Thrillist list of 21 best pumpkin beers

Here is a great list of 21 pumpkin beers, many of which I have tried and (very excitingly) several that I have not. I have to get my hands on the Good Gourd by Cigar City *spoiler alert* Thrillist's #1 pick.

Eleysian Night Owl and Rogue Pumpkin Patch

Two great guest blog posts!

Eleysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale:  

Brewed by Eleysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA.  6.7%  ABV. 12 ounce bottles in a 6 pack sell for $11. bucks, tax not included, in NJ.  Extremely flavorful, Eleysian claims to use 7 lbs. of pumpkin per Barrel(How big is a barrel??).  In fact, I'd say this brew packs so much  pumpkin-esque flavor, I was unsure as to whether I was drinking beer or eating pumpkin pie!  But after 2 bottles of this nasty, I was pretty sure I was drinking beer! HEAVY flavoring of  pumpkin, roasted pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and only god can say what else.  I don't think they scrimped on the quality of hops, malt or other essential beer ingredients, as the drink went down smoothly in view of the high ABV.  So I'd give the EBC Pumpkin ALE a near perfect score, let's say 9 out of 10, because I'd like to reserve room for god's brew when or if it arrives....and I'd say they were a tad over the top with the spicing.  Like I said, it sort of obscures the natural beer base which I prefer to be evident, and is also a tad on the sweet side.  One other general comment on the positive side, the bottles hold a full 12 ounces, not the new trend in six pack bottling, cutting the beer content to 11.2 ounces.  My call to arms is to NOT buy any beer that sells 6 packs having less than 12 ounces per bottle.  It's a sneaky form of inflation.  Any company that stands behind its product that needs to raise its prices for whatever reason, should just raise the price of the 12 ounce bottle; but not sneak away the beer content in each bottle just so they can hold the 6 pack price steady.  

*Side bar*

 I had this one on draft at the anchored Inn in Bushwick. It was especially good this way. Definitely order it if you can find it on draft!

Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale: 

 Brewed by Rogue, Hewport, Oregon.  6.1% ABV in a cutesy 25.4 ounce potato masher opaque orange bottle, about $14. a bottle(holy crap!) w/o tax.  Needless to say, we are in designer consumption territory here, but it does make a great gift.....which is how I received it for my BD(Lucky me!).  This is a healthy serving of well balanced spiced beer.  The brew has a tad of an edge to it going down, but within my expectations(which expect some kind of bite to accompany the swallowing of a beer). The bottle is just too pretty to toss out. I'm currently using it as a vase for dried flowers!  This was a fun experience, drinking 3/4 of a liter of pumpkin brew straight out of its orange origin.  Just the right amount for that pumpkin beer buzz without falling asleep on my couch.  The spicing includes its own farm's pumpkins, orange peel, cinnamon,  cloves, cardamon, vanilla, ginger and nutmeg.  Natural beer ingredients include their own proprietary wheat malt and hops.  I'd have this brew again anytime, so long as you're buying!  Vote 8 out of 10.

Master of Pumpkins by Troegs

Name: Master of Pumpkins by Troegs Independent Craft Brewery
Origin: Hershey, PA
ABV: 7.5%
Description: This pumpkin ale is brewed with french saison yeast and it comes through both in smell and in flavor. The taste of the saison, although I like it very much, dims the pumpkin notes. To its advantage the clove is coming through in its flavor and it is very likable, whether or not it slaps you in the face with the essence of fall. It is very good but not exactly what I am looking for.
Rating: 7

Sam Adams Pumpkin Batch and Wilhelm Scream

First guest blog post of the season!

-Sam Adams Pumpkin Patch: This year's contribution of pumpkin brews to the pumpkin patch from Sam A. is somewhat different in style, flavor, texture.  And so they call it their "Pumpkin Patch" brew..  I know the publisher of this blog will disagree, but I do believe I enjoy this year's version better.  It has been given  more of a bitter hoppy bite that lingers well after the brew is swallowed.  I'm a bit confused on the pumpkin flavor though.  It is agreeable to me, although something about seems as if the pumpkin flavor and spices were an added seasoning rather than cooked into the mash.  Sort of a "season to taste" character.  So although I enjoy the beer and would buy it again, it's not the perfect contributor to "The Pumpkin Patch" world of October brews....so it's a 7/10 for me.

