Can Pumpkin Beer Be Serious Beer?
We tried seven pumpkin beers. And the real discovery? How much better they tasted with food.
[Photographs: Maggie Hoffman]
Before this week, I'd never acquired a pumpkin ale on purpose. I knew some people liked them. And I love the idea of fresh beer crafted specially for the season. Sure, make a beer to celebrate autumn—the scent of crisp leaves, the arrival of brisk breezes—but isn't that what Oktoberfest's märzenbier is for? Surely jack-o-lantern flavored, cinnamon-perfumed beer isn't serious beer.
I stand (somewhat) corrected.
After tasting seven pumpkin brews, I must say a few of them are pretty tasty. Some really are beers with good balance and a hint of squash flavor. Some brewers add shredded raw or roasted pumpkin to the mash along with roasted pumpkin seeds, while others add pumpkin puree (or pumpkin flavor extract—yes, we disapprove) later in the process. Skillful brewmasters manage to introduce a hint of spice, adding nutmeg, cinnamon, and even a sprinkling of brown sugar, without turning their beers into liquid dessert. Others, I'm sorry to say, cross that line. It could be what you're looking for, but I'll stick with pie.
The real surprise here was discovering how perfectly a pumpkin beer can pair with food. Straight from the bottle, some pumpkin ales might seem a little too sweet, a little too vanilla-scented. But the right pumpkin beer turned out to be an amazing match with my latest batch of this spin on Cincinnati-style chili.
The chili is spiked with chipotles, cumin, coriander, and a few ingredients that might surprise you: cloves, allspice, cinnamon, and a shaving of unsweetened chocolate. With each sip, the pumpkin beer accented those flavors: the aromatics in the beer resonated with similar spices in the chili. Not all beer styles could stand up to this dish and really complement it, but the pumpkin, clove, and malty notes in the full-bodied ale deepened the chili's flavors instead of covering them up or just erasing them from our mouths.
Serious Beer Ratings
***** Our new favorite
**** Awesome, worth remembering
*** We'd consider buying this again
** There are probably better options
* No, thanks, I'll have water.
Ratings are subject to personal taste.
Chili's Perfect Partner
Elysian Brewing Night Owl Pumpkin Ale (Washington, USA) 5.8% ABV
The scent of pumpkin and cloves struck us before we even took a sip of this Seattle brew. When unaccompanied, we found it a little too sweet, and vanilla slightly overpowered the other flavors. When paired with food, though, the toasted malt and pumpkin notes came through. This full-bodied beer has a prominent brown sugar and nutmeg flavor that's balanced with hoppy brightness. If you're looking for a once-a-year true beer-full-of-pumpkin experience, find yourself one of these. Just be sure to bring the chili and the sharp cheddar.
**** when paired with food
*** when unaccompanied
Delicious Straight from the Bottle
Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale (Vermont, USA) 5.35% ABV
This organic pumpkin ale tastes more like beer than pumpkin. It's well-balanced and not too sweet with a hoppy crispness. A cinnamon and nutmeg flavor lingers, but this is a refreshing beer with light to medium body.
***1/2
Sippable
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (New Hampshire, USA) 5.1% ABV
This medium-bodied beer had a hazy appearance. The malt and hop flavors aren't overpowered by pumpkin or spice—in fact, you had to look for the subtle pumpkin flavor. Some tasters enjoyed the citrusy hops in this beer, while others found it too bitter.
***
Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale (Delaware, USA) 7% ABV
This beer veers slightly into sweeter territory, with a hint of pumpkin on top of caramel malt flavors. Allspice and cinnamon add to the pie-like taste, but this is pretty well balanced. You probably wouldn't drink many of these in a row, but this warming ale was appealing to some of our tasters.
***
Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout (Massachusetts, USA) 7% ABV
This was the only pumpkin stout we tasted, and while we liked it, we were not convinced that stout is the best beer style to carry pumpkin flavor. If you handed someone this beer in a glass, they might not suspect it had any pumpkin at all. That said, it was a nice beer for fall, with coffee flavors and a touch of vanilla. Crisp hops and lively carbonation balance out the nutmeg and cloves.
**1/2
Don't Trade Your Caramellos for These
Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale (Maine, USA) 4.5% ABV
This beer was the lightest in color of any we tried, perhaps due to the inclusion of wheat. It had a prominent honey flavor and scent, and the sweetness caused some tasters to compare it to apple cider. This was slightly less complex than others we tried.
