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!