(BTW, try the Oktoberfest brew fro SA, I find it their best of all)

-Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream Pumpkin Ale:  And what a scream it was!  I found it to be well balanced although the pumpkin flavor component was rather subtle.  Man, if you're going to make a pumpkin beer, why keep the pumpkins subtle?  Let them shout out "Haloween's coming so get your pumpkin ass in gear!"  Slightly rough swallowing, perhaps equivalent to 2 yards of barbed wire, I'd set it down at 6/10. Na Starovya!

Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin Stout

Name: Harpoon Imperial Pumpkin Stout
Origin: Boston, MA
ABV: 10.5%
Description: This is a rich, dark stout with a smooth flavor. It has notes of fig and chocolate and a mellow smooth spice. It is very nice and tastes more like a chocolate, pumpkin fruit cake then pumpkin pie as the flavor is rich, dark, and almost liquor-ey. Nice but not spicy enough in my opinion.
Rating: 7

Central Waters Headless Heron

Name:Central Waters Headless Heron
ABV: 8.5%
Origin: Amherst, WI
Description: It is incredibly dark, with a thick boozey aroma with notes of vanilla extract and oak. It has a thick, complex, syrupy flavor. It was aged in bourbon barrels so that really dominates the flavor.
Rating: 7.9

Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Name:Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Middlebury, VT
ABV: 5.35%
Description:This is an organic ale brewed with local Vermont pumpkin and spices, it is unpasteurized and unfiltered. It has a light color and somewhat mild flavor. It takes a bit like the magic hat #9 with a mild sweetness. To me it takes more like stone fruit (apricots perhaps) rather then pumpkins and the spice is very light. Not a bad beer but I prefer a more robust flavor, once that really slaps you in the face with the essence of fall. Be adventurous people, be BOLD!
Rating:6

Leaf Pile Ale

Name: Leaf Pile Ale- ale brewed with pumpkin and spices by Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.
Origin: Peconic, NY
ABV: 5.2%
Description: This beer has a strong scent, like fermenting pumpkins. The label says it's like pumpkin pie in a glass but I disagree, I think this is one of the less sweet, more vegetative with a bit of ginger and nutmeg. The scent is stronger then the flavor, but in general this one is very good.
Rating: 7

Downeast Cider House-Pumpkin Blend

Ok I'm breaking the rules here, the name of my blog is the Pumpkin ALE blog, and to be completely honest I didn't even realize this was a cider until I drank it (so basically I will buy anything with a pumpkin on it), but that is besides the point. I'm going to review it anyways.

Name: Downeast Cider House Pumpkin Blend
Origin: Boston, MA
ABV: 5%
Description: This cider is very lightly sweet with a lovely mild flavor of apples and pumpkin. I could drink this like soda, it is so refreshing and easy to drink. Apparently it is only available for a little over a month, so grab this one if you can!
Rating:7.9

1991

And here is me in a pumpkin suit in 1991

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale

Name: Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Origin: St. Louis, Missouri
ABV: 8%
Description: It has a deliciously sweet smell, like pumpkin pie, nutmeg, and vanilla. It has a rich amber color and full luscious malty flavor. It is sweet with satisfying complexity. This is probably one of the very best pumpkin ales I have had and honestly I'm freaking impressed! I found it at hops n' hocks in Brooklyn, NY. You need to try this one! Pour it in a glass and let it rest to enjoy the full aroma.
Rating: 9

Pumple Drumkin

Name: Pumple Drumkin
Brewery: Cisco Brewers Nantucket
Origin: Nantucket, MA
ABV: 6%
Rating: 3

This beer is very light tasting and fairly easy drinking. The flavors of pumpkin and spice are subtle if noticeable at all with a very slight bitterness. Not my favorite by a long shot.