**
Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale (New York, USA) 9% ABV
Don't be fooled by the cream soda taste of this one—this smooth, vanilla-scented ale is potent! While some tasters praised its "pie in a glass" flavor, most found it too syrupy sweet. This is probably worth trying on draft, but we recommend skipping the bottled stuff.
*1/2
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27 Comments:
I love pumpkin beer! Propellor Brewery in Halifax, Nova Scotia makes a great Pumpkin Ale each year at this season. It's 5% and sounds closest to Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale, still tastes like beer but has a delicious hint of pumpkiny-spice. Definetly worth picking up if your in the area!
Patwcampbell at 4:56PM on 10/08/09
One of the reasons I love fall is b/c of Pumpkin beer! I tried the Kennebunkport Pumpkin Ale from Trader Joe's last weekend and it was pretty tasty. Not overwhelmingly pumpkin but not too much to make you think you are having liquid pumpkin pie.
earinjury at 5:13PM on 10/08/09
i agree completely on the southern tier pumpkin - too EXTREME! of a beer for my taste - and i thought their creme brulee beer was sweet! they do however, make an amazing chocolate beer that tastes just like chocolate.
fisherman's pumpkin stout is one of my favorites - not too pumpkin-y. i think it's the only pumpkin stout out there (?).
ithaca brewing also makes a nice pumpkin beer but i'm not sure if it's sold in bottles.
j at 5:30PM on 10/08/09
I too love pumpkin beer. My favorite bar has Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale and I always order it for my "dessert" they rim it in brown sugar and it makes it AMAZING! Even with the brown sugar it isn't too sweet and it's a great way to end the night.
mttkauffman at 5:32PM on 10/08/09
I can't handle the pumpkin beer-- my gf can attest that a tall boy of Pumpking and a bowl and a half of momofuku noodle did NOT go down well!
burgerblogger at 5:33PM on 10/08/09
okay, just skipped the entire article after reading this line:
"without turning their beers into liquid dessert. Others, I'm sorry to say, cross that line. It could be what you're looking for, but I'll stick with pie."
the culprit? I'm guessing the southern tier pumpking, which i happen to love more than any other pumpkin beer, exactly because it is is sweet, strong, and tastes of pie. Let's see if i'm right....
mr guy at 5:38PM on 10/08/09
yup, i was right, pumpking. to each his own i guess. i find most pumpkin ales have the same problem as blueberry ales. It's pumpkin/blueberry flavor + beer flavor, but they're not really integrated. pumpking though, really melds the flavors well with the spices and sweetness toning down the bitter edge of the beer and enhancing the pumpkin's profile to the point where they balance nicely.
And yeah, it's 9 or 10% abv, but that just means you don't guzzle it like you would bud light at happy hour; instead enjoy it more as an aperitif where its sweetness and strength are appropriate.
mr guy at 5:47PM on 10/08/09
I really love the Dogfish Punkin Ale. It's a great after-dinner beer, or nice snack-like sippin' beer. Not too sweet.
I'm bias though. I love Dogfish Head so very much (60 minute IPA! Aprihop! Black & Blue!)
bitchincamero at 6:12PM on 10/08/09
Great article. Pumpkin beers are one of the big consolation prizes of the fact that winter's on its way.
Hmm, pumpkin beers must be pretty heavily regional: dogfish head is the only one of these I've tried, but I have tried the eight or so other varieties you can find in the Chicago area. The two that are really great are O' Fallon and Buffalo Bill--the pumpkin flavor in each is nice and strong, rather than tasting mostly like beer...
skizziks at 6:16PM on 10/08/09
Canadians will want to try the pumpkin ale from Great Lakes Brewery.
CanadianFoodieGirl at 6:20PM on 10/08/09
I'm a sketic, but I may give one a try this weekend.
dmcavanagh at 6:29PM on 10/08/09
I thought the Pumking was really tasty.. It certainly isnt a beer you can drink all night to get drunk off of, but it awesomely intense. Certainly it is a bit sweet, but intends to be - pumpkin pie in a bottle as you said.
brads at 6:33PM on 10/08/09
As a homebrewer who has experimented with pumpkin flesh, and simply as one who has tasted lots of beer, I have never been able to detect a flavor that I could identify as even a "hint of squash flavor" that Maggie refers to. In my experience, if pumpkin is added to what is otherwise a generic beer recipe, the pumpkin flavor pretty much gets lost in the mash. The only way most people can identify a beer as having pumpkin in it is if it also includes the spices that people identify with pumpkin pie. Absent the spices, if there is enough pumpkin in the mash that it contributes a perceptible flavor, most people are going to find that flavor to be objectionable. Do we really want squash flavored beer?
