Beer Me: October Mish Mash

Can you believe it’s October and I haven’t shared a single pumpkin beer with you? FOR SHAME! I have been drinking the pumpkins since they hit the shelves in late August. I’ve had several that are worth mentioning and several that I forgot to photograph. However, there have been some disappointments as well. Some expensive disappointments.

Buckle Up for a bumpy ride........

 

This comes in regular bottles too but I thought the jug was super cute!

Saranac Pumpkin Ale

From the site: "The perfect hint of pumpkin flavor spiced right with cinnamon, allspice, cloves and ginger. Made with 3,000 pounds of pumpkin per brew, you'll think you just drank fall."

This is a decent, cheaper pumpkin ale. I’m not certain of its availability in a 6-pack but I know it’s included in the fall variety case, 12 Beers A'Fallin! Said variety case is definitely worth your $14.99 (or whatever it is by you) Lots of good, and different, options here. Let’s discuss.

 

Harvest Ale

From the site: "A balanced mixture of New York wheats and malts combine with a distinctive hop aroma to capture the essence of autumn in every sip."

This was a good crisp fall. It's a bit hoppy but not undrinkable for someone who isn't a hop fan (Me.) Nice alternative to bridging pumpkins and.......

Oktoberfest

From the site: "A medium bodied copper colored lager. Toasty. Malty. Octobery. An authentic German lager passed down through four generations. One sip will send you straight to Munich.

I always forget how much I like Octoberfests. When I'm through with the wheats of summer, these malted brews are ready to usher me into fall. This was no different and is a great option if you like Octoberfests too. Oh, I forgot to tell you! Over John's birthday weekend, we went to a local Octoberfest celebration and it was super fun! If you have one by you, you should definitely go. There was good music and lots of people dancing. I ate a schnitzel the size of my head that was the most amazing pork I've ever had. We were prepared for it to be totally lame but it was honestly one of the best times we've had in awhile. Score one for Octoberfest!

Black Forest

From the site: "Brewed to pay homage to our founder's homeland, our German-style Schwarzbier is brewed true to style with a deliciously sweet malty flavor. It may be dark in color but it's not heavy on roasted flavor like most people expect in a dark beer."

I liked this one too! It's part of their normal core line of beers but I've never noticed it on the shelves at my store. The description above is dead on. I liked the sweetness but it would pair well with a lot of foods.

The pack also included two other Saranac regulars, Irish Red and Pale Ale. Those weren't my favorite but they're still decent. So, that's six different varieties in one pack! What a bargain!

What is NOT worth your $14.99 is the 4-pack of The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Flying Dog Brewing Co. 

From their site: "We brew The Fear with local pumpkin puree and secret blend of spices. But, once you take a sip and sniff, those spices become apparent. (Hint: Think pumpkin pie) Anything seasonally spicy or sweet will beautifully complement this rich and complex brew"

1) It hardly has any pumpkin flavor whatsoever, 2) It has a high alcohol content but to me, it didn’t really feel like it, 3) It’s $15 for a 4 pack. Um, excuse me? John actually bought this by accident without knowing the price. Had I been with him at the register, it would have gone back to the shelf. Luckily, he liked it more than I did so he can have mine and be happy. In my opinion, skip this one.

While we’re on the subject, here is Red Hook’s Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter. Bonus points for the cute name, right? 

From Their Site: "Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter is dark chestnut brown in color and is made with pureed pumpkin. Cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger are added to the whirlpool and maple syrup is added during fermentation. This full-bodied, rich roasty porter makes you want to eat turkey and watch football, or build a bonfire."

This was in a mix-a-six so I don’t really know how much it retails for but the single of it was about $1.75. Anyway…..pumpkin porters do not come across with enough pumpkin flavor for me. Most are subtly slipped in on the finish. I want the pumpkin to be IN YOUR FACE! The spices and other flavors were good, just not enough pumpkin.

Sorry to end on a couple low notes there but we're just getting started! Stayed tuned next week for a Pumpkin Bourbon Beer Showdown!

Pumpkin Beers......again

I think it's clear by now I'm a woman on a mission. Two more pumpkin libations this week.

I've never tried any of Dogfish Head's regular beer but I've had my eye on their Punkin Ale since last year. That was a time when I though $8.99 was too much to spend on a 4 pack. My how things have changed.

From the website: A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.

This was a winner! The flavor profile was more spice than pumpkin but I still really enjoyed it. It was closer to the top of the pack. Give it a try if you can find it. Sells out fast!

I am a big fan of hard ciders of the apple variety. There's something so crisp and refreshing about a good cider that I just can't turn it down. We had already purchased our weekly beers when we spotted this Pumpkin Cider. One knowing glance meant that we didn't care if we overbought. It was $9.99 for the six and hails from Ace Ciders out of California. I've never tried anything by them before but they have a number of various fruit ciders for sale.

This has an amazingly pure pumpkin flavor and is filled with effervescence. Can you see the bubbles in my picture? Lower in calorie than beer too! And gluten free, if that's your kind of thing. We've been nursing these along because they're so darn tasty. If you can find this one, and I've only seen it in one place, snap it up! You won't be sorry.

This Week's Brews

Hi friends. One new pumpkin and a mixed bag for you too. Let's jump in, shall we!

This is Pumpkinhead by Shipyard. It retails for $8.99/6 pack. In my quest to find and try amazing pumpkin beers, I'm learning that sometimes I have to move further away from the breweries I normally test. Such is the case with Shipyard as I don't believe I've ever had anything from them before. I found this quite pumpkinny. However, what is really noticeable are all the spices. They're very up front and forward, nutmeg, clove, etc. You get more of the pumpkin on the back end. 