Fall 2014 Recap

Here we are again! It's not quite labor day but I feel a chill in the air tonight, which reminds me that Fall is almost upon us and it's just NEARLY pumpkin season and DAMN am I excited! To kick off the new season I am going to begin with a quick list of everything I tried and rated last year. This list will be in order of rating and excludes opinions of guest bloggers. I can't wait to try a whole slew of new pumpkin beers this season, recommendations and opinions are always welcome.

9- St. Ambroise Pumpkin, The Great Pumpkin Ale (reconsidered from an 8)

9- Elysian the Great Pumpkin, Imperial Ale

8- Bayard’s Pumpkin Ale

8-Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

8- Southern Tier Pumking

7- Magic Hat, Wilhelm Scream

7- He Said Tripel

7- Imperial Pumpkin by Lakefront

7- Dark O' the Moon by Elysian

7- Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin

6.5- Gruntled Pumpkin Ale

6- Farm to Barrel, Heirloom Pumpkin by Almanac

6- He Said Porter

6- Eylsian Punkuccino

6- Hipp-O-Lantern

5- UFO Pumpkin Ale

4- Long Trail Pumpkin Ale

4- Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin

4- Uinta Punk'n

3- Blue Point Pumpkin Ale

3- Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale

3- Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

2- Shipyard Pumpkinhead

2- Post Road by Brooklyn Brewing

Bayard's Pumpkin Ale

Name: Bayard's Pumpkin Ale, a house brew from Bayard's Ale House in the West Village, NYC
Origin: NY,NY
ABV: unknown
Description: So this is a house draft at Bayard's Ale House in the West Village, and will basically be impossible to get anywhere else, buuuut I tried it tonight and will review it anyways. It was medium-light body with a crisp and sweet smell. It had heavy notes of vanilla and pumpkin. To me this beer tasted like a delicious pumpkin cookie. I very much enjoyed it.
Rating:8

Gruntled Pumpkin Ale

Hi Pumpkinheads, sorry for the delay, been very busy with halloween and mischief, but we still have a month left of fall and I'm going to drink pumpkin ale until they start putting out the winter seasonals ;)

Name: Gruntled Pumpkin Ale, by RJ Rockers brewing company
Origin: Spartanburg, SC
ABV: 7%
Description: It has a medium body and good flavor. Sits well among the mid-tier pumpkin ales I've tried. A good amount of pumpkin, light on the spice, and slightly malty, it is good.
Rating: 6.5

New Guest Blog Posts

New Blog posts from guest blogger Jan Beehive.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale:  Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, DE; ABV = 7%, 12 oz. bottles in a 4 pack(ten bucks!).  If you can dismiss the idiotic name of this brew and get to the liquid, it's really not a stupid crazy "lay me out" ale.  For the high ABV, it drinks smoother than most, more like a 5'er.  Well balanced spices, in fact, I think I'll pass on the punkin pie tonite!  Worth the $$, go for it.

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Golden, CO; ABV=5.7%; Std. 12 oz. bottle in 6 pack; moderately priced below $9.00(NJ, perhaps $12 in NYC).  Pleasantly surprised as to the clean crisp drinkability, and vivid pumpkin flavor this brew bares. No funky alternative spicing, or additives.  In fact, I believe I have spotted a tendency with regard to pumpkin ales, that being that wheat ale compliments the pumpkin flavor most admirably.  I base that on Shocktop and Blue Moon, both very smooth and absent the presence of any bite.  So I end my pumpkin journey here, Blue Moon is my absolute favorite with lots of runners up and variations that others might find appealing.  I give Blue Moon one notch better than Sam Adams Harvest pumpkin ale because it is without a slight sweetness that tends to offset the flavor balance found in SA, just the best natural fit I've found.  BTW, I do not favor standard Blue Moon due to an odd flavor profile they've created.  But their pumpkin ale did the trick for me

