The first contender: Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale. Honestly, it was a lot like a Sam Octoberfest with slight aftertaste of pumpkin puree. It's a good "one beer"option but honestly, I couldn't drink several of them back to back. The hops were well balanced but it had quite a bit of body to it. When mixed into a Pumpkin Pie Cocktail (pumpkin beer with a shot of Pinnacle Whipped Cream Vodka and a cinnamon rim), it actually became incredibly easy drinking - and potentially quite dangerous.
Beer #2: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale. The initial nose of the beer is very aggressive with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger. On the palate, it's definitely heavy on the hops and light on the pumpkin. It's not what I would traditionally expect from a pumpkin beer and is a bit closer in flavor profile to an IPA. That being said, it didn't translate well at all into cocktail form and at that point, all semblance of discernible pumpkin flavor went flat.
Next up, we have Shocktop Pumpkin. I'm actually a huge fan of traditional Shocktop, but their pumpkin brew was easily my least favorite beer tasted. It was flat, dull and watery with no complexity at all. Yes, I got notes of pumpkin but I also would like notes of beer along with it. When combined into a cocktail, we may as well have added club soda to the Pinnacle Whipped because that's about what the Shocktop added. Needless to say, we were not fans.
Contender #4 kind of snuck in under the radar. Harpoon Pumpkin Cider isn't really a beer at all but it was a refreshing little gem that I thought was at least noteworthy of some comments. The nose is lightly spicy layered with a bright crispness. Think of how the spiced apples that you'd put in a pie smell before you cook them and you'll have a pretty clear idea. The palate has a feint back note of pumpkin behind the strong apple flavors but it's easily discernible. We opted not to try this one as a cocktail because well, adding vodka to cider just sounds like the hangover-from-hell waiting to happen and I'm just not down with that.
Beer #5: our first real contender for the house pumpkin beer! Cisco Brewery's Pumple Drumkin Spiced Ale (yes, I also love saying the name but that's besides the point). On the initial nose, there's a strong evidence of a richly spiced pumpkin pie that followed through to the palate. This is what I'm looking for when I order a pumpkin beer. (I want it to taste like pumpkin, crazy, I know). When combined into the Pumpkin Pie Cocktail, it married incredibly well to give the illusion of drinking a slice of pie topped with vanilla bean ice cream. If you haven't tried it yet, this brew comes highly recommended.
Beer #6: St. Ambrose Pumpkin. Most accurately described as a full bodied Shipyard. Slightly less pumpkin-y but still evident in the flavor profile. The hops and malt show a really great balance with a tinge of cinnamon on both the nose and the palate. This was one of my favorite combinations with the Pinnacle Whipped as it stood up to the creamy sweetness without being overpowered.
Beer #7: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Like every other Dogfish head brew, it's spicy, bold, hoppy and aggressive with the malt. The beer punches you in the face with pumpkin, cinnamon and clove with a back finish of bold hops. It's definitely a beer drinkers pumpkin ale, but a good one nonetheless. Consider yourself forewarned - this is not a beer for the faint at heart looking for a casual pumpkin beverage. It combines okay with the Pinnacle Whipped but the beer really was too aggressive to play nicely with any other ingredients.
Beer #8: Harpoon UFO Pumpkin was the personal favorite of both James and myself. It's a lighter, wheat-based beer that pairs incredibly well with the pumpkin and the spices to give a balanced, pumpkin-pie like drinking experience without being overly heavy. It also makes a great cocktail with the Whipped Vodka taking on that pumpkin pie a la mode quality.
Beer #9: Southern Brewers Pumpking was an aggressively pumpkin-y, full bodied, yet easily drinkable brew that really played well into the preconception of what I would want my pumpkin beer to be. Downside, it only comes in a large format bottle which I'm not a huge fan of because I hate getting to the end of a beer and having it be warm and flat. It played well with the Pinnacle Whipped as well and may have been my personal favorite in cocktail form.
Beer #10: The original pumpkin... Shipyard Pumpkinhead. I'll always have a soft spot for this brew, no matter what else I come across. Shipyard was making pumpkin beer way before it was the "it" thing and they've had it right for quite a while now. The beer has distinct notes of pumpkin with a subtle spice undertone - nothing like the aggressive pumpkin pie spices we've encountered in some of the other brews. It has a unique way of brining a great pumpkin pie quality without being overly sweet. When mixed into the cocktail, it married incredibly well without either flavor overpower one another.
So if you're looking for brief summary, here are my overall rankings:
Harpoon UFO Pumpkin
Cisco Brewery - Pumple Drumkin Spiced Ale
Shipyard Pumpkinhead
Southern Brewers Pumpking
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
St. Ambrose Pumpkin
Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Harpoon Pumpkin Cider
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
Shocktop Pumpkin
James' thoughts varied a bit at the top of the list, but we're generally in the same ballpark:
Harpoon UFO Pumpkin
Shipyard Pumpkinhead
St. Ambrose Pumpkin
Southern Brewers Pumpking
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Cisco Brewery - Pumple Drumkin Spiced Ale
Sam Adam Harvest Pumpkin Ale
Harpoon Pumpkin Cider
Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
Shocktop Pumpkin
Happy drinking!
Youre missing a few strong contenders, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale and Post Road Pumpkin Ale. I thought Pumpking was outstanding though.
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