The Great Pumpkin (Beer)

I’m a big fan of pumpkin pie.  I’m also a fan of craft beers.  What could be better than to blend the two into one, resulting in pumpkin beer?  To be honest, I still prefer pumpkin pie to pumpkin beer.  Even the best pumpkin beer falls short of a nice slab of pumpkin pie with some whipped cream on top.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve made it a point to try every pumpkin beer I can find.  I want to know which pumpkin beer gets me as close to that imaginary blend of good craft beer and pumpkin pie.  Below, I’m ranking 32 contenders for the crown of “best pumpkin beer” in order from best to worst.  I consider numbers 1-5 a tie for first place.  I'll need to do a "taste-off" to see which one I think is really the "best of the best".

1. Heavy Seas The Great'er Pumpkin (9/10):  The aroma is strong with pumpkin and spice.  The flavor starts with a nicely balanced mix of pumpkin, spices, malt, and hops.  The barrel aging adds a nice oaky element.  
2. Southern Tier Pumking (8/10):  This is hard to beat.  You have crust elements in the flavor and aroma.  You can pick out pumpkin and spice in both aroma and flavor.  If it was a touch sweeter it would be fantastic.
3. Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale (8/10):  Aroma is malty with hints of ginger, cinnamon, and other spices.  Flavor starts with malt, pumpkin, and ginger.  Hops bitterness is detectable but minimal.
4. Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin Ale (8/10):  The aroma is malt and caramel primarily, with a definite alcohol note.  The flavor is well balanced.  Pumpkin, malt, and other elements are all present and blend well.  One of the better pumpkin beers.
5. Rivertown Headless Wylie's Spiced Pumpkin Ale (8/10):  The aroma is rich, with cinnamon, pumpkin, and pie crust elements.  The flavor starts sweet and malty, then creamy, with pumpkin, spice, and mild bitterness.  Reminds me of Southern Tier Pumking.
6. Uinta Punk'n Harvest Ale (8/10):  The aroma is malty and pumpkiny.  The flavor is more beer than pumpkin and spice.  Finish is slightly dry and bitter. Despite this, it's a smooth, creamy, and very drinkable beer.
7. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (8/10):  The aroma is spicy and leans toward cloves.  The flavor is a nice mix of pumpkin and spice with minimal hops presence.
8. Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin (8/10):  Aroma is malty and spicy.  Flavor starts sweet and malty with a creamy element.  After this, clove, cinnamon, and pumpkin come through.
9. Elysian and 21st Amendment He Said Pumpkin Tripel (7/10):  Aroma combines clove, pumpkin, and malt.  Flavor is an interesting combination of Tripel style spice and sweetness with pumpkin and spice.  Some alcohol warmth.
10. Sideswipe Pumpkin Butternut Squash (7/10):  Aroma is of squash and spice.  Flavor is similar to the aroma, starting with malt and squash. This gives way to spices.  Finish is mildly bitter, malty, and squashy.
11. The Brew Kettle Strangeville Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  Aroma is spicy.  Flavor is primarily malty with pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon in the background.  Finish is bitter.
12. Uinta Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  The aroma is great.  You get vanilla, spice, and pumpkin.  The flavor is leaning toward bitter. The oak element comes through.  The vanilla, pumpkin, and spice are much less pronounced.  Great as an oaked beer, not as great as a pumpkin beer.
13. Cellar Dweller Pumpken (7/10):  Aroma is full of pumpkin and spice.  Flavor tends toward spice, predominantly cinnamon and nutmeg.  Finish is bitter and lingering.
14. Rivertown Pumkin's Spiced Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  The aroma is of pumpkin, spice, and maybe ginger.  The flavor starts rich and malty, then gives way to the pumpkin and spice.  Finish is a mix of pumpkin, spice, cinnamon, and ginger.
