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It's pumpkin season!

Rod

Rod

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Pumpkin season is officially here! What are some of your favorite pumpkin beers? My favorite are Dogfish Head Pumpkin and Shipyard. I plan on trying new varieties this season. Any recommendations?
 
Sipping on a Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin right now. Not a favorite of mine, to be honest. One I highly recommend, while not a true pumpkin ale is Bruery Autumn Maple. It's brewed with yams and spices and is excellent. One of the best I've had though I highly doubt I'll see any around is KRBC's pumpkin ale. Unfortunately they seem to have cut back on their distribution which is a shame because they also brew one of my favorite stouts of all time.

I have a bottle of Avery Rumpkin and Midnight Sun Treat which I've never had before but they are very highly regarded. Also just picked up a bottle of Epic Brewing pumpkin porter. Looking to give that a go pretty soon.
 
If you can find it, the Great'er Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin ale bye Clipper City brewing is fantastic. Hard to find around here but they tend to have it at beer fests and such.
 
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My current favorite pumpkin brew is a super limited local release by Bristol Brewing Co. called Venetucci Pumpkin Ale
 
Just went to the New Mexico Brew Fest yesterday. So many awesome pumpkin brews. Too many to name in fact. Heaven.
 
I enjoy O'fallon pumpkin.

I can't find dogfish pumpkin anywhere, but have it heard it's one of the better ones!
 
For me, it's hard to beat that Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale in that fruity beer category. I stashed away two 4 packs last year to see how they would age...just had one the other day and it was outstanding.

The 'Fruit-to-Beer' ratio seems to hit my taste buds just right...which normally I don't like...fruits & vegetables in my beer that is.

Seems kinda odd...how come, as cigar smokers, we turn our collective noses at flavored cigars but embrace fruity beers? While I love different styles of beers...wheat, brown ales, porters, stouts, etc...I'm not a huge fan of flavored beers. Do we sub-conscientiously associate flavored beers with food?... rather than a flavored liquor?

I guess that's just another one of Life's many mysteries.... :0
 
While it's hard to find a more diehard DFH fan than myself...I have to say that when it comes to the best Pumpkin Ale (IMHO), it's Southern Tier PumKing by a country mile.

Another Pumpkin concoction that I love during this time is year is a Pumpkin Black & Tan. It's a 50/50 pour of Saranac Pumpkin Ale and Saranac Caramel Porter. Fantastic combination that tastes oh so good.
 
This is maybe the one bad thing about beers in Belgium... no pumpkin. I do miss that. The winter and Christmas beers will be coming out soon, though, so that kinda makes up for it. Enjoy your pumpkin ales!
 
I can take it or leave it, but my wife loves the stuff. She just got some Harpoon UFO Pumpkin Ale that I was really good.
 
ironpeddler said:
For me, it's hard to beat that Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale in that fruity beer category. I stashed away two 4 packs last year to see how they would age...just had one the other day and it was outstanding.

The 'Fruit-to-Beer' ratio seems to hit my taste buds just right...which normally I don't like...fruits & vegetables in my beer that is.

Seems kinda odd...how come, as cigar smokers, we turn our collective noses at flavored cigars but embrace fruity beers? While I love different styles of beers...wheat, brown ales, porters, stouts, etc...I'm not a huge fan of flavored beers. Do we sub-conscientiously associate flavored beers with food?... rather than a flavored liquor?

I guess that's just another one of Life's many mysteries.... :0
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I think part of it is the fruit-to-beer ratio like you mentioned. Two of my favorites are the DFH and the Southern Tier, for very different reasons, though. The ST Pumking is very sweet, like a pumpkin pie. And after dinner, I can sit down and split a bomber of it with my wife, and it's not too much. I compare that to a dessert wine. The sweetness in the Pumking is comparable to a flavored cigar.

However, with the DFH, it's much more subtle, which is why I can drink a few of them. I'd say the "pumpkin-ness" of the DFH is much like the cocoa you get from a Padron. It's there, you can taste it, you enjoy it. But Padron isn't infusing their cigars with chocolate, or dipping the wrappers in it. It's just there, not overpowering, but enjoyable.

ETA: All that being said, I think I'm done with pumpkins. The last two years, it's really gotten out of hand. Not only the sheer quantity of offerings, but the fact that so many of them are subpar at best. It also doesn't help that they start taking up shelf space in August. By the time the weather is cool enough to actually drink and enjoy them, I'm not sure I want to even see them. I've got 2 or 3 bombers I've never tried before, including the offering from the Bruery discussed above. I'm actually really looking forward to that.

And on top of it all, my local, Barrier Brewing, will have their SaazSquash on tap soon. Being that's the greatest fall beer of all time, I'm saving all my liver for that.
 
I am huge southern Teir fan for Pumpkin beer... but there is tons fo good ones out there.
 
When I go to Total Wine this week I'll look for some of the above mentioned pumpkin brews.
 
Unfortunately, I can't find their distribution list, and I don't think they go out to the west coast, but if you can find Sixpoint Autumnation, definitely pick some up. Although technically a pumpkin beer, unlike any other pumpkin you've ever had.

http://sixpoint.com/blog/recent/autumnation-2012-arrives/
 
I wish you guys could try Minneapolis Town Hall's pumpkin ale. It's definitely my favorite. My new second favorite is Tyranena's Painted Lady pumpkin and spice ale. That one is more readily available in MN and WI. I don't know if they distribute beyond that. Southern Tier is still great as well. Most of the pumpkins I've tried beyond these three really miss the mark. They're too light in body and generally have more spice than actual pumpkin.

I'll hardly be drinking any pumpkin ales now though, as it is officially fresh hop season. Best time of the year for hopheads.

Sidenote: The pumpkin ales seemed to be released quite early this year.
 
tsmckenney said:
Sidenote: The pumpkin ales seemed to be released quite early this year.
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Season creep. Good write up about it, and how it killed off a Fall beer: http://brewyorknewyork.com/post/29633604643/is-it-pumpkin-season-yet-no
 
tomthirtysix said:
And on top of it all, my local, Barrier Brewing, will have their SaazSquash on tap soon. Being that's the greatest fall beer of all time, I'm saving all my liver for that.
Click to expand...

They actually released it today. Grabbed 2 growlers. Oh man....
 
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