An October Pumpkin Quad Tasting

Now don't get all excited, we didn't find a pumpkin quadrupel ale. (That would have been awesome if we did!) We picked four (get it - quad) pumpkin ales to sample. In New York, beer is sold in grocery stores. We had the opportunity to create a mix and match six pack. We decided it would be fun to sample some of this year's crop of pumpkin ales.  Here are the four beers we tasted.

Pumpkin UFO by Harpoon Brewery.  Facts: IBU 20, ABV 5.90%

The color is a beautiful hazy orange with a white head. It smells of pumpkin pie spices - cloves and cinnamon. The aroma is very spicy, but not overpowering. You can taste malt and pumpkin. It has a nice finish with little bitterness. This beer would taste great with a Turkey Shorty from Wawa. Dave says he could drink a six pack.  Kathy says it would be good in moderation.

Country Pumpkin by Ithaca Beer Company. Facts: ABV 6.30%

Country Pumpkin is one of the better Pumpkin Ales that we've had the pleasure of trying mostly because it is not overly sweet and not overly spiced making it very sessionable and easy drinking. It is perfectly balanced. Both Dave and Kathy would drink a six-pack of this brew. The 6.3 ABV doesn't hurt either.

Pumpkin Ale by Captain Lawrence Brewing Company.  Facts: IBU 20, ABV 5%

This one is hard to describe. It starts with a yeasty aroma. You can smell a floral hoppiness, but it has a malty finish. It is not very spicy. It was like the pumpkin was just waived over the brew.  Can best be described as an Octoberfest with a slight pumpkin note. Now, does that make it a bad brew? No.  It was very drinkable, but doesn't compare with the other pumpkins beers since it was not very spicy or pumpkiny. However, it would be very easy to drink a six pack.

Wilhem Scream by Magic Hat.  Facts: IBU 20, ABV 5.4%

This beer smells spicy, but doesn't taste overly spicy. It has a nice balanced spice to it.  It is a wonderful burnt orange almost cherry wood in color. While not hoppy, there is a residual grapefruitiness to the finish. This is a fun beer and worthy of your consideration. We are definitely getting another six-pack of this.

Kathy is going back to the grocery store and getting another six-pack of the Country Pumpkin by Ithaca Beer Company. After stealing some of Kathy's beer, David will get some Pumpkin UFO by Harpoon Brewing and hope to trade her.