15. BJ's Brewhouse Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  The aroma is very strongly pumpkin and only very slightly spicy.  The flavor starts with a kind of sourness, but gives way to creaminess and malt with a spice backdrop.  Easier to drink than some of the others below it on the list.
16. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (7/10):  The flavor hints at pumpkin and you can detect a bit of spice in it, but it's a very subtle beer overall.  It might be easy to mistake for an Octoberfest or other beer that isn't pumpkin based.
17. Ithaca Country Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  The aroma is malty and spicy. The flavor seems balanced toward ginger, with pumpkin coming after that, and spices in the background.  Easy to drink.
18. Elevator Peacelock Pumpkin Stout (7/10):  The aroma is of pumpkin pie and coffee.  Flavor is primarily coffee and stout, with some pumpkin in the finish.  Less hoppy than many Elevator beers.
19. Southern Tier Warlock Pumpkin Porter (7/10):  The flavor starts bitter and smoky.  This gives way to dark roasted malt, pumpkin, and spice.  The finish is hoppy and bitter.
20. Anderson Valley Pinchy Jeek Barl (7/10):  Aroma is buttery, oaky, and bourbony.  The flavor is all that, plus a little pumpkin.  It's definitely a sipping beer.  It took me a very long time to finish the bottle.
21. New Belgium Pumpkick (7/10):  The aroma is definitely pumpkin with cranberry, cinnamon, ad nutmeg behind that.  The flavor is very tart, with cranberries, nutmeg, and lemongrass dominating.  It's not really what I look for in a pumpkin beer but not bad.
22. Jackie O's Barking Pumpkin Ale (7/10):  Aroma is spicy.  Flavor is balanced but leans toward sweet.  The spices are subtle, but present.  Finish is slightly bitter.
23. Epic Imperial Pumpkin Porter (7/10):  The aroma is very malty, covering up any pumpkin or spice.  Flavor is malty and bitter.  Pumpkin and spice take a back seat to porter here.
24. New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin Ale (6/10):  The aroma is good.  The label is great.  The flavor tends toward malt and nutmeg, and finishes bitter.  I like it, but don't love it.
25. Wolaver Organic Pumpkin Ale (6/10):  There is a good spice level and the pumpkin is readily discernable.  Finish is mildly bitter and dry.
26. Anderson Valley Fall Hornin' (6/10):  The aroma is cinnamon and pumpkin.  The flavor starts malty with some bitterness and pumpkin.  The finish is bitter and lingering.
27. Dayton Beer Company Pumpkin Party Ale (6/10):  The aroma reminds me of a lightly spiced pumpkin pie.  The flavor opens on the hoppy side, but this gives way to cinnamon and spice.  The hops at the start and end detract from the overall experience for me.
28. Saranac Pumpkin Ale (6/10):  Aroma of sour pumpkin and grain.  Flavor is mostly barley with a little pumpkin funk and ginger, with a slight hint of spice.  The malt overwhelms most of the other flavors.
29. Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale (5/10):  This has a good pumpkin and spice aroma.  The flavor starts out good but there's a kind of sour pumpkin funk to it that ruins it for me.
30. O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale (4/10):  The aroma's a mix of vanilla, pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Flavor is not unpleasant but borders on it.  There's a kind of creamy sour pumpkin funk followed by malt and toasted grain.  Maybe I had a bad bottle, but I don't like it.
31. Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale (4/10):  The aroma is great.  There's a lot of spice and pumpkin.  The flavor, unfortunately, is like a lot of other Brooklyn beers.  It's "all about the hops" and less about anything else.  If it wasn't for the aroma, it would be easy to mistake this for a non-pumpkin beer.
32. Smuttynose Pumpkin (3/10):  Hops is the dominant flavor here.  Pumpkin and spice take a back seat, or maybe they're in a different vehicle altogether.  This one is heavily balanced in flavor and aroma toward hops.  Not what I look for in a pumpkin beer.