Elysian Punkuccino and Dark O' the Moon

Name: Elysian Punkuccino
Origin: Seattle, WA
ABV: 5%
Description: This is a coffee pumpkin ale. It has a lovely scent of coffee and cinnamon and a rich full body. With an experimental mix like this, it was either going to be a hit or a miss. It was more like an Irish coffee and less like a starbucks pumpkin spice latte. Although I loved Elysian's Great Pumpkin Ale, this brew was a miss. For me it was too experimental, too strange of a mixture, and too complex to really hit the mark.
Rating: 6

Name: Dark O' the Moon, Pumpkin Stout by Elysian

Origin:Seattle, WA

ABV: 6.5%

Description: It has a seductively spicy aroma. Although stouts are not usually my favorite kind of beer, this was was very good. The pumpkin was not as much in the foreground as were the spices, particularly cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste was good but honestly my favorite part of this beer was the smell. 

Rating: 7

Imperial Pumpkin by Lakefront Brewery

Name: Imperial Pumpkin, by Lakefront Brewery
Origin: Milkwaukee, WI
ABV: 9.5%
Description: This is a ale brewed with pumpkin, spices, vanilla, and aged in brandy barrels. It has a dark chestnut color and a sweet liquor-ey smell. It has a very strong, heavy flavor that is heavily influenced by the brandy barrels in which it was aged. It is sweet, syrupey, and boozey. To me this beer tastes more like straight up vanilla extract and brandy and less like pumpkin and spice. The more I drink though the more it grows on me, probably because it's already gotten me drunk.
Rating:7

More Guest Bloggers!

People are loving to taste and rate pumpkin beers. Here are two reviews from guest blogger Chauncey Peppertooth

-Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale:  12 oz. bottle,  ABV= 5.3%, Moderately priced.  A fine regular drinking pumpkin ale, with pumpkin as the primary flavor spice in the brave new world of bizarre spicings and additives.  I'd re-visit this beer occasionally, but my singular beef with this beer is aftertaste.  It tends to depart your throat with a bitterish bite, not to the point of disaster, but short of the crisp clean smoothness I prefer.  Probably rate it 7 out of 10.

Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale(Standard Pumpkin brew):  12 oz. bottle, ABV = 5.7%, Moderately priced.  I have to hand it to these guys, they have scaled a craft microbrew class of brew out to production levels meeting international demands and in the case of this brew, have set the gold standard.  Primarily pumpkin  spiced with some nicely complimenting background spices, it drinks superbly, every toss is clean, flavorful, smooth and most surprisingly is absent any trace of after-bite.  Perhaps I drew a super fresh six that day, but I'll follow up if there is a quality variation issue.  Stay thirsty, my friend!

Hipp-o-lantern, Post Road, and Buffalo Bill's

I've been drinking SO MUCH pumpkin beer it's hard to keep up! Here are three reviews!

Name: Hipp-o-lantern Imperial Pumpkin Ale, by Riverhorse Brewing Co.

Origin: Ewing, NJ

ABV: 8.1%

Description: This beer is nicely malty and smooth. Less strong pumpkin and spice flavor then I would have liked, but an enjoyable brew overall. Stronger then some of the others I've had (Uinta, shipyard, or  longtrail) but definitely not as strong of a flavor as my favorites. 

Rating: 6

Name: Post Road Pumpkin Ale, by Brooklyn Brewery

Origin: Brooklyn, NY

ABV: 5%

Description: This beer seems more like pumpkin ale light to me. The flavor is barely pumpkin, and the beer in general is lighter then my preference. I like a full robust flavor and this one just falls short, period.

