Beer #1 - John Havard's Pumpkin Spice Ale
So, visiting a friend on Long Island, I was advised to stop on my way home at a local restaurant chain/brew house, John Havard's, and try their pumpkin beer. Am I ever glad I did!! Able to buy by the growler, but a tad on the pricey side, I was thankfully able to bring it home with me. Not really trying any other pumpkin beers besides Shipyard before this, it smelled almost identical to it. Got the cinnamon/sugar in a little cup to rim it with..but skipped on the first beer to truly appreciate the beer... 4.8% ABV. Hugely cinnamon and pumpkin pie aromas, slight malty sweetness...taste-wise.. this seriously must have been a Pumpkinhead clone..with a bit more malt body and color.. hugely pumpkin spice, probably some nutmeg, overwhelming cinnamon, but not a heavy beer at all, decently sweet.. a great beer to drink over and over again!
Beer #2 - Brooklyn Brewery Post Road Pumpkin Ale
New arrival at my packie... fully thought this was a local beer at first since the store is right near Rt. 20 (aka..Post Road....), but being a kind-hearted Bostonian, I do not discriminate against New York beers.. glad I do not.. This wasn't a standout of the group, but there really wasn't anything wrong at it. At 5.0%ABV it poured incredibly heady and had very faint aromas..spice only, no pumpkin, with a little malt mixed in. Taste-wise, very light, but crisp..it was mildly sweet and again, mainly spice notes..nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.. barely any pumpkin taste or malts, also barely any hoppy taste either.. overall a slightly bland beer, but the taste wasn't off-putting and could be enjoyed a few at a time
Beer #3 - Jack's Pumpkin Spice
oooook... Umm, another new arrival at my packie..it got positioned near the Mike's and Smirnoff Ice on a day I wasn't working..assumed it'd be similar to those..maybe a malt beverage, Twisted Tea version of pumpkin beer... ohhhhh lordy lordy.. FUCK NO.... you can't see it in the picture, but centered in the label is the blatant logo.. MICHELOB. oh. shit. this could either be a decent selection, a standout specialty beer surprisingly made by Michelob..or it'll be worse that sewage... umm, yeah, that last option came true. 5.5% ABV and 15 IBUs. Surprisingly the aroma was amazing.. nothing standout on it's own, but was like pure pumpkin pie, the ice cream version..smelled amazing..but the taste.. very crisp and bubbly, the pumpkin pie taste hits you right off, but instantly disappears to nothing more than something akin to watery Coor's Light.. if all you like is Coor's Light.. Miller..Bud Light.. drink this. BUT, if you have any taste whatsoever in beer, avoid this like Ebola!!
Beer #4 - Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
this one weighs in at 6.0% and 35 IBUs... the manliest beer thusfar.. personally not a huge nose to to it, typical spice and malt profile, but it wasn't overpowering the room like Jack's was.. taste-wise, the higher ABV and IBUs thankfully added a bit more to this beer than the previous selections. Not being a huge fan of IPAs, the bitterness here balanced out the spice profile and the malts added a nice level to this beer. Medium mouth to it and nothing which takes over the taste, everything works together in this beer. Not the most flavorful (I'm incredibly biased towards Pumpkinhead...) but a very very very nice pumpkin beer overall. more of a pumpkin BEER than anything so far.
Beer #5 - Saranac Pumpkin Ale
..and they just keep on comin'! A decently heavy beer at 5.4%ABV and looks kinda heavy too..malty and spice aromas hint at this..surprisingly not much in the way of pumpkin in the nose...that changed on the first sip. A very very smooth beer, all the spices work in harmony, clove, nutmeg, barely any cinnamon and just enough pumpkin flavor to balance it all out. Ends a bit maltier than it began with the best aftertaste of any of the beers thusfar. To this point..the frontrunner in the showdown
Beer # 6 - Southampton Publick House Pumpkin Ale
Saved this little guy from a fate no beer should suffer... room temperature! There were two beers on a shelf in the packie that were sweating like crazy..but still cold. Asked the guy if I could make my own 6 to save these from an imminent demise, seeing as there were more than a few other 6packs with a beer or two missing. Glad I saved them!! 5.5% ABV. Wicked aroma of pumpkin, spice, namely nutmeg and a very nice malty sweetness, the taste was beyond smooth with nice carbonation behind it. THIS was pumpkin pie in a bottle! All the spices balanced, strong pumpkin taste, even a smooth vanilla behind it all..Great harmony in the malts and hops, barely bitter at all...the taste lingered and so excited that it did!! I'll definitely be looking for this one next year..phenomenal!!
