We know what you’re thinking, “Pumpkin beers are everything that’s wrong with the beer industry!” These gimmicky, seasonal brews arrive at the end of August like a terrible beacon, warning you that it’s time to put away your board shorts because summer is officially over. Part of the hatred of these often-cloyingly sweet, overly pumpkin-fied ales is because they are merely one of a billion pumpkin spice flavored products that flood the market beginning in mid-August every year. There’s pumpkin spice Frappuccinos, air fresheners, humus, and even chewing gum (f*ck off, food industry).
With this over-saturation of pumpkin spice, it’s no surprise that many beer fans try to steer clear of pumpkin ales. But, if they do, they’re missing out on some surprisingly well-rounded, delicious beers. Check our list of highlights below:
Cambridge Brewing Great Pumpkin Ale
This might be the best, most drinkable pumpkin ales on the market. At 4.4% alcohol, it’s technically a session beer. So you can drink a few and not feel too bad about it. Only available in the fall, Cambridge’s take on the classic pumpkin ale is also one of the most beloved by fans. The beer gets its flavor from sugar pumpkins, sourced from two local farms, as well as Massachusetts barley.
Stevens Point Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale
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Available from early August until late September, Stevens Point’s pumpkin ale is 7.4% alcohol and is an autumnal combination of real pumpkins as well as subtle pumpkin pie spices. The key with this beer is the fact that it’s balanced with hops and a trinity of malts (Munich, Roasted, and Caramel). If you really want to kick it up a notch, find the very limited bourbon barrel aged version of this brew.
Southern Tier Pumking
One of the most renowned pumpkin ales on the market, Southern Tier’s “king of pumpkin beers” should be given the respect it deserves. It also sits at a potent 8.6% alcohol, so… nuf said. The complex, well-rounded ale gets its flavor from ales yeast specific to the beer as well as multiple hop varieties, malts, all layered together with pumpkin and various fall spices. It’s malty, sweet and full of the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, and toasted pecans.
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
This 8% pumpkin ale was designed to taste like a pumpkin pie. In theory, that sounds terrible. But, somewhere along the way, the brewers found a way to bridge the gap between too much pumpkin and sweetness and malty, palatable fall beer. They did this by starting with real pumpkin squash, a special blend of spices as well as Marynka hops, 5 kinds of malts, and American Ale yeast.
Cigar City Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale
There’s a lot of good stuff coming out of Cigar City lately and its Good Gourd Imperial Pumpkin Ale is no exception. This 8.8% imperial ale is full of fall flavors like Ceylon cinnamon, all-spice, nutmeg, and cloves. But, it’s not one-dimensional. The spice and sweetness are balanced by a dry hop flavor that comes together to create one of the all-time most awarded pumpkin ales on the market.
Avery Brewing Rumpkin
If Charlie Brown hid in a field to wait for the beer version of the “Great Pumpkin” he’d probably be waiting for Rumpkin. This is a beer to be honored, respected, and sipped slowly. That’s because at 17.5% alcohol, it’s as potent as three or more regular beers in one. This isn’t your average pumpkin ale. It’s spicy and full of real pumpkin and spices, but it’s also aged in fresh rum barrels. This gives it an added caramel and toasted vanilla flavor.
Elysian Brewing Night Owl
You’d have a tough time finding a pumpkin ale with more pumpkin flavor. That’s because the folks at Elysian add 150 pounds of pumpkins to every batch. They round it out with Pale, Munich, and Crystal malts as well as roasted pumpkin seeds and Horizon hops. Don’t worry, they didn’t forget the autumnal seasoning. Night Owl is chocked full of clove, cinnamon, and ginger flavors.
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
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This 7% brown ale gets its name because of the subtle addition of pumpkin and brown sugar flavors. It’s literally brewed with pumpkin pulp, brown sugar, and various seasonal spices. It’s named for the famous Delaware tradition of “punkin chunkin” or pumpkin catapulting. It’s been brewed since 1994 and you definitely won’t want to toss this one aside.
