Pumpkin Beer Bash Vol 2

Submitted by mark on Sunday, Sep 28th 2008

Tis the season for pumpkin beers! If you've been in a grocery/liquor/beer store in the past few weeks you've noticed it's that time of year where breweries all across the country are putting their seasonal pumpkin beers up for sale. I've had numerous friends ask me about pumpkin beers lately, so I decided that in honor of the season (and Eric's upcoming Pumpkinhead article in HorrorHound), I would review 13 pumpkin beers between now and Halloween.

If you missed it last week, 5 pumpkinheads is good, and 1 is bad. This week, I'm sippin on the Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale, and Saranac Pumpkin Ale.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale

They say: "A crisp and refreshing wheat ale with delightful aromatics and subtle spiced flavor. Hints of cinnamon and nutmeg make this fall brew a flavor sensation"
I say: There's nothing more American than pumpkin and less American than subtlety, and in that sense, "Pumpkinhead" is an American classic. That being said this beer tastes something like the paste from Little Debbie's Pumpkin Delights and getting smacked in the face with a pillowcase full of nutmeg. Good for a sip, but a whole bottle of it may be a one way ticket to Barftown, unless you are partial to Smirnoff Ice, in which case, this is your pumpkin brew!

Rating

Saranac Pumpkinhead Ale

They say: "Brewed with Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Ginger and Vanilla. Look for a full-body and amber color. We're sure you'll enjoy this special brew!"
I say: I do enjoy this special brew! The brewery's description of this beer is spot on. I found it to be highly drinkable, tasty, and just flavorful enough to deserve the silly pumpkin that adorns its label. Unlike many pumpkin beers, its light enough for multiple bottles in a sitting. Go ahead and grab one!

Rating

I'll be back next week w/ Southern Tier Pumking, Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, and Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale.

Comments

you = confused?

Submitted by Christine on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 04:59.

Shipyard 0wns Saranac!
We drank the Shipyard all last year and just recently tried the Saranac. I found it to be too spicy and almost undrinkable. Funny how tastes can be so subjective.
I look forward to the Blue Moon review. I can't seem to find it in my neck of the woods anymore.

See, I find that even MY

Submitted by mark on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 05:17.

See, I find that even MY tastes fluctuate. Last year, I was crazy about Shipyard and wanted nothing but to drink it all day every day. This year, I just thought it was a bit overbearing. I can't tell if my tastes are becoming more or less complex.

Also, I had a bottle of Smutty Nose Pumpkin Ale last year and thought it tasted like plastic, but all of the reviews I'm reading say that its UH-MAZING, so I'm really looking forward to trying it next week to set the record straight.

Dumb Americans

Submitted by Eric on Mon, 09/29/2008 - 15:06.

I must be one of those "subtlety" lacking Americans then, because I loved the Shiphard!

Although, you're right that you could not drink more than 1 in a sitting without risking some type of gastro-intestinal failure... still, I enjoyed the strength of the flavor.

Saranac

Submitted by Joe on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 17:42.

Probably like Eric and Mark I tend to pick up a 6 from these guys based on our upstate NY pride, especially since a fire a few months back did some serious damage to the brewery. I did find the spice in the pumpkin to be a bit overwhelming but as far as pumpkin beers go it's one of my favorites. Their Pale ale is still one of my favorites.

There he is! I think the

Submitted by mark on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 18:00.

There he is! I think the fact that I had both beers back to back may color my opinion, being that the Saranac seemed very subtle compared to the onslaught from the Shipyard.

I'd also like to point out that part of my ratings is not only taste, but also drinkability. If someone handed me a 6oz tasting glass of ol' Pumpkinhead I would sip enthusiastically, but I don't think I have it in me to subject myself to more than one bottle, ever.

Also, the Newell's have an uncle that lives on Saranac lake :)

Pumpkin beer in general

Submitted by Joe on Tue, 09/30/2008 - 18:42.

Yeah I hear ya man, I don't think I could sit down and drink a 6 pack of these ever. Although I did read in a book about NY breweries that Heartland Brewery down here sells more beer on Halloween then any other night, and most of it their Pumpkin beer. It's actually one of the best I've had as well although I'm not a giant fan of their stuff.

Im a pretty big fan of Saranac in general and if you can make it up to Utica it's a pretty awesome tour. Brooklyn actually does most of their brewing up their also. They just don't have the space down in Brooklyn so they save that for their kegging and special releases.