Beer #7 - Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
From past experience with any Dogfish Head beers (Festina Peche is my secret indulgence), they tend to make some damn tasty beers.. Definitely no exception here, but this is not your beginner's pumpkin beer..weighing in at 7.0%ABV, more than enough to frighten the averare Bud Light drinker.. The ABV definitely came through in the nose, heavy malts as well..not much in the way of spice or pumpkin. The taste was again dominated by the malts and higher alcohol, but some pumpkin comes through and a decent amount of the spice. Has that typical 'Dogfish Head' subtle taste that you'll recognize if you've have a few of their beers..complex malty taste and just enough pumpkin and spice to deem it a pumpkin beer. An excellent beer but a little lacking in the sense that all the pumpkin and spice flavors were very subdued. But a nice change of pace compared to the majority of pumpkin beers out there
Beer #8 - Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Another under-the-radar one for me..this one kickin' it up to 8.0%ABV, the head it evident of this. Fairly sweet nose, light on the pumpkin, bit heavier with the spices. A very malty beer, good heaviness in the mouth with a bread-y sweetness that dominated the taste, but a nice blend of the spices and pumpkin underneath it all, a creamy note I couldn't quite place..perhaps some vanilla notes. The higher ABV was not noticeable at all.. Dangerous!!! a great beer overall!
Beer #9 - Cape Ann Fisherman's Pumpkin Stout
Gotta support the local boys and since I've never seen a pumpkin stout..gotta try this one! 7.0%ABV, rich pour and some faint pumpkin aromas along with the bitter chocolate and heavy malts you would expect from a stout. Taste-wise, nothing standing out from the main stout taste, and even that was a little flimsy. Usual pumpkin and spice notes, not much in the way of bitterness or heavy malts, a bit watery of a finish. Nothing standout about this..
Beer #10 - Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale
The organic beer styles from Otter Creek, this one weighing in at 5.4% ABV. Faint nose, average compared to some of the others thusfar. The taste proved more of the same. Equal parts pumpkin and spice with nothing overpowering the other, but very light mouthfeel, somewhat watered down. Nowhere near as watery as the Jack's..but nothing to hold this one up the whole way through. Some caramel-type sweetness pops in from time to time, but nothing significant. Not a bad beer at all, but felt like it was lacking a standout feature
Beer #11 - Weyebacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Last one of the original batch of pumpkin beers.. a nice 8.0% ABV imperial here. Pumpkin and spice notes with the malts taking the lead in the nose..Strong spice in the taste, mainly nutmeg and some clove, giving this a more 'spice' bite than normal pumpkin spices, hints of the higher alcohol taste coming about with some bitterness. Muted pumpkin taste, but fairly sweet/heavy in the way of malts. A very strong beer and more than decent in the way of pumpkin pie notes. One I'd want to drink to get a good buzz on, but a flavorful one.
Beer #12 - Stone Cat Pumpkin Ale
SOOO, come to find out, a lotta places still have some pumpkin beers kickin around!! WIN! Decided to give this one a try, a very interesting addition to this showdown. Was not expecting this heavy of an ale..much more like a porter or imperial. Velvety black pour, average at 5.4% ABV. Not much in the way of aromas, but some roasted malts and a bit of spice come through. Incredibly malty and somewhat bitter taste, hints of pumpkin from time to time and spice, but not the pumpkin pie sense. A lingering sweetness to finish off.. a different pumpkin ale, but nothing typically expected in this category
Beer #13 - Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale
The current reigning champion of pumpkin beers in my opinion before this showdown..mainly because I hadn't really tried any others!! But let me tell you..this one still reminds me of fall. 5.1% ABV, an incredible crisp beer that pairs well with the cooler temps and flowing leaves of fall. Much lighter than the majority of beers I tried this year and the nose, as well as the taste, was overwhelming pumpkin pie spice-cinnamon and nutmeg- with pumpkin from time to time. Light finish, but such an easy drinker..and having a cinnamon-sugar rim on one is truly fall for me.
ANDDDDDD the winner is.........
A TIE!!!!
Both Southampton and the Schlafly brews had something unexpected and not too noticeable that made this exceptional! Slightly creamier than most others, both seemed to have hints of caramel and a smooth vanilla, as well as having pumpkin, pumpkin pie spices and hints of clove in perfect balance. As a drinker, the Southampton wins..in terms of a knock-you-on-your-ass after just a few without knowing it, Schlafly takes the cake at 8.0%. Pumpkinhead is still my go-to pumpkin beer, as its by far one of the most well known, but so glad I did this showdown and learned what else is out there. Oh, and there's SO MANY MORE I wasn't able to get my hands on.. can you say showdown part deux next year?!!?!
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