Rank	Image	Description
1		Southern Tier PumkingAroma:  Wow!  I want to take out a fork and start eating this.  You get crust, creamy pumpkin, and spice here in spades.  Absolutely delicious. Taste:  Not as good as the aroma, but still quite good.  Pumpkin and spice up front where they should be, with beer and hops in the back seat. Overall Experience:  Pretty darned close to the mental image of a slab of pumpkin pie and a nice cold beer.
2		Sam Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin AleAroma:  Malty and caramel, with a strong alcohol note to it. Taste:  Well balanced.  Pumpkin, malt, and other flavor elements are all present and none really overwhelms the rest.  The pumpkin lends a creamy thickness to the beer that works well.  Finish is a little dry but nice. Overall Experience:  It’s not the pumpkin pie experience I’d like it to be, but it’s a good mix of beer and pumpkin pie elements.  For an “almost macro brew” it’s pretty darned impressive.
3		BJ’s Brewhouse Pumpkin AleAroma:  Definite pumpkin here.  A little bit of spice. Taste:  Starts with a bit of molasses-like sourness, followed by some pumpkin creaminess and malt.  Spices hang out in another room but are present. Overall Experience:  Not quite that pumpkin pie experience, but there are elements of it here.  Pumpkin takes center stage, with beer right behind it.
4		Uinta Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin AleAroma:  Malty with a strong hint of pumpkin, but no spice that I can detect. Taste:  More like a good craft beer than a slice of pie.  I get some ginger and pumpkin, but that’s about it.  Finish is dry and bitter. Overall Experience:  Very little of the holiday experience here.  Still, it’s a good beer and pleasant to drink.
5		Jackie O’s Barking Pumpkin AleAroma:  Spice takes the front seat, with pumpkin behind it. Taste:  The brewers use a lot of malt in this, so it tends toward the sweeter side, which I like.  Overall, it’s well-balanced.  The spices are too subtle in the flavor, and the finish is slightly bitter. Overall Experience:  Based on the aroma, I want to like this more than I do.  Still, it’s a solid pumpkin beer and certainly one of the better ones in this lineup.  This is the highest ranking Ohio pumpkin beer in the list.
6		Ithaca Country Pumpkin Ale Aroma:  Spicy and malty with a ginger note.  Not a pumpkin pie, but evocative of the season.Taste:  Ginger seems to be a dominant part of the flavor, with pumpkin “funkiness” behind it.  A kind of molasses or brown sugar sourness goes with it. Overall Experience:  It’s a pleasant beer but not really what I look for in a pumpkin beer.  I’d like to see something a bit more creamy, sweet, and spicy.
7		Southern Tier WarlockAroma:  It’s kind of a cross between pumpkin pie, chocolate, and dark malt. Taste:  Begins bitter and smoky.  This gives way to pumpkin, malt, and spice.  The finish is definitely hoppy and bitter, reminding you that this is definitely a beer. Overall Experience:  While not entirely unpleasant, it’s not quite what I look for in a pumpkin beer.
8		Dayton Beer Company Pumpkin Party AleAroma:  Reminds me of a lightly spiced pumpkin pie. Taste:  Opens on the hoppy side, which reminds me that it’s a beer.  This gives way to cinnamon and allspice.  The aftertaste is bitter. Overall Experience:  This has the aroma I’m looking for, but doesn’t make it on the flavor side.
9		Epic Imperial Pumpkin Porter Aroma:  It’s malty, and the malt nearly covers up the pumpkin and spices.Taste:  The flavor is primarily malty, with a bitterness that seems to be from the grain rather than the malt.  Pumpkin and spice are way in the background. Overall Experience:  Not a bad beer, but not what I’m thinking of for this situation.
10		Dogfish Head Punkin AleAroma:  Malty with maybe a hint of hops.  No hint that pumpkin or spice is in it. Taste:  Matches up with the aroma.  It’s a good enough beer, but could easily be mistaken for an Oktoberfest or harvest ale rather than a pumpkin beer. Overall Experience:  It’s OK but not what I’m looking for.
11		Saranac Pumpkin AleAroma:  Sour pumpkin and toasted grain dominate. Taste:  Starts with smoked barley, followed by pumpkin funk and barely-detectable spice.  The roasted malts aren’t bad but not what I expect from pumpkin beer. Overall Experience:  A decent beer, just not a good “pumpkin beer”.
12		New Holland Ichabod Pumpkin AleAroma:  Pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg dominate, as I’d expect. Taste:  Starts with malt and nutmeg, then gives way to pumpkin creaminess.  Ends mildly bitter.  Hops bitterness kills the overall effect. Overall Experience:  The coolest label of all the pumpkin beers.  Not the best tasting by far.
13		Shipyard Pumpkin AleAroma:  Pumpkin, ginger, and cinnamon dominate the aroma. Taste:  Starts with ginger, cinnamon, and pumpkin.  I get some nutmeg along with it.  The finish is bitter and sour, which I don’t care for. Overall Experience:  It’s a lot of what I’m looking for, but unfortunately also a lot of what I don’t want in a beer.
14		O’Fallon Pumpkin BeerAroma:  This is a mix of raw pumpkin and vanilla, with some cinnamon and nutmeg.  Not a bad start. Taste:  Funky and sour at the start, ending with a malty, toasted grain flavor. Overall Experience:  Maybe it was a bad bottle, but it struck me as just unpleasant and nothing like a pumpkin pie experience.  It was really sour overall.
15		Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin AleAroma:  Very nice with lots of pumpkin and spice in it. Taste:  Hops, hops, and more hops.  If there’s pumpkin and spice in here, I can’t find it for the hops. Overall Experience:  Not what I want from a beer, pumpkin or otherwise.
16		Smuttynose Pumpkin AleAroma:  Hops, with maybe some pumpkin and spice in the background. Taste:  Not as bitter as some pale ales, but much more than I’m looking for in a pumpkin ale.  The hops bitterness overwhelms the pumpkin and spice that might exist somewhere in this beer. Overall Experience:  Not what I want from a beer, period.

