There aren’t many beer styles as divisive as the pumpkin beer. Sure, a case can be made for West Coast IPAs with their sometimes overly bitter finish that doesn’t appeal to all drinkers. That said, no beer is so beloved and despised as the pumpkin beer. Released at the end of the summer and into the fall each year, drinkers who hate it think of it as an over-the-top pumpkin-spiced nightmare and just one more seasonal product to avoid.
Beer fans who eagerly await it each autumn love it for its balance of fresh pumpkin flavor and light seasonal spices. This is a story for both the pumpkin beer haters and its passionate fans. That’s because there are actually multi-layered, flavorful pumpkin beers that will appeal to both sets of drinkers as long as they’re willing to give it a chance.
I, myself, was a pumpkin beer hater for years. I didn’t start that way. I enjoyed Post Road Pumpkin Ale from late August through November back in the day. Then, I tried some pumpkin beers that soured me on the style. Then, as my palate grew and I learned about different beer styles, I stopped drinking pumpkin beers and didn’t really give any new ones a chance to change my mind.
Then, a few years ago, I decided to make myself try a few. And, wouldn’t you believe it, I found quite a few that I enjoyed. These weren’t the pumpkin spice bombs that had turned me off from the style. There were (and are) many balanced, flavorful pumpkin beers perfectly suited for sipping from late summer through late fall. I’m just glad I gave them a second chance.
What is a pumpkin beer?
Before I start listing off beers to add to your garage refrigerator this fall, it’s important to take a little detour to explain what exactly a pumpkin beer is. In the simplest terms, a pumpkin beer is a fall seasonal beer that’s brewed with pumpkin flavor and sometimes pumpkin puree along with autumnal spices like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and allspice. While it’s often a stout or porter, some breweries produce amber ales, pale ales, lagers, and even IPAs.
The best, balanced pumpkin beers
Now that we have learned a little bit about the definition of the pumpkin ale, it’s time to find some to add to your fall table. Below, you’ll find my favorite balanced pumpkin beers that are actually worth drinking while you watch the leaves change color before slowly tumbling to the ground.
Tröegs Master of Pumpkins
This 7.5% ABV fall seasonal is available from September through October each year. It’s brewed with Munich, Pilsner, and Special B malts as well as Belgian Ale Yeast. It’s hopped with German Northern Brewer hops. It gets its autumn flavor from the addition of 3,000 pounds of locally grown, picked, sliced, cleaned, and roasted pumpkins, as well as cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg. It’s an eagerly awaited, epic beer that tastes like fall in a pint glass.
The Bronx Brewery Tattooed Pumpkin IPA
If you’ve never tried any beer from The Bronx Brewery, change that this fall by purchasing its Tattooed Pumpkin. Brewed with chocolate and caramel malts and a smattering of well-balanced hops, it’s flavored with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clover, allspice, and a healthy dose of vanilla sweetness. It’s like a mix of an IPA and pumpkin ale. The seasonal sweetness and piney bitterness work together in perfect unison to make a truly unique, memorable beer.
Southern Tier Pumking
There are few pumpkin beers more beloved than the seasonal Southern Tier Pumking. Available August through October, this 8.6% ABV pumpkin ale was brewed with 2-row Pale, Munich, and C60 malts as well as ale yeast and CTZ hops. It gets its fall flavor from the addition of pumpkin and spices. The result is a complex beer featuring notes of caramel malts, pie crust, ripe pumpkin, and gentle baking spices.
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
If you’re looking for a classic, balanced, no-frills pumpkin beer, look no further than Schlafly Pumpkin Ale. Brewed with real pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, this 8% ABV fall seasonal has a perfect balance of caramel, bready malt sweetness, vegetal pumpkins, and gentle baking spices. It’s like a well-balanced, subtle, flavorful pumpkin pie in a beer bottle. What could be better on a cool fall afternoon?
Cigar City Good Gourd
With a name like Cigar City Good Gourd, you should have a pretty good idea about what’s inside this beer can. This 8.8% ABV imperial pumpkin ale is rich, malty, and loaded with fall flavors, brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. It’s supposed to taste like the beer equivalent of pumpkin pie, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Bring this to your fall get-togethers instead of dessert, and everyone will be happy.
Saint Arnold Pumpkinator
First released in 2009, this 10.3% ABV imperial pumpkin stout is brewed with pale 2-row, caramel, and black malts along with Liberty and Cascade hops. It gets its seasonal flavor from the liberal use of ripe pumpkin, molasses, brown sugar, and various fall spices. The result is a multi-layered beer filled with dark malts, chocolate, molasses, pumpkin, and pleasant baking spices. It’s sweet and spiced, leaving you craving more.
Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale
Delaware’s Dogfish Head is well-known for its over-the-top beers. Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale is no exception. First brewed in 1994, this 7% ABV fall staple is a brown ale brewed with pumpkin, brown sugar, and spices. The result is an exceptional brew loaded with flavors like pumpkin pie, caramelized sugar, cinnamon, and other spices. The finish is warm and pleasantly spiced, especially on a cold fall night.
Two Roads Roadsmary’s Baby
Named for the spooky film ‘Rosemary’s Baby’, this fall seasonal is a 6.8% ABV pumpkin ale brewed with pumpkin and spices, and aged in rum barrels with vanilla beans. This results in a sublimely complex fall beer filled with flavors like vanilla beans, vegetal, sweet pumpkin, cinnamon, rum, and other spices. It’s a memorable seasonal brew that needs to be tasted to be believed.