Rating: 2

Name: Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale

Origin: Hayward, CA

ABV: 6%

Description: This beer has a beautiful label that definitely drew me in. Well its attractive packaging was this beers high point for sure. Similarly to the Post Road, above, this beer lacked any oomph. Sure, it didn't taste BAD, but for me if the beer is lacking the pumpkin and spice notes that are anticipated I just can't give it a good rating. Props to the designer though :)

Rating: 3

Elysian the Great Pumpkin, Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Name: Elysian the Great Pumpkin, Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Seattle, Wa
ABV: 8%
Description: A medium-medium light amber color with a sweet/spicy aroma. It has a great smooth, sweet and beautifully well rounded flavor. This one is delicious, it tastes like dessert!
Rating (out of 10): 9

AND>>> shout out to the friendly and helpful staff at my local craft beer store, Hops and Hocks on Morgan Ave in Bushwick, Brooklyn!

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Name: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Hampton, NH
ABV: 5.84%
Description: A bit more hoppy and bitter then I prefer. Not overpowering in pumpkin or spice.
Rating (out of 10): 3

Guest Bloggers!

Since I've begun people have been excited to give me their opinions. Here are a couple of reviews from guest blogger Johnny Cappuccino. Keep your suggestions and opinions coming! I'm happy to have inspired some people along the way!

-Shipyard Pumpkin Ale, ABV = 4.5%, Portland, Maine, 12 oz. bottle.  This is an easy drinking beer, a tad more aggressive going down the throat compared to other similar ABVs.  There seems to be a range of spices added to the brew in addition to pumpkin.  In this regard the pumpkin flavor is more sublimated, and less of a pure play pumpkin brew to my taste.  I'd put this one somewhere in the middle of the road as far as this group goes.  Price is reasonable ($8. or $9.) a six pack in Jersey.  Many brewers get carried away in pricing pumpkin beers..  Hey, if you'll are willing to pay champagne prices for beer, be my guest!  

-Sam Adams Fat Jack, ABV=8.5%, 22 oz. Quasi-Potato Masher Bottle, Brewed somewhere in the USA(Sam Adams is not a craft beer in that it is brewed in large batches for a international market, but they do a great job regardless).  This beer will kick your ass.  I suggest mixing it with your favorite regular brew, and what I find to be an overloaded spicey, smokey hops, and an ABV more akin to wine than beer. I'm a consumer of many of the Sam seasonal beers(Oktoberfest was incredible this year), but I simply cannot drink this one on its own.  I'd sooner have a  few pints of Guiness (Abv somewhere around 4.5%) draft, than lose my sense of gravity after a pint of this witches brew before savoring the flavor.  One more comment, don't look at the label, it looks like Patty Smith transcribed her latest nightmare and offered it up to the bottle designers in jest.

-Harpoon Pumpkin Ale: 22oz. potato masher bottle, ABV = 10%, Portsmouth NH..  A mouthful of pumpkin, hop and spices.  Although ABV is high, it still drinks smooth albeit a strong kick post mortem. So, pleasantly flavorful and not ghastly strong to the throat.  I wouldn't drink it as a regular, but on one of those special occasions.

-Shocktop Belgian Pumpkin Wheat Ale:  12 oz. std. bottle, ABV = 5.2%, St. Louis, MO.  A highly drinkable light version of what is typically strong and heavy to this category.  Brightly flavorful, whereby the light wheat brew base compliments the pumpkin and spices seemingly perfect.  An easy brew to settle in on and avoid getting totally blitzed.

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Name: Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Boston, Ma
ABV: 5.6%
Description: It is medium amber in color with a well rounded pumpkin flavor. It is smooth and has no bitterness. It is mildly sweet and mildly spicy. If you're looking for a great, widely available day to day pumpkin ale, this one's for you!
Rating (out of 10): 7

Review and update

Hello friends, tonight marks the first night of October (yay!) and I'd like to do a little recap of what I've tried so far and what is on my list to try (or in my fridge)

In order of rating

8- St. Ambroise Pumpkin, The Great Pumpkin Ale (my FAVORITE so far, rethinking to a 9)
8- Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
8- Southern Tier Pumking
7- Magic Hat Wilhelm Scream
7- He Said Tripel
6- Farm to Barrel, Heirloom Pumpkin by Almanac
6- He Said Porter
5- UFO Pumpkin Ale
4- Long Trail Pumpkin Ale
4- Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin
4- Uinta Punk'n
3- Blue Point Pumpkin Ale
2- Shipyard Pumpkinhead

In my fridge- Sam Adams Pumpkin, Smutty Nose Pumpkin, River Horse Pumpkin

Eager to try- Saranac, Brooklyn Post Road, Dogfish Head, Good Gourd by Cigar City Brewing, Terrapin Pumpkinfest, Elsian The Great Pumpkin

Here's another great Pumpkin Ale blog to check out, they list 35 pumpkin beers

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Name: Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Easton, PA
ABV: 8%
Description: It has a rich creamy flavor, not over powering and well rounded. With 8% alcohol and such a great flavor, watch out! This is a really nice, fairly spiced pumpkin ale that I would absolutely drink again.
Rating (out of 10): 8

Pumpkin Ale Section!

Whole Section of Pumpkin Ales at a Bottle King in NJ

(too bad they don't do mix n' match 6 packs)

St. Ambroise Pumpkin, "The Great Pumpkin Ale"

Name: St. Ambroise Pumpkin, "The Great Pumpkin Ale" by McAuslan Brewing
Origin: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
ABV: 5%
Description: It has a medium light caramel color and sweet/lightly spicy smell. The flavor is mildly sweet, with a well rounded pumpkin flavor that does not overpower. Right when I was starting to think that I've had so many mediocre pumpkin ales, this one really gives me hope! The flavor is sweet, seductive, and balanced, lightly spiced, definitely drinkable and not too heavy. If you can find it, grab this one!
Rating (out of 10): 8

Long Trail Pumpkin Ale

Name: Long Trail Brewing Co. Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Bridgewater Corners, VT
ABV: 5.5%
Description: It has a medium amber color and very mild aroma. It has a nice subtle caramel flavor. For me this beer lacks spice and oomph.
Rating (out of 10): 4

Farm to Barrel Heirloom Pumpkin by Almanac

Name: Farm to Barrel Heirloom Pumpkin by Almanac Beer Co.
Origin: San Jose, CA
ABV: 12%
Description: So this is a barleywine style ale brewed with pumpkins and aged in rye and brandy barrels.    It has a strong rye and brandy scent with a hint of pumpkin. At 12% abv and $14.29 from my local specialty market, it packs a punch in alcohol content and in price. All of the elements sound amazing (roasted heirloom pumpkins, aged in brandy barrels, yadda yadda) but besides being fairly certain that I will be getting drunk, I am not blown away. It has the most complex flavor of all the beers I've tried.
Rating (out of 10): 6

Wilhelm Scream by Magic Hat

Name: Wilhelm Scream, by Magic Hat
Origin: Burlington, VT and Rochester, NY
ABV:5.4%
Description: This beer is amber in color with a medium light body. The flavor is well rounded and smooth. Not as spicy as I might like, but overall very good and I would recommend it.
Rating (out of 10): 7

Southern Tier Pumking

So I finally tried the Pumpking this year with much anticipation. It is on most lists of pumpkin beers and a favorite of many. It came with a disclaimer from the clerk at the craft beer store. He told me that it was a big seller, but that he basically thought it was no good. He said it is overly sweet and tastes more like candy corn. Well here is MY rating...

Name: Southern Tier Imperial Pumking

Origin: Lakewood, NY

ABV: 8.6%

Description: It has a sweet aroma and full amber color. At 8.6% abv, watch out, because this beer packs a punch that you won't notice because of how tasty it is. I did not find it overly sweet, or overly spicy. I really enjoyed this beer but there was a lingering medicinal aftertaste that may have been a product of drinking it right away. Perhaps this beer needs a few minutes to rest. Besides that note I would absolutely drink this again.

