We know it’s not October yet, but many breweries appear to be releasing their pumpkin ales earlier and earlier each year. According to to Greg Ramirez, the owner of Exton Beverage, “the sales of pumpkin ales have exploded over the past five years.” Mike Troupe, the bar manager at Appetites on Main, puts it simply, “a lot of people like pumpkin!”
We talked with a few beer connoisseurs to create a list of ten pumpkin beers that are either available now or coming soon! Pick your pumpkin!
10) Arcadia Jaw Jacker – 6% ABV – this Michigan Ale is brewed with a touch of wheat and pumpkin spices but does not include pumpkin.
9) UFO Pumpkin Ale – This ale comes from Harpoon Brewery based out of Boston. UFO is known for their Hefeweizen. At 5.9% ABV, their version of a pumpkin ale has hints of pumpkin and spice to round out the malty taste.
8) Saranac Pumpkin Ale is 5.4% ABV. Along with using pumpkin and the traditional spices of cinnamon, allspice, cloves and ginger, they throw in a taste of vanilla.
7) Fegley’s Brewworks Devious Imperial Pumpkin Ale – At 9% this is a strong pumpkin ale. Brewed with caramel malts. Mixed with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and allspice. Fegley’s Brewworks is based out of Bethlehem, PA.
6) Iron Hill Imperial Pumpkin Ale – All Iron Hills will have the Imperial version available in bottles starting September 26th. Pumpkin ale on tap will be available at Iron Hill West Chester on October 7th, and at Phoenixville Iron Hill on October 17th.
5) Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (6% ABV) – Out of New Hampshire, this ale is light on the cinnamon, giving it a more subtle flavor of spices and pumpkin. A favorite of John’s at Exton Beverage.
4) Buffalo Bill Imperial Pumpkin Ale – This beer is 5.2% ABV. They claim to have been brewing this ale for over twenty-five years. Brewed with baked and roasted pumpkins, spices and a touch of brown sugar.
3) Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (8% alcohol) – This pumpkin ale has strong pumpkin spices. Made with real pumpkin and plenty of those pumpkin pie spices, this beer is full-bodied. Tom from Ron’s Original Bar & Grille comments, “I really like the Weyerbacher Pumpkin… because they have that nice spice to it without going over the top.”
2) Southern Tier Pumking, 8.6% ABV – Tom from Ron’s Original Bar and Grille explains why this is his favorite of the pumpkin ales. “I really like the Southern Tier Pumking for the reason that it tastes like Pumpkin Pie in a bottle. You are reaching for a toothpick when you’re done drinking it to get the bits of crust out, thats how close it is!” He says with a laugh.
1) Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, 7% alcohol – This ale is one of the last being released this year. Irene Adamos, a manager at Sam’s Pizza Island, said this is her favorite pumpkin ale. This pumpkin ale “feels like I just parked on the grass at Linvilla Orchards in October and all the lovely fall scents were turned into flavors in my mouth,” she says. The name Punkin comes from the legendary Delaware Punkin Chunkin event held each year in Delaware, near where this beer is brewed.
Michael Troupe is also a fan. “Dogfish Head Punkin is by far my favorite pumpkin beer. It’s has the perfect amount of flavors like a nice pumpkin pie, mostly nutmeg with a bit of pumpkin flavor, also a slight leafy or earthy hop profile and still has a bit of bitterness to it. I like the fact that it is not overwhelmingly powerful in smell and the alcohol content is there in a perfect balance. Most pumpkin beers tend to be too sweet but the guys at Dogfish killed it with this one!”
Colleen Perrin, known as @wcbeerlady also favors the Dogfish Head. “The pumpkin beer I anxiously wait for is Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head. It’s fall in a bottle, if you ask me. It has a nice pumpkin and fall spice flavor but it isn’t overwhelming.
But Colleen also notes, “the best thing about pumpkin beers is that there are so many. I got a cart full this weekend, and I am going to try more.”
Where to pick your pumpkins this year? Here a list of who has what! Remember – all the pumpkin ales are limited availability. They have come out earlier in the season, so they may vanish sooner.
Exton Beverage carries cases of Weyerbacher, UFO, Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Post Road, Fegley Brewworks, Shock Top, Buffalo Bill’s Orignal Pumpkin Ale.
Appetites on Main is serving Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale on tap and had just tapped Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. A keg of the Brew Works Devious Pumpkin is also ready to be tapped soon.
Ron’s Original Bar and Grille is currently serving Southern Tier Pumking, Sam Adams Pumpkin Harvest, Brew Works Devious Pumpkin Ale, Dogfish Head Punkin’, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin and Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin.
Sam’s Pizza Island currently carries Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat, Post Road Pumpkin Ale & Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale.
(And, once you start drinking up, report back with your favorites!)
