excellent pumpkin beers that I hope to be able to get my hands on eventually.

Great to hear a bit about the history of pumpkin beers, and it seems brewers struggle more than I do to find the right flavor. Pumpkin beers seem to be quite polarizing, so the brewers have the difficult task of finding the right flavor without offending others. I expect that's why so many pumpkin ales do not have a strong pumpkin/spice flavor.

 

I do like a good pumpkin beer this time of year. My favorites out of the ~20 different pumpkin beers I've tried/drank would have to be:
Elk Valley Pumpion - How can one not like a BBA pumpkin beer that weighs in at 12.4% ABV?
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - Continues to win medals in the category and it delicious for being so light.
Saint Arnold Pumpkinator - Hands down my favorite pumpkin beer from Texas.
Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash - I really like this, and will be doing a 2016 v. 2017 comparison before too long.

 

I wish it said, "Festbier: America's Oktoberfestbier", but it didn't and now I'm sad.

 

Two local breweries in my neck of the woods brew a good pumpkin: Core Pumpkin Pie Ale brewed by Core Brewing of Springdale Arkansas and and Mothers Brewing of Springfield Missouri brews Mr. Pumpkin Ale.