Rogue Chatoe Rogue First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale

While in Asheville, I picked up a bottle of Rogue Chatoe Rogue First Growth Pumpkin Patch Ale at Appalachian Vinter. The beer pours a brown color with a bubbly cream colored head that leaves a light lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cream, nutmeg, allspice, caramel, and cinnamon. The taste is bursting with pumpkin and caramel with a nice nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice compliment. A hint of graham and a lightly dry hop finish accompanies the sweeter aspects of the beer. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. This was a really nice pumpkin beer with a very complimenting profile. The hop finish was also a nice reminder that it was a beer and not just pumpkin pie in a bottle.

Pizza Boy Brewing Punk'in Disorderly

I ordered a glass of Pizza Boy Brewing Punk’in Disorderly on a recent visit. The beer pours an amber color with a thin bubbly white head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, caramel, and nutmeg. The taste is smooth and sweet with pumpkin, lots of caramel, and pilsner malt. There is a light dry hop finish with pepper and hints of nutmeg and allspice. Overall I noticed very little cinnamon which kept the beer from drying out the mouth. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. I liked the lack of cinnamon spice in this beer, as I thought it allowed the other spices and pumpkin to shine, and even a slight hop accent.

Troegs Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins

I stopped in to the Troegs tasting room to try Scratch 79- Master of Pumpkins. I was thoroughly happy that after years of refusing to make a pumpkin beer that Troegs finally caved and created one, especially using locally grown pumpkins. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, and pepper. The taste is bold on pumpkin that has some light roasted flavors to it. Spicy cinnamon and nutmeg are paired with a peppery and dry finish that leaves hints of vanilla behind. The alcohol content is 8.4% ABV. The saison yeast provided an interesting spiciness to this beer. I’d say if they kept that and pulled back on a few of the other spices, this would be an absolute winner. For a first attempt at a pumpkin ale, I loved it and can hope for another version next year.

Rivertown Pumpkin Ale

The final beer I ordered at Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh was the Pumpkin Ale from Rivertown. The beer pours an orange-tinted color with a thin bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice. The taste is light bodied with a sweet pumpkin flavor on the front end. A nice compliment of light spices- cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg- work together and there is a vanilla accent on the finish. The alcohol content is 5.0% ABV. As far as pumpkin ales, this beer was neither too spicy nor too sweet. The balance was well played, but I can’t say it was overly memorable.

Selin's Grove Brewing Pumpkin Ale

(I apologize about the lack of picture, but it was on my previous cell phone and I have since lost it) I stopped in to Selin’s Grove Brewing company for lunch and to order a glass of the Pumpkin Ale. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a solid frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cream, nitrogen, and light spices. The taste is creamy with pumpkin, graham cracker, light cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cream. A lightly dry finish rounds out the beer. The alcohol content is 5.6% ABV. At first I wasn’t too impressed with this beer, but it gets better as it warms so wait for that to happen. I’ve heard that this is the “best pumpkin beer” and while I can’t endorse that statement, I thought it was pretty good after it warmed up a bit.

Denver Beer Company Hey, Pumpkin

Another beer I ordered at the Denver Beer Company was Hey, Pumpkin. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cloves, and graham cracker. The taste is sweet and smooth with light cinnamon and nutmeg accents. Clove and graham cracker provide some accents, but what was notable was the great pumpkin finish. It provided a nice flavor and impeccable smoothness. The alcohol content is not available online but I would estimate it to be about 6.0% ABV. This was a solid performer in the pumpkin beer category and the addition of cloves and graham cracker helped tie all of the flavors together nicely.

Upslope Pumpkin Ale

During the Colorado Brewer's Guild Brunch, I ordered a glass of Upslope Pumpkin Ale. The beer pours an amber color with a thin filmy white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, cinnamon, graham cracker, nutmeg, and vanilla. The taste is strong with pumpkin, nice hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and a graham cracker finish that has a slight ginger spice. The alcohol content is 7.7% ABV. For a pumpkin beer, this had a wonderful blend of flavors and was not too heavy on the spices, keeping it from being too dry. It ranks in the top five of my favorite pumpkin beers.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

At Al’s of Hampden, I picked up a bottle of Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale. The beer pours an orange-amber colored with lots of floating particles and a bubbly white colored head. The aroma consists of pumpkin, nutmeg, allspice, and caramel. The taste is light on pumpkin with some nutmeg and allspice dryness that takes over the mouth. A hint of caramel hides in the background and some cinnamon comes out on the finish. The alcohol content is 6.1% ABV. I’d say this was a nice pumpkin beer that was not quite as good as The Great Pumpkin from Elysian, but I’d definitely come back to this beer.

Lincoln Abbey Next of pumpKIN

For my sixth homebrew batch, I made a pumpkin ale and named it Next of pumpKIN. The beer pours a dark amber color with some orange hues and a frothy beige colored head that lingers for a while and leaves a light lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and molasses. The taste is is smooth and rounded with pumpkin and vanilla on the front end before it dries out a little bit with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Some molasses sweetens up the finish so it doesn’t dry out the mouth too much. The alcohol content is 7.8% ABV. I was impressed with how my pumpkin ale came out with a nice pumpkin sweetness and not overdone on the spices.

Spring House Brewing Braaaiins! Pumpkin Ale for Zombie

I picked up a bottle of Spring House Brewing Braaaiins! Pumpkin Ale for Zombies from Al’s of Hampden. The beer pours an orange-tinted amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass as it subsides. The aroma consists of graham, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, and allspice. The taste is smooth and has a great pumpkin flavor up front before some light cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice flavors kick in. A large helping of graham flavor really excites the palate and the beer finishes with some vanilla sweetness. The alcohol content is 7.1% ABV. I really enjoyed this pumpkin offering as the pumpkin flavoring was just right and the graham flavors really made it taste like a pie. I would rank this probably second behind Pumking as my favorite of the style.

Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

I grabbed a six-pack of Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale from Al’s of Hampden for my fiancee. The beer pours an orange-tinted amber color with a frothy off-white colored head that leaves some lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of fresh pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and caramel. The taste is smooth and light on the tongue with a solid pumpkin base, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, and caramel. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.0% ABV. I thought all of the flavors in this beer were nicely balanced and it wasn’t too spicy or dry.

Hoppin' Frog Frog's Hollow Pumpkin Ale

While at Giant Eagle in Pittsburgh, I picked up a bottle of Hoppin’ Frog Frog’s Hollow Pumpkin Ale. The beer pours an orange-amber color with a frothy cream colored head that fades rather rapidly. The aroma consists of sweet pumpkin, dry cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of allspice, and cream. The taste is smooth and sweet at first with plenty pumpkin up front before some dryness comes in to play with cinnamon and nutmeg. There is an allspice finish before some caramel sweetens up the finish. The alcohol content is 8.4% ABV. The spices in this beer are present, but are mostly used to balance out the sweetness of the pumpkin. There is plenty of pumpkin flavor in this beer, and it was much appreciated.

Blue Point Pumpkin Ale

My coworker Greg picked me up a few bottles of Blue Point Pumpkin Ale when he was home on Long Island. The beer pours a golden color with amber hues and a frothy white head. The aroma consists of nutmeg and cinnamon with sweet pumpkin undertones. The taste is sweet and creamy with pumpkin on the front end before transitioning into light cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg spices. The finish is lightly watered down, so the spices don't bite as hard as they do with some pumpkin beers. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would guess it to be around 6.0% ABV. This is nicely balanced pumpkin beer that doesn't dry out too much on the finish.

Jay's Pumpkin Ale

My girlfriend's boss Jay gave her a bottle of his home brewed pumpkin ale for me to try. The beer pours a brown color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of lots of cinnamon and nutmeg with a background of pumpkin. The taste is dry and malty with a healthy dose of cinnamon that dries out the tongue. The finish kicks in with some pumpkin and caramel and the after taste dries out again with nutmeg. No alcohol content is available but I would assume it to be around 7.0% ABV. This was a very good pumpkin beer that focused on the spices with the pumpkin accenting the rest of the beer.

Bube's Brewery Pumpkin Ale

I ordered a glass of Bube's Brewery Pumpkin Ale on my last visit for dinner. The beer pours an orange amber color with a thin filmy white head. The aroma consists of sweet pumpkin with a perfect cinnamon balance. The taste is big on pumpkin with good cinnamon accents and a nutmeg bite on the side of the tongue. The alcohol content is 6.8% ABV. While the Pumpkin Ale was well balanced, I thought it was a little too sweet, but it did not interfere with me enjoying it.

The Brew Works Devious Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a bottle of Brew Works Devious Pumpkin Ale from Pinocchio's in Media, PA, with high expectations for this beer. The beer pours an amber color with orange hues and a lofty foamy off-white colored head. At the conclusion of pouring, my first thought was “Holy nutmeg!” The aroma has a good helping of nutmeg with some pumpkin, cinnamon, and allspice mixed in as well. The taste is vibrant and hits with a good bit of pumpkin at first before transitioning into a dry finish with cinnamon, allspice, and lots of nutmeg. The mouth feel is somewhat bubbly and carbonated, but it helps keep the spices from overpowering the pumpkin flavor. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. Another beer from the Brew Works, and another high quality impression left. I have thoroughly enjoyed every beer I have had from Brew Works, and the Devious Imperial Pumpkin Ale is no different.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

As part of a six-pack, I picked up a bottle of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale at Pinocchio's in Media, PA. The beer pours a orange-gold color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of of pumpkin and sweet malts with a light hint of nutmeg, The taste is smooth but bites with nutmeg. The finish is where the pumpkin actually comes into play, sweet and smooth. The alcohol content is 6.0% ABV. This beer was excellent and really tasted like pumpkin pie, especially with the crust accents. While not my favorite pumpkin beer, this was a solid play and would make my starting 11 of pumpkin beers.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a bottle of Southampton Pumpkin Ale from Pinocchio's in Media, PA. The beer pours an orange-copper color with a foamy white head. The aroma consists of nutmeg, pumpkin, cinnamon, and allspice. The taste is actually quite smooth and drinkable. Most of the flavor comes from pumpkin, but there are great allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon accents. The alcohol content is 5.5% ABV. I thought that this was well balanced pumpkin beer, without any of the spices overwhelming the others. The Southampton Pumpkin Ale comes highly recommended by me.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

I picked up a case of Saranac Pumpkin Ale today. I love pumpkin beers, and am really looking forward to trying many different brands this falls. The beer pours a dark amber color with a little head. The aroma consists pumpkin and cinnamon with a backbone of nutmeg. The taste is front loaded with allspice and ginger. It finishes a little dry with cinnamon and nutmeg. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Pumpkin Ale is pretty decent, but doesn't measure up with some of the better ones I've had in the past. I think the balance of flavors is decent, but there is something missing in the beer, but I cannot put my finger on it.

Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale

While at the beach, I picked up a four-pack of the newly released Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale. It is orange and amber in color. The aroma is packed with cinnamon and nutmeg. The taste full of pumpkin flavor, with the nutmeg providing a nice backbone. The after taste is slightly spicy and dry, most likely due to the cinnamon content. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. I am a big fan of this beer, although it is not my favorite Pumpkin Ale ever; that belongs to Shipyard.