2009 FALL BEER REVIEW

With the style's surging popularity in recent years, it seems almost every micro is now trying their hand at a pumpkin ale. Unlike other "fruit/vegetable" beers, pumpkin beers aren't as much of a gimmick, as the style was common in Colonial times (other beer ingredients, which had to be shipped to the colonies, were more expensive than native pumpkins). Many American breweries often treat "fruit" beers as a trick to entice non-beer-drinkers, and the results rarely hold up. This is still the case with many pumpkin beers, but there are those brave few prepared to craft this fine style as it deserves, demonstrating yet again why beer is the only drink befitting a Civilized Man.

Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale - Coors Brewing Co. (CO)
Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale - Anheuser-Busch (MO)
VERDICT: No
Danger, Will Robinson!

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale - Smuttynose Brewing Company (NH)
Post Road Pumpkin Ale - Brooklyn Brewery (NY)
Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co. (ME)
Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale - Buffalo Bill's Brewery (CA)
VERDICT: Meh; meh; meh; meh
All bland, generic ales with some vaguely autumnal spices thrown in. These are otherwise great breweries, and I'm really disappointed how little effort they seemed to put into these seasonal beers.  I do not believe any use actual pumpkin in the brewing process, so they're kind of gimmicks, but yet they're some of the most common found in grocery stores during autumn.  Too bitter or too watery, too bland, barely any pumpkin taste. There are worse beers out there, and these remain (mostly) drinkable, but they give the concept of pumpkin beer a bad face for the general public.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale - The Matt Brewing Company (NY)
VERDICT: Drinkable
Saranac usually makes very fine beers, in my experience — not daring, unique or mindblowing, but consistent, reliable and drinkable. Saranac Pumpkin is unsurprisingly the best of the commonly available six pack pumpkins, and cheap too. The pumpkin taste comes in clear here, and right up-front. There are slight bitter notes, but nothing odd, and the aftertaste is of a pleasant, smooth vanilla that remains until the taste is gone altogether. You can savor this beer or guzzle it, and it works either way. Granted, the pumpkin flavor is never strong, and as it's upfront, it's not wholly memorable or lingering. As the beer sits and you reach the bottom of the bottle, the vanilla becomes far more prominent, all but drowning out the spices. Still, given its price and taste, this is one of the best session pumpkin beers.

Pumpkin Ale - Captain Lawrence (NY)
VERDICT: Good
The Cap'n's pumpkin attempt isn't really the most anything, but it's a bit smoother and richer than the Saranac, and holds its flavor well throughout. The pumpkin taste is never strong, and though you get a bit of that usual bitter-spiciness up front, the overall mouthfeel is very sweet without any exact source that stands out — for good or bad. The taste levels quickly, and the smoothness of this ale means quite a lot of it can go down quickly. Still, for a brewery like this, and a beer that's not even available in bottles, I would have expected and enjoyed a much stronger, bolder flavor.

Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale - Wolaver's / Otter Creek Brewing (VT)
VERDICT: Decent
Similar to the Captain Lawrence entry, this exuberantly-titled pumpkin is actually fairly plain. A smooth, medium-body ale, this one isn't too spicy, and the pumpkin flavor was subtle but enjoyable. There's also a pleasant lack of bitterness, and the flavoring and mouthfeel are consistent, so it has that going for it. Nothing remarkable, but not bad, so I won't argue with another pumpkin beer to choose from.

Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout - Cape Ann Brewing Company (MA)
VERDICT: Good, though surprisingly unremarkable
Well, this is different. A pumpkin stout. It looks like a stout, certainly the darkest I've seen any pumpkin beer. It mostly tastes like a stout, too, but I wasn't expecting the most pumpkiny thing since the Charlie Brown Halloween Special, either. The pumpkin surges through the mouth as a sort of overtone, never really feeling present but nonetheless adding a tasty character to the beer. Well balanced. This is fairly creamy and smooth as stouts go, definitely an easy-drinker. You miss out on the spicy-sweet flavors that make other good pumpkin beers appealing, but the combo of slightly-bitter pumpkin flavoring and a rich stout mouthfeel go surprisingly well together. The aftertaste is almost sweet. I wouldn't say this is notable as a pumpkin beer, and probably wouldn't appeal to stout-snobs, but for a fan of both styles with an open mind, this is actually a quite solid entry.

Punkin' Ale - Dogfish Head (DE)
VERDICT: Slightly misleading, but good
Dogfish Head is reliable as always, though with so much competition in this area, not as innovate as with their other offerings. Their Punkin Ale is a rich brown ale, somewhat darker and richer than many other pumpkins. Instead of strong spices or strong pumpkin flavor, they've gone with more of a caramelized brown sugary taste and heavy malts. The pumpkin comes in, but thoroughly blended with all the other flavors, which are hard to tell apart. Very drinkable, and the flavors never become unpleasant, despite the richness.

Night Owl Pumpkin - Elysian Brewing Company (WA)
VERDICT: Debatable
I would wager that few micros have created so many varieties of pumpkin beer as Elysian — a holyshit six, maybe more. Night Owl is a solid entry, though still reliant on spices more than pumpkin, which hits mostly in the aftertaste. The wallop of spices isn't unpleasant, but overall I am reminded of poorly-baked pumpkin bread rather than well-spiced pumpkin pie. I would recommend this on taste, but given the price and quantity (8 dollars for a 22 ounce bottle) there are almost certainly going to be better options.

The Great Pumpkin - Elysian Brewing Company (WA)
VERDICT: Perfect
Now we're getting to what pumpkin beer should be. This would rank in my Top 10 of beers alone, and is the second best pumpkin beer I've had — possibly tied for first depending on my mood. I had this at Blind Tiger in the West Village, so I can't vouch for availability in bottles, but its 7 dollar per-glass price point conveniently discouraged me from sitting there and literally bathing myself in this holy nectar all night, as I otherwise would have done. The pumpkin taste here is strong, finally resembling a thick creamy slice of pumpkin pie, but what made this notable for me is the even leveling of the spices, which never became overwhelming and fade nicely in the aftertaste. This is an incredibly consistent beer. The mouthfeel is neither thin nor overly rich, which makes it go down all-the-more easily. Even at 8% ABV, this beer is dangerously drinkable, and puts Elysian on my list of breweries to keep track of. Delicious.

Pumking Ale - Southern Tier Brewing Company (NY)
VERDICT: Perfect
I really can't say a lot about this beer, it's just... good.  I mean: amazing.  9% ABV that you'll never notice. Insane pumpkin-pie mouthfeel. Thick and rewarding but not syrupy, satisfying from initial onset to the last note, never once timid. Pleasant, lingering aftertaste. What sets this apart from The Great Pumpkin is the complex, shifting pallet of flavors — enough to keep you guessing until the 22 ounce bottle is gone, whereas the former retains a very consistent flavor from beginning to end, top to bottom. This is a daring, adventurous beer, and highly rewarding. When you open Pumking, choirs of angels surge forth from the heavens. Scantily clad women throw themselves upon you because of your remarkable good taste. Probably, at this moment, my all-time favorite beer.  So please don't drink it.  It's only available for about a month of the year, and I want it all.