Its bold, mulled taste is memorable, but I found that medicine-chest quality overpowering. Instead, this one relies heavily on spice. But there’s no discernible pumpkin taste. In terms of alcohol content, this one’s a heavyweight, and it drinks darker, stronger, and sweeter than most of its rivals here. Sorry, Ithaca - this one’s hard to stomach. Whatever secret ingredients went into this one really overpower the beer. The flavoring is flat and borderline acrid, with a funky acidic aftertaste. Speaking of not-sweet: this dyspeptic misfire is short on both pumpkin and beer. I would sip it for a while, but wouldn’t recommend a hearty pour. This is a drinkable ale, not too sweet, with a touch of spice, but underwhelming. Points awarded for cutest beer name and nice amber-gold color points deducted for the two-dimensional taste. But when you add a strong cinnamon aftertaste, a thin brew like this simply tastes fragrant. Thankfully, that means no syrupy mouthfeel. A burst of pumpkin hits the front of your tongue right away, but the beer doesn’t have the body to back up that bold flavor. Interesting to taste, but that wall of spice is hard to get past.ĭo you love cinnamon? You might enjoy this more than I did. Instead, the beer delivers an overwhelming level of spice, particularly clove. I appreciated this one’s nice, full pumpkin flavor, which would benefit from - dare I say it? - a touch more sweetness. Troegs brews this variety with a French saison yeast, so if you like Belgian-style beers, this may be the pumpkin ale for you. THE ALSO-RANS Troegs Brewing Company Hershey, PA It’s a flavor that goes down easy, with nothing bitter or acidic about it. The pumpkin flavor in this variation on the brewery’s UFO (Unfiltered Offering) series tastes sweet and full, and it blends smoothly and naturally with the beer. Not bad for a seasonal variety, but it won’t please pumpkin lovers who harbor a sweet tooth. The pumpkin is noticeable, but here the flavor provides a subtle accent, not a candy coating. The ale’s deeper color - cloudy and light-brown, rather than yellow-gold - speaks to its malty, earthy taste. Unlike some pumpkin ales, the flavor here is backed by a truly well-made beer. THE RUNNERS-UP Long Trail Brewing Company, Bridgewater Corners, VT I may be a pumpkin cynic, but I’d drink a whole glass of this. Allspice and nutmeg are easy to detect, but they come through in service of the pumpkin flavor, which has a nice brown-sugary richness. Unlike most pumpkin ales, this is a brown ale rather than an amber, and it tastes creamy and thick without going down heavy. Here’s how my taste test went down: THE WINNER Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Milton, DEĪ good pumpkin ale doesn’t skimp on the beer in favor of flavoring. I needed to find out: are any of them good enough to convert a skeptic like me? Or are most of them just sugar and spice, not anything nice? So this month I stopped by Table & Wine in West Springfield and picked up 12 pumpkin beers from craft breweries around the country. I have tried, and enjoyed, all sorts of nuts, flowers, fruits, and roots in my pint glass. But then I looked over some past Beerhunter articles, and I realized that I am not exactly a purist. But must our craft beer makers jump on the bandwagon?Ĭlearly, I’ve harbored doubts about this fall treat. Why are we putting pumpkin in our beer? Just because it’s there? Clearly, the market demands it - Oreos, Pringles, and Jell-O all make pumpkin spice products, and Starbucks has been drizzling squash into its lattes for ten years now. In 1923, when The New York Times asked George Mallory why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, the adventurer quipped: “Because it’s there.” That’s not the most promising mantra to cling to - Mallory perished on the mountain the following year - but I fear it’s one that many brewers fall back on when pumpkin beer season rolls around.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |