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El Diaro Del Macho Borracho
Old school like Aztecs but new in other aspects: horror, video games, wrestling, culture, and nonsense. Also, this is the place to check for new features/updates on the tech side of Bloody Good Horror.
Pumpkin Beer Bash Vol 3!
Submitted by mark on Sun, 10/05/2008 - 20:54.
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 taking a swing at Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale , Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale.
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
They say: (No description on bottle)
I say: Last year I tried one of these and found it to be nothing short of wretched and plasticy, so I was not at all looking forward to a second go-around. After revisiting this brew, I'm convinced that I just had a bad batch last year, but I'm not terribly impressed either. There are faint hints of both pumpkin and spice, but overall, the whole thing feel kind flat for me. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a decent to good standalone beer, but a very boring, passable pumpkin beer.
Rating
Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
They say: "Full bodied, with a smooth finish"
I say: Meh! Given that Blue Moon has become very popular recently, this is probably the most mainstream pumpkin beer that you could find, and that's a damn shame! Sure, it tastes like pumpkins, but not in any pleasant sort of way. Kind of spicy with a very strong vegetable taste, Harvest Moon is much better left on the shelf.
Rating
Southern Tier Pumpking Imperial Pumpkin Ale
They say: "As the first drops touch your tongue a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds making it difficult to escape."
I say: Someone had the right idea when they named this beer. This beer smells very strongly of pumpkin pie, and tastes even better than it smells. This is the only pumpkin beer I've ever had that includes not only the standard pumpkin and spice, but also hints of what can best be described as a grahm cracker crust. Pumpking strikes a perfect balance between taste and drinkability, and at 9% alcohol content, its sure to knock you straight on your ass if you're not careful. For those of you that had your knickers in a twist over me shitting on Shipyard's Pumpkinhead, I suggest you give this a try. I'll accept all appologies, and enjoy the Pumpkingasm!
Rating
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I'll have to find the Southern Tier
I've read about it but have yet to track it down myself. From the sounds of it it's a really good pick.
I've had the Smutty nose but can't remember much about it so it must not of been to impressive
I've not been in much of a rush to try the Blue Moon after trying some of their other beers. Also the fact that this is actually owned by Coors doesn't do much for me.
Shipyard
Just sitting down for a few Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ales now... shenanigans on you sir!
For the record, my friend
For the record, my friend Dan, who was quite upset about my re-review of the Shipyard Pumpkinhead, just had a sip of the Pumking and he's pretty close to being converted! You may think I'm blowing smoke up your collective asses, but this is the real deal. YOU CAN TASTE THE FUCKING CRUST!
Coney Island Freaktoberfest
Not a Pumpkin beer but fits the season. I had this last night while finally sitting down to watch "Something Wicked this Way Comes" again and it was pretty awesome. Highlight is that it pours a dark red. Not an amazing beer but a pretty nice and fun beer.
http://www.coneyislandlager.com/CONEY/ffest.html
pumpking
I'm sorry Mark. The pumpking was borderline undrinkable when I tried it. We had to pour it down the drain.
I almost picked this one up tonight. But man, beer is expensive!
Don't be sorry, lone
Don't be sorry, lone dissenter! More for me :)
Southern Tier Description
Sounds like something made at the Willy Wonka Factory.
Follow it up with a little "sawdust" flavor from the after dessert toothpicks and it just might be complete.
At 9%, I'm in.
Funny thing, that's exactly
Funny thing, that's exactly how I described it. The first course is pumpkin, second is whipped cream, last is crust!
It's really quite a thing to behold. Also, I put a wine bottle topper in the bottle I bought so I could bring it to a friend's house, and upon taking a sharp turn, blasted the delicious brew all over the passenger side of the car, leaving a delicious pumpkiny beer smell. Hope I don't get pulled over!
They Say, You Say...
It is the combo of both, but what put my mind on the Wonka track was what They Say, it doesn't even sound like a beer, like you're basically gonna be dropping acid. None of your other beers up for review have had such a twisted tagline.
Great blog idea, hopefully these breweries are throwin' you freebies to sample.
Flying Dog Dogtoberfest
Having a bit of trouble finding a lot of the Pumpkin beers at my local beer stores but had good luck with the Oktoberfest beers. Picked this one up today and I think I have a crush on it. Nice Carmel flavor and big malt taste. I've been a big fan of Flying Dog for a while. Aside of the fact that Ralph Stedman does all of their labels and they have a Hunter S. Thompson quote on their bottles they also make some really good brews.
Baby making juice in a bottle
I finally tracked down a bottle of the Southern Tier Pumking this past weekend. Holy god I think i feel in love all over again. Never had a pumpkin beer like this before, and never had one that used vanilla or at least as noticeably. Wonderful Wonderful magic.