When summer is almost over and you begin to feel the slightest nip in the air, you’ll see pumpkin beer showing up on store shelves and in cooler cases. Just like the addition of peanut butter cups, Skittles, and other Halloween candy at stores in August, pumpkin beer magically appears to let us all know that fall is just around the corner.
But not everyone loves pumpkin beers. Their appearance is, at the very least, an annoyance to some drinkers. Some beer lovers just don’t enjoy flavored brew at all, while others have tried one poorly made version in the past and refuse to ever try one again. In our opinion, these drinkers are really missing out. For every overly sweet, pumpkin-spiced nightmare, there are countless well-balanced, flavorful pumpkin beers.
What is pumpkin beer?
For those new to the style, pumpkin beer is a fall seasonal style. Like with many fall-centric beers, it usually hits shelves in mid to late August. It can be flavored with pumpkin and pumpkin spice flavorings or brewed with pumpkin, fall spices (like cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, and other flavors), or different types of squash.
While they are called “pumpkin beers,” you’re not likely to find a beer that simply contains pumpkin as an added ingredient, as the orange-hued gourd doesn’t really have much flavor on its own. This is why many brewers flavor their pumpkin beers to create a “pumpkin pie” in a pint glass.
What kinds of styles are used to make pumpkin beers?
The pumpkin beer has no set beer-style base. While you’ll find countless pumpkin-spiced stouts, you’ll also find amber ales, pale ales, porters, brown ales, pilsners, and even IPAs. And while these are all (sometimes very much so) different beer styles, they have seasonal flavors like nutmeg, allspice, vanilla beans, cinnamon, cloves, and of course, pumpkin (or pumpkin flavoring).
But not all brewers use every one of the above ingredients. Brewers also add complementary ingredients like coffee, chocolate, and others. There are also a handful of well-known bourbon barrel-aged pumpkin beers.
How are they made?
There are many ways brewers can add pumpkin flavor to their beers. The pumpkin flesh can be added during fermentation or in the mash (instead of some of the barley) or the kettle. Some brewers opt for pumpkin flesh, pumpkin puree, or other types of squash.
As we mentioned before, adding fresh pumpkin flesh isn’t enough. If a brewer opts to do this, their beer would be fairly flavorless with just a subtle hint of pumpkin lingering in the background. This is why brewers choose to add pumpkin spices like ginger, allspices, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon. These spices are often added during the kettle portion of brewing but are also sometimes added during fermentation.
What do they taste like?
Since there are so many different ways to flavor pumpkin beers and different styles used, there’s no clear-cut example of what a pumpkin beer should taste like. Some pumpkin beers are subtle in spice and pumpkin flavors, others taste like a pumpkin pie in beer form, and some are overly sweet and borderline dessert-like.
Pumpkin-spiced stouts and porters might be indulgent, sweet, and rich. Pumpkin pale ales and IPAs might have an overall pumpkin-spiced flavor as well as bitter, floral hops at the finish. Regardless of the style, every pumpkin beer has at least a backbone of pumpkin and spices.
Why are they so divisive?
It should be obvious why pumpkin beers are so divisive. If you’re a beer purist, you likely don’t enjoy anything extra in your beer besides water, malts, and hops. The addition of pumpkin (or pumpkin puree) as well as various pumpkin spices isn’t for everyone. Lovers of pumpkin beers tout them for their balanced, seasonal flavors. Haters believe they’re an overly sweet, pumpkin-spiced disaster. It’s OK though. This beer style isn’t for them.
What are some of the best pumpkin beers?
If you enjoy pumpkin beers, you should be happy to know that there are myriad well-made, balanced, flavorful pumpkin beers available. They include Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Iron Hill Pumpkin Ale, Southern Tier Pumking, Two Roads Roadsmary’s Baby, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, Elysian Night Owl, and more.
Bottom line
Since summer turning to fall is inevitable, we suggest diving headfirst into autumn and enjoying everything it has to offer. This means biting into a crisp fall apple, sitting by a warming campfire, pulling on a toasty, heavy sweater or sweatshirt, and sipping on a balanced, complex pumpkin ale. Enjoy fall, even the pumpkin-spiced parts to it.
