Hey Pumpkin, Want a Beer?

For beer geeks, October is a significant month. First, Munich’s Oktoberfest, not forgetting its thousands of imitation fests, ushers in the month in late September with all sorts of heavy fall brews. In the United States, October has additional significance as the peak season for pumpkin beers, which nearly every craft brewery in the country has some version of.

Pumpkin, which originated in North America, has been used in beer making since the first colonists arrived in North America. Choosing to brew ales with natural ingredients, pumpkins were readily available and provided plenty of flavor. While the tradition died out with the rise of industrial beer production, it’s back and stronger than ever. You won’t just find pumpkin flavored ales anymore, but porters and stouts as well. Some are sweeter, some are stronger, and none are created equal, as you will see from our list of highlights below.

Southern Tier: Pumking (8.6% ABV)
Lakewood, New York’s Southern Tier brewing company has been releasing this perennially popular Imperial pumpkin ale, available only in 22oz bottles, since 2007. This one is particularly strong with complex layers of flavors that extend beyond pumpkin, but includes hints of roasted pecans, vanilla, nutmeg, and allspice.

Pair With: Pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes.

Shipyard Brewing: Pumpkinhead (4.7% ABV)
Spicier, more like a pumpkin pie than pumpkin, Portland, Maine’s Shipyard Brewery wheat ale with pumpkin and other spices is clean and crisp. This year they have released the beer in cans, as well as in bottles and kegs. A stronger cousin, the Smashed Pumpkin Ale (9.0% ABV), part of their Pugsley’s Signature Series, is also available for limited release.

Pair With: Lamb, turkey.

Avery Brewing Company: Rumpkin (18% ABV)
Boulder, Colorado based Avery Brewing’s blissfully strong Rumpkin, a barrel aged pumpkin ale, sits in dark rum barrels for six months, giving it heady notes of molasses, oak, pumpkin, nutmeg, and ginger.

Pair With: Better on its own for dessert.

Sixpoint: Autumnation (6.7% ABV)

The Citra hop from Washington’s Yakima Valley, which was chosen in a poll by fans, helps define this limited-release wet-hopped Pumpkin Ale from the Brooklyn, New York based brewery. Brewed with ginger and pumpkin, this is a fresh, lighter beer that you can sip throughout your Thanksgiving dinner without being overwhelmed.

Pair With: Sage stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey.

Samuel Adams: Fat Jack (8.5% ABV)
Boston based Sam Adam’s Fat Jack, a limited release, double pumpkin ale brewed with more than 28Ibs of pumpkin per barrel, is full bodied, caramel in color, heavy, and full of spices ranging from cinnamon to nutmeg. Some will appreciate that the pumpkin flavor is rather mild.

Pair With: Duck, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy.

Brooklyn Brewery: Post Road Pumpkin Ale (5% ABV)
This mildly tangy, well balanced orange amber colored brew hailing from Brooklyn, New York might be the easiest to drink of the bunch. Meaning you can drink more than one without feeling like you ate an entire turkey. There’s a crisp taste and spicy finish.

Pair With: Duck, turkey, hen.

Pair With: Turkey, gravy.