Rating (out of 10): 8 

UFO Pumpkin Ale

Name: UFO Pumpkin (unfiltered pale ale), by Harpoon
Origin: Boston, MA, Windsor, VT
ABV: 5.9%
Description: I had this beer on tap. It was a medium color and a delicate flavor. Its pumpkin flavor was subtle and was not heavily spiced. Although it was drinkable and refreshing, it did not impress me.
Rating (out of 10): 5

My Mission

Perhaps my mission should have been my first post, but as I try more and more pumpkin beers, what I'm looking for has become clearer.

I am searching for the closest to perfect pumpkin ale that is out there, a full on explosion of my favorite season, fall (duh), in a glass. I want to find a beer that is balanced in terms of sweetness, spice, and body. I am willing to try any pumpkin beer that comes my way, but am going to be 100% honest in my rating and description. Even if it's a FANTASTIC beer, I may give it a low rating because it does not fit the description of my ideal pumpkin beer.

Here's me being happy because I'm in a pumpkin patch!

He Said (Belgian style tripel, ale brewed with pumpkin and spices) by 21st Amendment

Name: He Said, Belgian style tripel, ale brewed with pumpkin and spices by 21st Amendment Brewery
Origin: San Francisco, CA
ABV: 8.2%
Description: Light in color, but with a full and complex flavor, this beer was delightful.  The pumpkin, although not in the foreground of this beer's flavor, was not missing and tastefully subtle. Although this was a delicious beer, I do not think it is the ideal pumpkin beer, that I'm searching for.
Rating (out of 10): 7

He Said, Baltic Style Porter by 21st Amendment

Name: He Said (baltic style porter, lager brewed with pumpkin and spices) by 21st Amendment Brewery
Origin: San Francisco, CA
ABV: 8.2%
Description: This is a rich, velvety porter brewed with pumpkin and spices. It has a sweet and complex aroma and a full body flavor. Although it is a highly satisfying beer, I fear it is missing the pumpkin notes that I was hoping for.
Rating (out of 10): 6

Draft Mag's 12 Perfect Pumpkin Beers

Draft Magazine's "12 Perfect Pumpkin Beers"

Can't wait to try these and see what I think about them, PERFECT is quite a claim.....

Here's THEIR list 

1. Saranac Pumpkin Ale

2. Evolution Jacques Au Lantern

3. Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin

4. Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale
 
5. Southern Tier Imperial Pumking

6. Arcadia Jaw-Jacker
 
7. Upslope Pumpkin

8. Terrapin Pumpkinfest

9. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

10. New Holland Ichabod

11. Harpoon Pumpkin UFO

12. Hipp-O-Lantern

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

#2 for the night!


Name: Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Golden, CO
Alcohol by Volume: 5.7%
Description: Medium color and flavor, blue moon is always a solid universal option. This beer is generally well rounded, not over powering in flavor, but not particularly impressive either.
Rating (out of 10): 4

Blue Point Pumpkin Ale

Name: Blue Point Pumpkin Ale
Origin: Long Island, NY
Alcohol by volume: 6.0%
Description: I was excited to try this because I love Blue Point's toasted Lager, but my expectations fell short. It is light-medium in color and flavor, lacking any real punch or spice. Similar to the Uinta Punk'n, the Blue Point is very easy to drink because of its, well, lack of strong flavor. I COULD drink this beer but I probably would not CHOOSE to.
Rating (out of 10): 3

Uinta Punk'n

Name: Uinta Punk'n

Origin: Salt Lake City, UT

Description: A light amber color and flavor, with a subtle flavor this is a highly drinkable beer. It is lighter and less spicy then my preference, but is overall, OK. 

Rating (out of 10): 4

Fall is coming!

Hello and welcome! Fall is almost here and tis the season for one of my favorite things, pumpkin ale! This blog is dedicated to listing and rating all the pumpkin ales that I try.

Here is the very first I have tried this season

Name: Shipyard Pumpkinhead
Origin: Portland, ME
Description: Light in color and flavor, this pumpkin ale was much less flavorful then expected, seemed more like a lightly spiced summer ale, in my opinion
Rating (out of 10): 2