Have you ever tried a pumpkin beer before? Do you like
pumpkin pie? If you haven’t had the chance to try a pumpkin beer and youre a
fan of pumpkin pie, you are REALLY missing out.
Being released as a fall seasonal, pumpkin beers are
actually quite varied. Some brewers use
actual pumpkins while others use pumpkin puree/flavoring. All of these pumpkin ales are usually brewed
with the same kind of spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and many
more. You usually cant tell the
difference. I am a HUGE fan of pumpkin
beers…While you’re having pumpkin pie for dessert, I will be indulging in the
liquid version of pumpkin pie.
We have three amazing pumpkin beers on draft currently at
work. Here is my two cents:
Griffin Claw Screamin’ Pumpkin
For those of you that haven’t heard of Griffin Claw, they
are a new brewery out of Birmingham, MI.
Griffin Claw was established in 2012 and they have gained popularity and
public awareness EXTREMELY fast for a brewery.
Many of their different beers have won numerous metals for best beer in
many different competitions.
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| Photo Taken by Scott Swartz |
Ok, enough of the facts and onto the interesting stuff about
Screamin’ Pumpkin…This beer literally tastes like a piece of warm pumpkin
pie. Coming in at 5% ABV (alcohol by
volume), it is more of a “session beer,” meaning you can drink more than one of
them without feeling like you’re gonna fall off your bar stool. However, it is a one-and-done for me, as it
is on the heavy side (Heavy meaning very spice-ful). I think this is one of those beers I could
drink on Thanksgiving or Christmas as well.
New Belgium Pumpkick
New Belgium is a well-known brewery out of Colorado. You have probably heard of their beer by the
name of “Fat Tire,” which is their staple.
The ABV on this one is 6% and it has a very interesting flavor that is
not like any other pumpkin beer. It is
actually brewed with cranberry juice, which gives it a very interesting
after-taste and is one of my least-favorite pumpkin beers because of that. Don’t let my personal opinion resist you from
trying it, though…it is very popular.
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| Photo Taken by Scott Swartz |
Alaskan Pumpkin Ale
I saved the best for last…this one is one of my favorite
pumpkin ales. Out of Juneau, Alaska,
this is another new brewery established in 2013 that is gaining publicity at an
alarming rate. But, for a great reason:
they brew AMAZING beer. It is one of my newly
favorite breweries.
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| Photo Taken by Scott Swartz |
This is the first year they have brewed the Pumpkin
Ale. The dominant flavor I taste in it
is nutmeg, which makes it give the impression that you taste real pumpkin. Coming in at 6% ABV, it is another one of
those that you can drink more than one of…It is not very heavy.
