Day 303, Oct 30 / Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Day 303 / October 30, 2011

Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Brooklyn Brewing Company / Utica, NY

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Middle of the Post Road.

Post Road is from Brooklyn Brewing and contract brewed in Utica, NY.  I’m generally a fan of Brooklyn brews, but I find Post Road to be pretty much the same as the other pumpkin beers this week.  It’s an average mild ale, with just a hit of pumpkin and spices.

Next please….

Day 302, Oct 29 / The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Day 302 / October 29, 2011

The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Flying Dog Brewing Company / Frederick, MD

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Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

Actually, not too afraid….

From the label of Flying Dog’s The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale:

Why is there only one time of year – as goblins, ghouls, and ghosts frolic on front lawns – when we embrace THE FEAR? At all other times, THE FEAR dominates us, controls us, and prevents us from greatness. What is there to THE FEAR? Disagreement? Criticism? Humiliation? Whatever THE FEAR is that consumes you, embrace it, along with this Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Only then will the true artist in you rise up.

The Fear is new for 2011, and is a much fuller bodied beer than most pumpkin ales, with a dark color, roasty taste, and a thick khaki colored head.  The pumpkin flavor comes from a pumpkin puree from a local farm.  This was an interesting beer, but again, I don’t think I’ll be having another one.

BACKUP BEER:  Earlier in the night, I had another new beer, just in case I didn’t get home in time for a pumpkin beer.  On tap at Zaytinya in Washington DC, they had Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat Ale from Chicago.  This was a filtered, light wheat beer, which I’d heard about but hadn’t seen in this area.  It was very refreshing, and its lighter flavor went well with the Mediterranean tapas dishes at Zaytinya.

Day 301, Oct / Punkin Ale

Day 301 / October 28, 2011

Punkin Ale

Dogfish Head Brewing Co. / Milton, DE

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Punk’d!

No, not really.  I’m revisiting pumpkin beers and ales for the sake of the blog, but you know?  I still don’t really like them.  I had planned to keep this up until Halloween… we’ll see how long it lasts.  I’ve got to say, from Wednesday to Friday, each pumpkin ale is getting a little bit better, but I’m still not a fan.

After visiting the haunted house (spooky mental asylum) at our daughter’s high school, my wife and I went to the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Falls Church, VA, for dinner.  Before we left, I checked the online chalkboard to make sure they still had their Punkin Ale on tap.  As usual, the place was packed on a Friday evening, with an hour wait for a table for two.  As I went to the bar and got us some drinks, my wife scoped out the bar area for a table opening up.  We ending up sharing a long table with two other parties, which was a little strange, but fine.

Dogfish’s Punkin Ale had a little more pumpkin-forward taste than the other two beers, but there still wasn’t enough of a pumpkin or spice taste to make me say “Wow!” or even “Hmmmm...”

What did make me say “Wow” was the shepherd’s pie on their new seasonal specials menu.  It was stew of beef, mushrooms, veggies and gravy, topped with mashed potatoes.  It was very good!

And how about some props for that photo, huh?  Took that on a barrel at DFHA.  The beer and pumpkin were on the barrell - I wasn't.

Day 300, Oct 27 / Pumpkin Ale

Day 300 / October 27, 2011

Pumpkin Ale

Smuttynose Brewing Co.  /  Portsmouth NH

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Day 300!  What better way to celebrate than with a pumpkin beer, right?

No, not really.  I’m revisiting pumpkin beers and ales for the sake of the blog, but you know?  I still don’t really like them.  I had planned to keep this up until Halloween… we’ll see how long it lasts.

I’d say the Smuttynose was just a little better than the New Holland Ichabod pumpkin, because you could make out the tastes of the pumpkin and the spices a little beer.  But I still can’t give it a “Good” grade, because it’s not something I’ll order again.

And another thing – Smuttynose needs to invest in a little marketing.  Their labels and beer names aren’t very creative, and their website ranks very low out of all the beer sites I’ve visited this year.  The picture below is the actual picture of their pumpkin beer posted on their website.

Sure, I’d rather they put their money into the beer, but a little investment could certainly help the brand!

Fuzzy pumpkin, anyone?

Day 299, Oct 26 / Ichabod Pumpkin Ale

Day 299 / October 26, 2011

Ichabod Pumpkin Ale

New Holland Brewing Company / Holland, MI

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It’s the Great Pumpkin Beer Run, Charlie Brown!

When I was a young kid, I didn’t think I liked pumpkin pie.  I mean, gross, right?  The only thing I liked about pumpkins was scooping all the insides out at Halloween and carving a jack’o’lantern.  And who’d want to each something made with all that gunk?

But then, one Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house, I was a brave little boy and I tried a bite of pumpkin pie… and it was pretty good!  And now I’m a fan of most things pumpkin.  My sister-in-law makes a great pumpkin torte.  My wife’s pumpkin cheesecake with a ginger snap crust is awesome.  And you know what else is good?  Take a regular slice of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and then drizzle a little real maple syrup (not Log Cabin) over the top.  But pumpkin soup?  Not so much.

And pumpkin beer?  Honestly, I haven’t been the biggest fan.  I’ve had a couple over the years, and I wasn’t too impressed.  But it’s been a while, so I’m willing to try a few, for the benefit of the blog.

We’ll start off with New Holland’s Ichabod Pumpkin Ale.  This beer was a nice copper color, but I didn’t really taste or smell any noticeable pumpkin or spices.  Furthermore, I thought the taste was actually kind of dry and astringent. So it wasn’t really the pumpkin taste that made me dislike this beer, it was somewhat a lack of taste overall.