I recently saw a craft brewery boast that their beer had a whole "one pound of pumpkin per barrel!" I think they were playfully messing with the general public's lack of understanding. A mere one pound of just about any starchy matter (or "adjunct" in brewspeak) in 31-1/2 gallons is hardly going to add a perceptible flavor.
Lorenzo at 6:40PM on 10/08/09
ive tried a dozen or so pumpkin beers and some were better than others. my favorite being Screamin' Pumpkin Spiced Ale from Michigan Brewing Co. its spicy but smooth and sweet but balanced... very delicious on a fall night
hungrygrl7 at 9:20PM on 10/08/09
whoa, southern tier pumpking is incredible...
emmonsj at 10:14PM on 10/08/09
I'm sorry, but I love Shipyard Pumpkinhead and I'm not afraid to say it!
Smuttynose & Dogfish are very good, but I recommend Pugsleys Smashed Pumpkin, which is done on Shipyard's craft side - much more complex, not as sweet.
trebuchet at 9:10AM on 10/09/09
I just tried Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale the other day. Fairly tasty, and better than most pumpkin ales I've tried, but I still wasn't in love with it.
Probably the best I've had is from the Salem Brewing Company in Salem, Mass. Stellar pumpkin ale, I can't wait til I find myself in that area in the fall again...
toad3000 at 9:40AM on 10/09/09
My favorite pumpkin-flavored beer is the Saranac Pumpkin Ale from Matt Brewing Company in Utica, NY. It has a lot of pumpkin pie spices, but it is a full-bodied ale with a distinctive hops flavor that is not overpowering. It goes well with quality Mexican food.
LaurenK at 9:40AM on 10/09/09
I recommend checking out Post Road Pumpkin Ale (by Brooklyn Brewery). By far the best I've had. Very well balanced, all the spices kept in check, and pairs really well with food. You might even be tempted to drink more than one in a sitting.
cmax at 11:05AM on 10/09/09
Awesome, I love all the recommendations here! Perhaps there will have to be a Pumpkin Tasting, Round Two.
Maggie Hoffman at 11:08AM on 10/09/09
skizziks and others from the Chicago/St. Louis area should try the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale if you're able to hunt it down. I'm always disappointed not to see Schlafly products included in the Serious Eats beer taste tests, until I remember that its distribution radius doesn't extend far beyond the St. Louis area (I'm in central Illinois, and we only get limited distribution here).
jeanine990 at 12:27PM on 10/09/09
I'm a big fan of Shipyard and Dogfish Head as well. Generally I am pretty pro-pumpkin in my beer, though I did recently buy Mad River's pumpkin and found it very disappointing. Very artificial tasting, bleh.
tangledgray at 1:21PM on 10/09/09
@jeanine990: Thanks for the recommendation! I'll definitely have to search out some Schlafly...
skizziks at 2:14PM on 10/09/09
If you're in the Northwest, you might want to check this out: http://www.washingtonbeerblog.com/ . Elysian's annual pumpkin beerfest.
beersnob at 6:43PM on 10/09/09
After reading about Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale in an MSN article on the top 10 fall beers, I knew (being a lover of all things pumpkin) that I had to try it. I had one just last night, and wow, it was awesome!! Loved the slight sweetness, the spices, and of course the noticeable but not overwhelming pumpkin flavor. I'm so pleased to see a SE pumpkin beer review; will definitely have to see if I can find some of these others!
PinkCupcake at 9:46PM on 10/11/09
if southern tier is known for their sweet, dessert replacing brews, then what's your beef? Last year, my friends and I did our own pumpkin beer tasting and Pumking was by far my favorite--then again I'm not much for lagers and hops, and I do love me some creme brulee. And obviously I'm not the only one, as it's practically sold out of NYC this year!
Altho happy I was able to score 3 bottles but I might have to intern at the company just to get in on the ground floor next year.
Bottle or draft - A+ Pumking!!
judochop at 9:05AM on 10/16/09
I agree with judochop, Pumking is spectacular! I liken the taste to ground up ginger snaps in cream. I loved it so much last year that this year when it came out I drove an hour just to get a case of it. I hope to try some other beers from Southern Tier eventually, some of them sound great.
I love sweet beers, flavored beers, wheat beers, malty beers and sour Flemish beers. Beers with a lot of hops though, not my favorites. Pumpkin beers are some of my favorites, but then I happen to love everything made with pumpkin.
punkinqueen at 3:18PM on 11/09/09