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