From the website: "crisp refreshing wheat ale with delightful aromatics and a subtle spiced flavor." 

Well, not so subtle on the spice but worth a glass anyway.

This will be a bit difficult as the picture is from my iphone but I'll do my best on a quick, tasting note. I'm not sure what the theme this week was but we'll just go with it. Generous tastes are a buck a piece. 

From left to right......

Great Lakes Oktoberfest: I've had this before and I still like it. One of the more crisp Oktoberfests out there.

Newcastle Werewolf: This Irish Red that was just so so. The name was better than the beer. Drinkable but nothing special.

Rogue Mocha Porter: Mmmm, porter. If you like porters, this will not disappoint. Smoky and dark with a hint of mocha flavor. Probably the priciest by the 6 but definitely worth trying.

21st Amendment Hop Crisis: I tried this knowing full well I despise IPA. I should have known better with hop in the name. FAR too bitter for me but if you like IPA, the guy at the store said this one is a favorite and often sells out.

Brooklyn Brewery Monster Ale: This is a barley wine ale. It was easy drinking but also nothing to write home about. If you're going to get something from Brooklyn Brewery, get the Black Chocolate Stout. Thank me later.

For some reason, the bottle above was label-less, so here it is on its own.

Happy tasting everyone!

Autumnal Beers, Part II

Though it would seem otherwise, I promise you John and I do not just sit around and drink all the time. Alcohol only on weekends and some of these, and last week's pumpkin beers, were just tastings and not full glasses. So there!

Why is this picture giant?

Breckenridge After Rakin' Autumn Ale: This isn't a pumpkin ale but I thought it deserved some notice just the same. It's dark for sure and has a subtle smokiness to it. Breckenridge is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries. Everything I've had from them is delicious, albeit pricey. The alcohol content on this is 6.7% so be careful, folks. Start your night with this one, whatever you do, do not end it here. From the bottle: "Full body caramel malt flavor with medium hop character." This was smooth and the name is way cute, right?








Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale: This was my first time trying anything from Smuttynose so I'm not sure how their non-seasonal beers are but the pumpkin was delicious! From the bottle: "we brew our ale with the addition of pumpkin to the mash, along with traditional spices to create a delicious American original." Out of all the pumpkins I've tried thus far, this has the purest pumpkin flavor, I think. It's also one of the most reasonably priced. I would definitely get this again, even though I'm trying not to repeat before I get through all of the pumpkin beers I can get my hands on!

And this picture is tiny!

Abita Pecan Harvest Ale: John read about this somewhere and then the next morning after we tried it, they reviewed it on the weekend TODAY show. I felt so current! This beer is brewed with Louisiana pecans and boy can you taste them! The rich amber color screams fall and so does the flavor. From the bottle: "made with real Louisiana pecans that have been toasted to perfection......The natural oils give the ale a light pecan finish and aroma." If you are not a nut fan, you probably won't like this beer because it sure is nutty! I, however, am a nut fan and therefore a fan of this beer. Price point is decent on most Abita's as well.

There you have it. Cheers to the weekend!

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere!

Fall is here! I LOVE fall. I'm especially looking forward to cooler temperatures after the beastly summer we had in Ohio. Besides the climate, I also love fall food and drink! Cider, apples and of course, all things pumpkin! John and I are on a quest to try all available pumpkin beers. So far, we're off to a good start. Here are my first 4 tastings........

Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale: This can only be found in the Sam Adams Harvest Collection 12-pack. And you only get 2 in there, so share wisely. Or hoard them, your choice. From the bottle: "brewed with over 11 pounds of real pumpkin per barrel, adding a full body and sweetness to this dark reddish amber brew. Deep roasted malts, including a smoked malt, lend a distinct roasted character while traditional pumpkin pie spices give the beer a subtle spice note." This was the first pumpkin ale I had this season so I was very excited about it and thought it was delicious. Then I started tasting the others. While this has pumpkin flavor, it's not as present as in some of the ones listed below.

America's Original Pumpkin Ale: This is a microbrew from Buffalo Bill's brewery. From the bottle: "a true original microbrew that uses baked and roasted pumpkins. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are added to create what as been described as 'pumpkin pie in a bottle'." I totally agree! This is my favorite out of the bunch. It had the most pure pumpkin flavor to it, in my opinion.

Ichabod Pumpkin Ale: This is also a craft beer we tried in the pumpkin world. It has the added bonus of being spooky (Headless horseman!) From the bottle: "Ichabod combines malted barley and real pumpkin with cinnamon and nutmeg in a delicious and inviting brew. A rewarding complement to many dishes, Ichabod pairs well with autumnal foods such as poultry and root vegetables. After dinner, try it with your favorite dessert!" I think I shall! I really liked this one. Heavy on the pumpkin flavor and smooth drinking.

Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat Beer: I've never had any other Shocktop offerings because John doesn't really like it so we never buy it. But, owing to my mission I had to do a tasting of this. For $1, how could I pass it up? From the bottle: "traditional Belgian-style wheat ale brewed with ripe pumpkins and autumnal spices, including nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. This seasonal unfiltered wheat ale has a deep amber color and is crafted with a refreshingly distinct pumpkin spice that fully captures all the flavors of fall." This was good on its own merit but side by side with others, it wasn't my favorite. Not nearly as smooth as I hoped for and slightly bitter. The pumpkin did not come out as much as I like.

Which is your favorite? What should I try next?