Pumpkin Beer

The problem with beer was that it wouldn't survive a long voyage, ergo rum and other distilled spirits. Still, beer later became a wondrous thing, with each community having its own unique brewery and style. We were loyal! That changed, but of late, Craft Brewing appeared and gone mad - with over 3000 of the buggers and 100's of weekly new releases, ergo a blood, er beerbath is in the offing. Until then - this section...
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bearmark
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Pumpkin Beer

Post by bearmark »

It's the time of the season for an onslaught of pumpkin beer in various styles. These can vary in levels of spice with most carrying at least some of the spices that you would expect in a pumpkin pie or pumpkin bread. If you're a fan of beer and baked pumpkin treats, then you should definitely check out some of these seasonal brews.

I tried several pumpkin beers last year and posted my experience here. This year, I've discovered a few more: Almanac Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine (rye and brandy barrel aged), Avery Pump[KY]n (bourbon barrel aged), Anderson Valley Pinchy Jeek Barl (bourbon barrel aged). I'll be posting my experiences with these later this month. Many of these are limited in availability so you might have to pay a premium and search a bit to find them. While looking for these, be sure to venture out with offerings from local breweries. There are some real gems out there and you might discover one.

If you're looking for something more affordable and more available, then you might want to try one of these based on distribution in your area:
  • Shipyard Pumpkinhead
  • Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale
  • Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
In any case, I encourage you to share your experiences here.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by Hassouni »

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is the ONLY one I've tried that isn't cloying or even somewhat sweet, and not dominated by pumpkin pie spices. Many, many pumpkin beers are made just with the spices and sugar - Dogfish's is made with actual pumpkin.
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Post by bearmark »

Hassouni wrote:Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is the ONLY one I've tried that isn't cloying or even somewhat sweet, and not dominated by pumpkin pie spices. Many, many pumpkin beers are made just with the spices and sugar - Dogfish's is made with actual pumpkin.
It's true that some are dominated by spices and sweetness... Southern Tier Pumking is about the most spiced example that I've found (like drinking a pumpkin spice candle). I also agree that Dogfish Head Punkin' ($10/4pk) offers some real pumpkin flavor sans spice. Personally, I like my gourds with a bit of spice to complement the flavor and the best example I've found is Uinta's Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin (part of their crooked line series offered only in 750ml bottles at about $13-14 with >10% ABV). It offers rich pumpkin flavor with mild spice and a bit of oak in a bottle-conditioned ale and is fantastic! This year I had Almanac's Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine, which is sweet (typical of barley wines), but also made with 1,000 pounds of heirloom pumpkins... the flavor is awesome! It's a sipper more akin to drinking a good dessert wine like port.

These are fairly expensive choices though. For those looking to try a pumpkin beer on a budget, the best bargain I've found for a pumpkin beer is Shipyard's Pumpkinhead (still not cheap at $10/6pk).
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Avery Rumpkin

Post by bearmark »

I splurged Tuesday night on a $16 pour of Avery Rumpkin, an 18% ABV imperial pumpkin ale aged in a Gosling rum barrel for 6 months (how appropriate to this forum). I was previously unable to secure a bottle and it's all long gone, so I was excited to get to try it on draft at a local pub (but not about the price).

In any case, it was a syrupy sweet bomb... full of caramel, vanilla, butterscotch and loads of ginger, but not much of a showing by The Great Pumpkin. This rates a 99/100 (overall/style) on Rate Beer and a 92 on Beer Advocate (I'm more in line with the BA score). While this is a very complex beer and full of flavor, the degree of sweetness and the overpowering richness made it a difficult one to finish for me.

I have a bottle of Avery's Pump[KY]n (pumpkin porter aged in bourbon barrel for 6 months) that I'll give a try soon as well. In the meantime, I still prefer Uinta's Imperial Oak Jacked Pumpkin.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by da'rum »

I admire your dedication. $16 for a glass of beer is really taking one for the team. Are you walking normally yet?
in goes your eye out
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Post by bearmark »

da'rum wrote:I admire your dedication. $16 for a glass of beer is really taking one for the team. Are you walking normally yet?
Let's just say that I was done for the hour that I was there after that single beer. After that it was off to tasting two 28 year old Linkwoods, two Willett single barrel bourbons at 9 and 10 years and a Canadian that I'd never heard of called, Dark Horse. :shock:
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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Post by da'rum »

in goes your eye out
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Post by Capn Jimbo »

Where might be the source of all this interesting tipple? Do you have some particularly fine pubs? Or are these clubs? Private bars? Or do ya roll your own?
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Post by bearmark »

Henry's Tavern in Plano has 100 taps, including many local craft brews. They also rotate about 10 of these taps often and these are typically the ones that I focus on because there's usually a rare brew available in the mix. There are several other places around that provide good craft brew taps, including Trinity Hall Irish Pub, The Gingerman, Holy Grail Pub, Fox & Hound and, of all places, Whole Foods Grocery. I don't go often, but I usually find something interesting at one of these places.

As far as the rare whiskies, those are from get togethers with fellow whisky lovers and we just share what we have. Some of the guys have access to some particularly rare stuff and share with those of us who are less fortunate. :wink: If you're really interested in whiskey, you need to attend local tastings and/or try to join a local whiskey society. You'll find that there are very knowledgeable people with great collections that are more than willing to share both their knowledge and whiskey. It's a great way to learn and gain some experience.
Mark Hébert
Rum References: Flor de Caña 18 (Demeraran), The Scarlet Ibis (Trinidadian), R.L. Seale 10 (Barbadian), Appleton Extra (Jamaican), Ron Abuelo 12 (Cuban), Barbancourt 5-Star (Agricole)
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