My Favorite Pumpkin Beers

It's the weekend before Halloween and I'm going to be drinking pumpkin beer. You should too. I've got a growler of homebrewed pumpkin ale inspired by my commercial favorites on hand, and some Dogfish Head Punkin in the fridge—one of those favorites. If you're lucky enough to still have fall seasonals around, here are three worth drinking.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room  |  8.00% ABV
4.15/5

This is easily the best pumpkin beer I've had. Sure, there isn't a great deal of deviation within the style, but this left a great impression on me. Compared to the other big pumpkin beers like Pumking and Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin, this was richer in pumpkin flavor, while also being more drinklable. The taste is just a nice mix of pumpkin meat with dashes of spice and a mellow malt backbone. A must-try for pumpkin beer lovers.

Pumpkin Ale
Williamsburg AleWerks  |  8.00% ABV 
4/5

I wasn't sure what to expect after mixed results from other Williamsburg beer, but this hit the spot on a chilly fall evening. It doesn't exactly stand out in the crowd, but this isn't a style with a deep range. There's a rich pumpkin pie spice aroma and initial flavor, followed by a slightly nutty, toffee malt character. The body is light enough to not let on the strength, I was surprised to learn it's 8%, so watch out for this one. Definitely worth a try if you can find it. This is a fine example of the style.

Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery  |  7.00% ABV 
3.88/5

I'm not sure where this appeared from in January, but I'm not complaining. I had a pint (low-head) with my soup and pizza at Liberty St. Tavern. The hops have died down a bit since October, but this is still about the hoppiest pumpkin ale you can find. It starts with big, pulpy pumpkin meat in the aroma and flavor which is followed by a bitter burst of citrus. This isn't the most complexx pumpkin beer, the malts never really came out. But I'd say it's the most balanced and certainly one of the more pleasant to drink.

Host a Beer Tasting

I've been talking with my friends at party-planning site Zokos about the elements of a good tasting. While there's plenty to be said for tasting technique, the beer's what really counts. So here are the five beers I'd pick for tasting that could please beer noobs as well as snobs.  

Radeberger Pilsner
Classic, bitter German pils that proves these beers really are hopped. The bite and subtle, spicy hops flavor are balanced again a mild, bready malt profile that makes this a satisfying beer to drink, but also an easy crowd favorite. I enjoyed it on a hot day  

Dale's Pale Ale
The aroma has a light toffee and sweet bread background with big, sharp grapefruit. The hops take over with a crisp, near ripping bitterness and citrus rind for a very full hops flavor that's more on-par with an IPA (this beer does have 65 IBU's after all). The aftertaste is long lasting with the juicy, bitter citrus flavors. This isn't a beer you'd soon forget. A must-try for hops lovers.

Rogue Hazelnut Brown Nectar
A super smooth brown ale with big hazelnut in the aroma. If I closed my eyes, I would have sworn the nuts were floating in my glass. There was a nice, sweet cocoa, maple syrup and nutty mix to the taste.  

Westmalle Tripel
This big, almost champagne-like Belgian ale is a touch sweeter with drop of candy and caramel. However, the beer veers away from the barley and yeast character toward the underlying hops that give this a dry, spicy finish.  

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine
Unlike the sweeter, maltier English barleywines, Hog Heaven balanced the big, fruity barley character with loads and loads of American hops. This creates a bitter, but balance ale bursting with dry citrus fruit from the hops, which slides into the more berry-like and caramel notes from the malt.