Happy Pumpkin Wednesday! Pumpkin Beer Edition

Hello friends and Happy Pumpkin Wednesday!  We are inching closer and closer to Halloween, and I must post about pumpkin flavored beers before October is over, so tonight, grab your shopping list and get ready to pick up a new six pack of pumpkin beers on your weekly trip to the grocery store!

Let me start by saying that although Pumpkin Kitty might be spotted next to a beer every now and then:

Supporting the local breweries

Pumpkin and Pumpkin, she just loves the fall!

And whiles it's likely she is hovering near your beer bottle in hopes of catching an errant bottle cap, there is no doubt that Pumpkin no where near old enough to be having a beer!

Because Pumpkin couldn't help with tasting pumpkin beers, I assembled a panel of experts to provide their thoughts about five different pumpkin flavored beers

Some who wish to be named...hello ladies! 

And those who wished to preserve their anonymity

We gathered on a recent evening and sampled five different beers, chosen at random from the selection at the local beer/wine/liquor store.  The selections for the evening included:

New Holland Ichabod

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale

Arcadia Jaw Jacker Ale

Southern Tier Pumpking Imperial Ale

Below are a few choice comments from the panel of experts, selected in the hopes that these reviews will enable you to feel confident trying a new beer!

New Holland Ichabod

The Ichabod was the second favorite beer of the group.  From the New Holland Brewery in Michigan, the experts overwhelmingly described this beer as "not too pumpkiny."  There are some who picked up on the nutmeg flavors, and overall the beer does not have a strong aftertaste.  One expert noted that this is a beer you "could get hammered on and be happy."

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

The experts overwhelmingly agreed this beer was "spicy," had a "high spice content" and "cinnamon aftertaste."  A few of the experts did not enjoy the smell of this beer, which could be attributed to the fact that this beer is just better on draft served in a glass with a brown sugar rim.  Don't count this beer out, and I would recommend trying it on draft at your favorite local pub.

Wolaver's Organic Pumpkin Ale

This beer fared well with the experts, and was described as "light" and "very pumpkiny."  The pumpkin flavor was very apparent to all the experts, with one of the experts going so far as to describe the beer as a bit "too vegetably."  If you're looking for a light crisp beer with a strong pure pumpkin flavor and less nutmeg and cinnamon, give this beer a try!

Arcadia Jaw Jacker Ale

This beer from the Arcadia Brewery in Michigan had a "strong aftertaste" and was described by a few of the experts as "bitter."  This beer was not particularly well-received by the group, and one expert compared the beer to the "taste of soap."  Perhaps we had already consumed too many beers by the time we go to the fourth, but the Arcadia Jaw Jacker was the least favorite of the group.

Southern Tier Pumpking Imperial Pumpkin Ale

This beer, with a high alcohol content of 8.6%ABV, was the hands down favorite of the group.  But beware if you're not in the mood for something with a lot of pumpkin flavor and a lot of sweetness.  Almost all the experts described the beer as sweet and were quick to point out the heavy vanilla notes.  One expert described the beer as comparable to "pumpkin pie ala mode" and was suggested as possibly a "dessert beer."  If you're looking for sweet, almost pumpkin pie flavored beer, the Southern Tier Pumpkin Ale is for you.


What pumpkin beers have you tried this season?  What would you recommend to your friends and have you bought a six pack that you would not buy again?  Feel free to leave your comments and tell about your favorite pumpkin beer!

Looking forward to a lovely Thursday!