Opinions of Pumpkin ale...

[Sir William]

Sadly, I see there are others of the same opinion as me - I don't care for it. I tried, I really did, but just couldn't find a taste for it.

[raibeart_dubh]

In my opinion Dogfish Head Punkin Ale and Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale are the best. I like the Weyerbacher best because it is a little stronger and a little more heavily spiced, which to me tastes better.

[CPOBull@Comcast.net]

Pumpkin Ale, not bad, not full bodied and malty as a traditional English nut brown ale which is what the Puritan voyagers normally drank. The ale was first brewed by the Puritan settlers in Massachusetts Bay colony Plymoth plantation,as they were short the necessaries of barley to make beer that they neded to sustain their voyage to Virginia, and had rather large stands of native pumpkin to choose from that the indigenous tribes [Wampanoags] in that area cultivated and showed them. Consequently "it" [pumpkin ale] is an authentic American beer. The notion that the Puritans would stop because they were "out of beer" seems almost ludicrous, in this day and age of clean, filtered and safe water to drink; water only lasted a very short in oaken casks that naturally contaminated , and the Puritans did not know about bromine treatment of water; consequently any shipboard water to drink was unsafe and could render one seriously incapacitated with dissentery. Beer was safe [alcohol is an astringent and kills foreign proteins at certain levels], it had long legs and kept relatively well, but beer they were out of, and beer they desparately needed; now they were in trouble. The rest is history. Post Road Brewery in Rhode Island makes a remarkably good Pumpkin Ale, as likewise Shipyard Brewery in Maine, small batches seasonal usually around Thanksgiving and ChristMass. If you're a Stout or Porter "Nazi" don't bother you'll be disappointed; it is light on the tongue and not very chewey. But served up cold it is sensational with a slight and nice nutmeg and cinamonn finish. It keeps its flavor for a reasonable amount of time when opened unlike some of the "beechwood aged potty" currently sold as "beer" or "Silver Bullet" rocky mountain cool-aid currently fashionable among "non-beer" drinkers, and the college snottie set.

slaintemath!
Anchor'sAway/Semper Fi
CPO Bull

[Ozark Ridge Rider]

O'Fallon makes a pretty good pumpkin ale, but I'm not sure if it's brewed at their O'Fallon, Missouri facility or in Wisconsin.

[KiltedBrewer]

In my limited experience brewing with pumpkin, I've found it's extremely difficult to get any pumpkin flavor to come through in the finished beer. I've never found it in my own homebrewed pumpkin ales or in the very few commercial examples I've tried. However, they're almost always spiced, which lends a pumpkin pie-like flavor. (I've even heard that some brewers omit pumpkin in favor of pumpkin pie spices and that drinkers never miss the pumpkin.)

I guess the short of it is, "Try it." What will you be out, a few dollars for a six pack? Give it a taste and let us know what you think.

David

[vmac3205]

When my daughter was dating a guy who worked for Portland Brewing, she brought home a case of it. It took a while, but I did drink it all. Okay, I gave some away. I found it to be a nice seasonal, to be consumed in small quantities, paired with "autumn" foods. It's not something I'd sit around drinking at a party or watching football. It had a nice "comfort food" feel to it, and I'd buy it to pair with autumn foods.

[vmac3205]

Oh, the ale lasted longer than the relationship (thankfully.)

[Kerr the Walker]

Post Road Brewery in Rhode Island makes a remarkably good Pumpkin Ale

***. Nice to see Rhody represented.

Also a fan of the Dogfishhead Punkin Ale. If anyone's in the DC metro area, there are several DFH brewpubs in the area (Falls Church, Fairfax and...Gaithersburg I think) that have most everything they brew on draught. Haven't been there recently, but I would imagine they have the punkin ale on draught if you don't feel like driving to DE.

Cheers,
Alex

[JRB]

I try different pumpkin ales every so often in Autumn but my conclusion is always the same; too overdone with spices. I prefer my beer to be less loaded with ingredients. Pumpkin ale just seems to be cloying in it's taste explosions. It's taste is like the smell you get when you walk into a gift shop or candle store around Thanksgiving.

[The F-H.C.A.G.]

I agree with most who have posted. Pumpkin ales taste great for the first few sips, then they become "cloying". Admittedly, I've only tried two. One at the local Devil's Canyon Brewing Company and one that I don't remember the brand. At the first sip of the DCB brew, I thought, "Wow! How'd they manage to get the whole pie in there? Including the crust flavor! This is great!". Then, after several sips, the flavors started building up and became overwhelming, lingering far too long on the palate.

So, I'd say I have mixed feeling about pumpkin ales, at least those that have the spices in them.

Be well,