Fall is my favorite time of year, for many reasons. Football is back. Halloween is lurking around the corner, which means that there’s usually a zombie movie, show, or videogame on my TV. And, of course, you can’t enjoy football and all things zombie without a good pumpkin beer in hand. If I could watch The Walking Dead while watching a football game, playing Dead Rising, and chugging a good pumpkin beer, I would be in heaven. But what makes a good pumpkin beer? Which ones are worth your hard-earned dollars? Lucky for you readers, I spent my September weekends sampling various pumpkin beers and ranked them. Don’t thank me, it was my pleasure. — Pedro Moreno
11. America’s Original Pumpkin Ale – Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, Hayward, CA (5.2%). This beer is awful. It tastes like Miller Lite with some pumpkin syrup poured in. It’s also super-carbonated.
SCORE: 1.0 out of 4
10. Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat – Shock Top Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO (5.2%). I’m not a huge Shock Top fan; I think the regular beer tastes like cheap Blue Moon. Thus, I didn’t really expect to love their Pumpkin Wheat. It pretty much tastes like a cheap Blue Moon, with a bit of orange flavor added. There was no pumpkin to be had.
SCORE: 2.0 out of 4
9. Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale – Blue Moon Brewing Co., Golden, CO (5.7%). Speak of the devil. Blue Moon’s pumpkin is a step up from Shock Top’s, though not significantly so. There is very little pumpkin taste. Otherwise, there is a clean, crisp taste and a hint of spice in the finish.
SCORE: 2.5 out of 4
8. Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale – The Boston Beer Co., Boston, MA (N/A provided). Samuel Adams is one of the first large breweries to get into the pumpkin beer market. I generally enjoy Samuel Adams; therefore, I was somewhat disappointed with their pumpkin beer. It’s not bad. It tastes like regular Samuel Adams with a hint of pumpkin flavor. Starts strong and has a clean finish. Still, I expected more.
SCORE: 2.5 out of 4
7. Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout – Cape Ann Brewing Co., Gloucester, MA (N/A provided). Fisherman’s is the first pumpkin stout that I have tried. It’s pretty good. It has a slightly chocolate taste. Unfortunately, there really isn’t much pumpkin flavor. If you’re looking for a different type of stout, give FIsherman’s a try, but don’t expect much pumpkin.
SCORE: 2.75 out of 4
6. Uinta Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale – Uinta Brewing Co., Salt Lake City, UT (N/A provided). This offering comes all the way from the land of Jazz and Mormons. It has a distinctive fall harvest taste (trust me). The pumpkin flavor was secondary to the fall vibe, which will immediately have you seeing gold and red leaves. Not a great pumpkin beer, but a pretty good fall beer.
SCORE: 3.0 out of 4
5. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale – The Saint Louis Brewing Co., St. Louis, MO (8.0%). Schlafly is a brand I’m not familiar with. Their pumpkin beer is pretty good, though. It has a great dark amber color and is velvety smooth to the palate. The beer is unique; it has a roasted pumpkin taste and smell. It’s almost as much fun to smell it as it is to drink it. Like Dogfish, Schlafly packs a punch.
SCORE: 3.0 out of 4
4. Saranac Pumpkin Ale – Matt Brewing Co., Utica, NY (N/A provided). I also enjoy Saranac’s fall offering. The vanilla taste makes it stand out from other pumpkin beers. There’s also a nice aftertaste and subtle pumpkin spices. Not the best pumpkin beer, but it’s better than most.
SCORE: 3.0 out of 4
3. Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale – Elysian Brewing Co., Seattle, WA and Fort Collins, CO (5.9%). Another brand that I’m not familiar with. Elysian is similar to the Schlafly. It has a roasted pumpkin taste that likely comes from being brewed with pumpkin seeds. When you think of pumpkin ales, you think pumpkin pie. But not the Night Owl – it tastes and smells like a roasted pumpkin. A really delicious roasted pumpkin. I give the slight edge to Elysian due to the larger bottle and the slightly better smell.
SCORE: 3.25 out of 4
2. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale – Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, PA (8.0%). Weyerbacher reminds me of a poor man’s Dogfish Head. That’s not a bad thing; Dogfish Head is the king of pumpkin beers. The Weyerbacher has a hint of pumpkin flavor, but it lacks that sweet pumpkin pie taste. There is a lack of spice at first, but it catches up at the end and has a nice finish.
SCORE: 3.5 out of 4
1. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale – Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE (7.0%). Dogfish Head got me into pumpkin beer a few years ago and has been my favorite ever since. There is a strong pumpkin spice flavor, with distinctive brown sugar and cinnamon flavors. This is a very clean tasting beer and has a great aftertaste. Best of all, the smell of the beer as you draw the glass to your mouth is like a warm pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving.
SCORE: 3.75 out of 4
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