Beer Reviews: Pumpkin Ales

Before I get into the meat of this post, I do feel I need to mention what may seem obvious to some: despite the lack of posts on subjects other than the impending short sale, I have taken time for other, far more important and enjoyable pursuits over the past few months.  Some examples, which will be featured in upcoming posts, include my gun experiences & shooting progress as well as notable arts & crafts projects (or, at least one arts & crafts project that I’ve finally gotten around to after years of “saving up”).  However, one hobby that will require several posts, and will likely become a recurring theme in 2013, is beer. 

Beer!  So far, this hobby has been all about the research.  It may surprise some friends & family members that I’ve consumed very little wine over the past several months, but seeing as I can only drink so much, beer it has been.  Having a tendency to lean more toward the dark& malty, I have made serious attempts to branch out this year, even finding some very enjoyable super hoppy brews. 

In the beer world, the fall has always been about Oktoberfest & Pumpkin Ales, so that’s what I’ll be starting with.  Well, Pumpkin Ales for now!  Unfortunately, I’ve only been able to try 7 different ones this year, but at least most were new for me.    

The last thing I’ll say before I get into these reviews is that I’m really rusty at this kind of thing, so don’t be too judgmental.  I also wrote all of this without looking up any other reviews or descriptions, and in most cases, not reading the notes on the labels either.  I hope that in doing this more frequently I’ll get better and be able to more clearly describe what I’m experiencing in each beer by itself, rather than having to rely so heavily on analogies. 

With that, I’m off.  This list is in order from least to most favorite.

Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale – www.buffalobillsbrewery.com - This claims to be the original American Pumpkin Ale.  My personal opinion is that  in terms of most things you simply can’t beat the original (think Uno’s for Chicago style pizza).  In this case…you can.  If I had to choose between this brew and a better macro-brew, I’d take the macro.  It had very little pumpkin flavor, and really not much flavor at all.  I think a good comparison would be Goose Island’s 312, which was also very disappointing to me the first time I tried it. 

  

Harpoon Brewery UFO Pumpkin Ale – www.harpoonbrewery.com - Another very disappointing brew to me.  The UFO refers to the beer’s being unfiltered, which I’m partial to as they’re usually more flavorful…again, not this one.  The Buffalo Bill’s I was so disappointed with that I almost didn’t finish it.  Same story with this one.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale – https://smuttynose.com - This is the only other beer that I was disappointed by, but not quite as much so as with the first two.  It did have a bit of good pumpkin & spice to it (think a little bit of cinnamon and allspice), but was less than stellar.  I think I was coming at it from a slightly biased place, though, having just had their Robust Porter, which I thought was pretty good.

Wild Onion Pumpkin Ale – www.onionbrewery.com - Anyone not familiar with the beer scene in and around Chicago, and probably even many of you who are, has probably never heard of Wild Onion Brewing Co.  They’re located in Barrington, a mere 8 miles from where I currently live in Palatine.  I first heard of them last fall, but haven’t made it there – this beer makes me want to go. Being a little biased against beer in cans (similar to those who are biased against screw tops on wine bottles) I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  It was very light, more like a pumpkin lager, but nice & refreshing with a good flavor.  You’d want to drink this around Labor Day, when it feels like it’s too warm to drinking fall brews  but you still want one (like when it’s not quite time for pumpkin lattes, but coffee houses have put them back on the menu and you just can’t resist), and you want something other than an Oktoberfest. 

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale – www.dogfish.com - as of last fall, this was by far the BEST pumpkin ale I’d ever had.  I tried it on tap somewhere in late October, and was all but heartbroken when I went looking for it but found that it was sold out everywhere.  This year I realized around October 10 that I hadn’t bought any yet, and, after calling just about every Binny’s store in chain, managed to get myself what I believe were the last two four-packs in the greater Chicago area.  I’ve decided that, this is still one of my top three, tying for the #2 spot based on what kind of beer mood I’m in.  I’d describe it as bright and almost tart, with lots of pumpkin flavor.  I also think it should be served at a slightly warmer temperature to bring out the fall-like flavors – don’t drink it the minute you pull it out of the fridge.

Broolyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale – http://brooklynbrewery.com - although I haven’t tried much from this brewery, I have a lot of respect for it.  The Brewmaster there, Garrett Oliver, is the guy who edited the Oxford Companion to Beer.  In any case, I really enjoyed this ale.  I’d describe it was being very well balanced, with a much more subtle pumpkin presence and a fantastic overall flavor.  It also reminded me of bread (reading the description on Brooklyn’s website later on, I found it described as having a “biscuit malt center”).  If you’re not a die hard pumpkin person, but are looking for good fall brew that will pair well with creamy comfort foods, this is it.  If you’re not afraid of carb overload, try it with mac & cheese made with a less sharp cheese – provolone, brie? – or along with some kind of fall bread loaded with cinnamon butter.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale – http://schlafly.com - One word for this ale, by a St. Louis brewery with which I’ve recently become familiar - wow!  This beer was like pumpkin pie in a glass, but with less sugar.  It had a wonderfully rich flavor - lots of cinnamon, loaded with clove, and a little bit of nutmeg to boot.  Really just great stuff, which I think would pair extremely with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.  Next fall I’m going to have Kristin & Jonathan, who live in Carbondale, pick me up a case!

That covers it for my pumpkin beers this year, though I do have one other fall beer I do want to mention.  Though I didn’t get around to trying any new Oktoberfests, I did try a Harvest Ale by Southern Tier.  I must say that this one was great, too.  Though I wasn’t quick enough to write down any of the specific flavors, I do recall that it reminded me very much of baking bread, and that I felt like it was the absolute embodiment of the fall…in a beer.