Timmermans Pumpkin Lambicus (7/10)

Timmermans is apparently the world's oldest lambic brewery, which makes this possibly the most authentic of the lambic beers you might try. Timmermans is located in Itterbeek, Belgium, and is one of the official Belgian Family Brewers.  When I found this beer on special at Kenny Road Market, I had to pick up a bottle to try.  I'm a big fan of Belgian beers in general, and am just starting to appreciate the lambic style.

Pumpkin Lambicus pours a very bright and clear amber color with no head and minimal carbonation.  You'll think something's wrong with it when you first pour it, if you're used to the typically very carbonated Belgian beer styles.  There is no head, and no lacing.  Very few bubbles rise up through it, even if you pour it very hard.

The aroma betrays the pumpkin in the beer, mixed with a hint of the typical lambic sourness.

The flavor is surprisingly far less sour than you might expect for a lambic.  It's more like a white wine than a lambic beer.  It starts with a very mild sourness (a Jolly Rancher sour apple candy is a LOT more sour than this).  This is followed by a mild pumpkin flavor (not pumpkin spice) and a mild malt element.  Hops, if present, is definitely taking a back seat here.  This is not a brew for IPA fans.  Finish is very mildly bitter.

Beer Advocate gives Timmermans Pumpkin Lambicus an 82 out of 100 or "good" rating.  Rate Beer gives it an 80 out of 100 overall.  I have a bit of a hard time rating it.  Compared with other lambics I've had, I'd definitely give this an 8 out of 10 - possibly a 9.  Compared with other beers that I've rated 8 out of 10, I don't like it quite as much.  I don't do "half" ratings (like 7.5), so I guess that's my answer... it's a 7 out of 10 for me.  I like it, and I like more than most lambics, but there are other beers I'd prefer to drink.  If you're looking for a good introduction to the lambic style without intense sourness, this may be what you want.

As noted earlier, I purchased this beer at Kenny Road Market earlier in the year.  You may still find it there, or you may need to look around.

Bornem Double/Dubbel (8/10)

Bornem Double is produced by the Brouwerij Van Steenberge, which is also responsible for Gulden Draak, Piraat, and other fine Belgian Ales.  The brewery's web site says "Soft as velvet, this double with warm dark brown color and burgundy undertones has a fruity taste and hoppy aftertaste.  Its creamy, rich and firm foam head crowns it."  It is initially fermented in a barrel, and refermented in the bottle.  The brewery also suggests that you can age it for many years like a fine wine.

This is true Belgian Dubbel style ale.  The BJCP guidelines for the style say that the aroma should be complex, rich, malty, and sweet.  Moderate fruit esters, usually raisins and plums are present.  Spicy phenols and alcohols are common.  Appearance is usually dark amber to copper in color, with a reddish hue.  The head is generally large, dense, and creamy.  Flavor is similar to aroma, with complex malt sweetness and a moderately dry finish.  Raisin flavors are common, and dried fruit flavors are acceptable.  The balance is toward malt, not hops.

