Fall is coming and a big component of the season and fall parties for me is the scrumptious pumpkin beer. Beer aficionados may scoff at me for liking it but I will stand by pumpkin beer till the day I die. It’s Fall in a glass. Here are 5 of my favorite pumpkin beers in no particular order.
Crown Valley Imperial Pumpkin Smash Stout
Brewery: Crown Valley Brewery
ABV: 10.6%
Description: This beer is deliciously roasted with dark chocolate and toffee notes with a hint of smoke and a little spice from the Chinook hops. The pumpkin adds body and character for a great beer. One of our favorite pumpkin beers of 2018!
Saranac Pumpkin Ale
Brewery: Saranac Brewery / Matt Brewing Company
ABV: 5.3%
Description: A hearty ale brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice and ginger with a full body and amber color.
Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin
Brewery: New Belgium
ABV: 6.4%
Description: This is a bizarre pumpkin beer in that it features habanero peppers to give it a spicy zing. New Belgium describes the flavor as starting “with low sweetness and moves directly into a low bitterness and finishes with a very low sourness.”
Samuel Adams 20 Pounds of Pumpkin
Brewery: Samuel Adams
ABV: 5.7%
Description: Sam Adams describes it as, “Real pumpkin – close to 20lbs of it per barrel – and warming spices like ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg give this brew a smooth, hearty, and inviting character perfect for the crisper days of fall.” This is one of my favorites. It’s like drinking the insides of a pumpkin. If that sounds nasty to you, you may want to avoid this particular brew.
St. Arnold’s Pumpkinator
Brewery: St. Arnold Brewing Company
ABV: 11%
Description: This beer is off the charts delicious. It’s an Imperial Stout with pumpkin, molasses, brown sugar, spices and dry-spiced “to make it feel like you just walked into your mom’s kitchen while she was cooking 37 pumpkin pies.”
The Great Pumpkin by Elysian Brewing
Brewery: Elysian Brewing
ABV: 8.4%
Description: This imperial pumpkin ale has an intense pumpkin aroma ” with a nice bready and malty backdrop to tame all those autumn spices into a remarkably smooth, balanced and delectable fall treat.”
This list is, of course, not exhaustive. There are hundreds of amazing pumpkin beers out there. And if you’re in the mood for more beer, here’s a list of 5 chocolate beers to try.
All photos, unless otherwise marked, came from the brewery websites.
Also, be sure to check out our list of Halloween cocktails.
