Our Favorite Pumpkin Beers of 2019
October 31, 2019
Happy Halloween, everyone! We hosted our close friends (and our ghost friends!) for a Halloween costume party last weekend. The highlight of the party, besides our Schitt’s Creek couple costume, was our massive pumpkin beer tasting bonanza. We all agreed we’re often underwhelmed by pumpkin ales – they frequently fall flat or taste too artificial. Luckily, we had several fantastic pumpkin ales in our selection—some spiced with cinnamon, coffee, nutmeg, or even a little ginger for an extra kick. We tallied up the votes and came up with some awards for some of our favorites of both the party and the year.
Best Gateway Pumpkin Beer
Kern River Brewing Company, Pumpkin Ale
A lot of our friends were not pumpkin beer enthusiasts, so we needed a way to start our celebration with a clean slate. The best way to do that was to rely on the good people at Kern River Brewing Company, recent winners of Brewery Group of the Year at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. KRBC uses real pumpkin, giving this beer authentic flavor, but the delivery remains light and refreshing enough to convert any skeptic.
Best Classic Pumpkin Beer
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Punkin Ale
Want to crush a lot of pumpkin beers at your next Halloween party? This brown ale from Dogfish Head was described by one party-goer as “great in large doses” and we don’t disagree! The pumpkin and brown sugar flavors are the highlights in this classic pumpkin ale that’s easy drinking for its 7% ABV. We’ll happily be drinking this at our next Halloween party.
Best Pumpkin Spice Latte Beer
Ellicottville Brewing Company, Pumpkinville Latte
Starbucks’s pumpkin spice latte may only come around once a year, but Ellicottville’s Pumpkinville Latte will last in your fridge beyond PSL season. This spiced amber ale is accentuated by roasted coffee beans and locally sourced pumpkins (can this description get anymore basic?). Pro tip: stock up on this beer now to satiate your pumpkin spice latte cravings in a couple of months.
Best Pumpkin Pie Flavor
4 Noses Brewing Company, Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Our friends collectively broke out in smiles after taking the first sips of 4 Noses’s Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale. That pure pumpkin pie flavor made us all ready for Thanksgiving and the warmth it provides. This is our second fall in a row drinking Pump Action– we had it when we visited their taproom in Broomfield— and we have a sneaking suspicion it won’t be our last.
Best Pumpkin Color
The “bushels of real pumpkin” used to make this beer have created one of the richest colors in a pumpkin beer that we’ve seen in a long time. We don’t normally match our beers to our outfits, but the copper color is perfect for the season. Luckily, it’s not just about the color– Hey, Pumpkin tastes good too! It’s sweet, light, and has ideal pumpkin balance.
Group Favorite
Rahr & Sons Brewing Company, Den of Sin
At this point, you all know Emily loves a good brown ale. Who knew our friends would also seriously love a pumpkin brown ale? (We did– we have fantastic taste in friends.). Den of Sin by Rahr & Sons captured the perfect balance of sweet and spice with fresh pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It’s roasty to the core and makes you want to put your feet next to a crackling fire. (But not in it.)
Most Balanced Pumpkin Beer
Hoppin’ Frog, Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale
Many pumpkin beers, even some of the best out there, lean perhaps a touch too heavily upon the variety of spices associated with pumpkin beers: your cinnamons, your nutmegs, etc. Hoppin’ Frog, however, has done what Hoppin’ Frog does best– they’ve delivered a damn fine beer. Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale wasn’t overly spiced, but still was distinctly pumpkin-y within its rich malty flavor. Anyone looking for a big beer that gives just enough pumpkin without going overboard, this is your choice.
Emily’s Favorite
Prairie Artisan Ales, Basic Becky
Oh baby! Roasted pumpkin, chocolate, and coffee– these are a few of Emily’s favorite things! No one is surprised Prairie Artisan Ales made a fantastic pumpkin stout, as all of their flavored stouts tend to be full-blown bangers (they made our Best Stouts of 2018 list, after all). This imperial winner in particular has us craving a crisp fall evening curled up on the couch with a thick blanket and another episode of Succession (we know it’s not on right now, but Emily’s behind).
Russell’s Favorite
We’ve had Rumpkin before on our last trip to Boulder, and it was just as delicious and intense as we remembered. Aged in fresh rum barrels, this pumpkin ale is roasty, slightly sweetened with pumpkin, and big on boozy goodness, sitting at a spooky 16.9% ABV. (It’s to Halloween what Avery’s Sandy Claws is to Christmas!) It was the showstopper of our Halloween party, and Russell killed every last remaining sip– which probably explains why Russell stumbled around like the living dead at night’s end.
What are your favorite pumpkin beers? Please let us know in the comments below– that way, we can seek them out for Fall 2020! Cheers, and Happy Halloween!