Bornem Double pours a dark brown with a touch of mahogany to it.  The head is easily two fingers thick and beige in color.  It tends to last a while, too.

The aroma is sweet, with strong dark fruit notes like prune, plum, and raisin.

The flavor is malty, sweet, and very mildly spicy.  Dark fruit flavors like raisin and prune are definitely present, in pleasing amounts.  It's hard to argue with the brewery's claim of it being a velvety smooth beer.  I'd be pleased to sit and sip one of these anytime.

Rate Beer gives Bornem Double a 76 overall.  Beer Advocate gives it an 84 or "good" rating.  My own rating of 8 out of 10 is in line with these.

If you're looking for this locally, The Andersons General Store is a good starting point, as that's where I bought the bottle reviewed here.  You can also check BeerMenus.com to see where they've got it on record.

Avery Salvation Belgian Golden Ale (7/10)

Avery Brewing Co. of Boulder, Colorado, produces Salvation.  Salvation is described as a Belgian Golden Ale and the third in Avery's "Holy Trinity of Ales" series of beers which includes The Reverend (a personal favorite).  Avery says that "luscious apricot and peach aromas are delicately interwoven with spicy suggestions of nutmeg and cinnamon in this soft, champagne-like elixir."

Salvation pours a slightly cloudy orange-tinged gold with a thin white head.

The aroma is sweet, and definitely invokes the peach and apricot aromas Avery was going for.

The flavor starts with a strong warming note, hinting at the beer's 9% alcohol content.  This warming note is soon followed by caramel malt, and ending with a citrusy bitterness at the end.  The bitterness is mild.

Beer Advocate gives Avery Salvation an 86 or "very good" rating.  Rate Beer gives it a 94 overall.  I enjoyed it, but not quite as much as they did.  I'm giving it a 7 out of 10.

To see where Avery Salvation might be available nearby, visit this link to BeerMenus.com.

Actual Brewing Ingenuity Lemongrass Saison (7/10)

Columbus' own Actual Brewing makes Ingenuity, a Saison ale brewed with lemongrass.  They say it "tastes like lemonbears, summer nights and big ideas" and that you'll "probably need to quit your day job and build that thing you've been dreaming about" when you drink it.

Ingenuity pours a slightly cloudy amber color with white head that doesn't last long.

The aroma is mildly hoppy and bitter.  I can't pick out the lemongrass or malt in this one.

The flavor begins malty and sweet, then turns a bit bitter and fruity.  All in all, it's a nice beer but not one of my favorites.  It definitely didn't inspire me to quit my day job.

There aren't many reviews on Beer Advocate for Ingenuity at this time.  What's there works out to about 3.9 out of 5 or just under 8 out of 10.  Rate Beer has few reviews also, but those which are recorded work out to an average in the 6.9 out of 10 range.  These are in line with my rating of 7 out of 10.

Ingenuity is available at a number of places around town, including the brewery's taproom.  This link to BeerMenus.com will help you find somewhere you can try it.

Abita Andygator Helles Doppelbock (8/10)

Having just given a less-than-stellar review to an Abita product last Friday, I decided to share another review about one of their beers I do like, their Andygator Helles Doppelbock.

The Abita web site describes Andygator as having a slightly sweet flavor and subtle fruit aroma with a dry finish.  It's rated at 8% alcohol by volume, 25 IBUs of bitterness, and a color of 8 SRM.

The aroma is definitely malty.  I don't get the fruit they're talking about, but there's a definite sweetness in the aroma.

The flavor starts mildly hoppy, but quickly turns malty and sweet.  I get hints of roasted malt, and some bready or grainy elements.  The mouthfeel is slightly watery to me.  A very easy to drink beer.

Beer Advocate rates Andygator 81 or good.  Rate Beer apparently really disliked it, giving it only 36 overall, although the weighted average of reviews is more like 6 out of 10.  I'm rating it an 8 out of 10.  I'm pretty fond of malt-forward styles, and this is definitely that.

If you're looking to find Andygator, this link to BeerMenus.com should help you find where it might be locally.  I happened to try it at The Winking Lizard on Bethel Road some time before their remodel in 2015.