The end of our pumpkin series this year and thank God. I don’t know if I could drink any more pumpkin beers. You just see 3 reviewed but these are the best 3 of the over 15 I had.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale
brewery: Southampton Publick House – www.publick.com
style: pumpkin (fruit/veg beer. whatev)
abv: 5.5%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $3.75

Overview
Southampton Pumpkin Ale is an unique amber-colored brew that has particular appeal during the autumn months and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. We use a generous amount of pumpkin as well as traditional “pumpkin pie” spices to give this unusual brew a definite seasonal character. Available in 22oz bottles and seasonal draft.

What I think
Odd I was able to buy this as a 12 oz. Oh well.

The off white head provided a stylish compliment to and unusually clear body which threw me for a loop since most of the pumpkin beers were a bit hazy. The aroma was straight up nutmeg and pumpkin with a slight malty tone. Smooth to drink but a little too much spice for my liking. The finish was malty and didn’t linger around which was good for me because if that spice stayed I’d have to scrape my tongue. Decent pumpkin beer and good representation of the style.

Spoon’s rating: B-

Part 2 of 3 pumpkin beers! O’Fallon just came into the Pittsburgh market in the last 12-18 months and what a delight it has been.

O’Fallon Pumpkin Beer
brewery: O’Fallon Brewery – www.ofallonbrewery.com
style: pumpkin (fruit/veg beer. whatev)
abv: 5.6%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $3.75

Overview
Like pumpkin pie in a bottle…we add 136 pounds of real pumpkin to the three-barley mash and then season the finished beer with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Available September 1.

What I think
*BOUNCE* *BOUNCE* PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE!PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE!PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE! PUMPKIN PIE!

The only thing missing was some coolwhip!  Go buy it NOW (the beer… and some CoolWhip)!

Oh OK I won’t rip you out of more details. Not like you paid for the beer. *sheesh*

If they can find a way to make the head creamier that would be killer. The aroma is slight cinnamon and nutmeg put quickly gets lost as you take your first drink. Incredibly smooth, cool and all the characteristics of pumpkin pie without the texture. There was a medium body that covers your palate in pumpkin goodness. Finish was a tad sticky but just drink more.

Spoon’s rating: A- (there would be an “A” if they work on the head a touch)

And now we get into a style which can cause great anger and yet great happiness in beer drinkers. There is no in between, either you like a type of pumpkin beer or you wish it would die in a horrible crash. If you DO ike pumpkin beers its because of either all spices or pumpkin pie flavor. Personally I like some pumpkin beers.

Leading up to Halloween I give you 3 pumpkin beers to savor and a heads up on what to have for the parents when they need a break from going door to door.

Arcadia Ales Jaw Jacker
brewery: Arcadia Brewing Company – www.arcadiaales.com
style: pumpkin (fruit/veg beer. whatev)
abv: 6%
serving size: 12oz
glass used: pint
price: $3.75

Overview
Jaw-Jacker Ale is our Fall Seasonal, a celebration of harvest-time and the changing of the seasons.  Using only the finest malted barley and a touch of wheat for mouth-feel, Jaw-Jacker pours a brilliant orange-amber color with truly unique flavors.  Although no pumpkins are used, a blend of nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon work with malty flavors to create a bold flavor reminiscent of pumpkin pie.  A light hop note balances out the beer nicely.

What I think
As soon as I started pouring, the aroma of nutmeg was strong with a hint of sweetness from the malts. The head, well there wasn’t much to talk about there. The body seemed a bit watered down and the flavor matched the aroma… Spice bomb in your mouth. The only saving grace was that the malt came to the rescue but a little too late. Did finish smooth but was rough up till that point.

Spoon’s rating: C

Since word first broke of this special brew from Dogfish Head was coming out earlier this year I knew it would be a must buy at any price. Apparently I spoke too soon. This champagne size rarity came in at $15 a bottle which for a 10% ABV beer is a bit steep but this is Pennsylvania after all and we’re use to our wallets feeling a bit light after a purchase

From the Dogfish Head website:
This beer is based on chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions.  The discovery of this beverage pushed back the earliest use of cocoa for human consumption more than 500 years to 1200 BC.  As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into ‘food of the gods’) is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs (from our friends at Askinosie Chocolate), honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this. Samples I saw poured at 3 Sons last week made me think they were mistaken but sure enough when I poured at home it indeed had a golden hue as you see in the picture above. No way this was going to be a chocolate. As always DFH teaches us to expect the unexpected and the Theobroma lives up to it.

Using my always trustworthy Dogfish Head glass the Theo poured a hazy orange with a solid white head which didn’t stay around for long so thankfully I snapped the picture in time. I was expecting more chocolate/cocoa  *umph* to the taste but found it boring for a DFH beer. Someone had to say it, I thought it was boring, dull, the opposite of thought provoking… you get the idea. I thought this was mediocre at best. I had a faint hint of cocoa on the nose so I’m thinking that after my overall experience this needs to be aged more and that’s exactly what’s happening. Sickpuppy is saving a bottle in the SIDT Beer Cellar for us to drink at a future date.

Spoon’s rating: C- (that’s only because it has potential)

I’m doing this to show that not everything I review is good. This is no fluff piece. This is a horrible beer. The great thing about having a place like 3 Sons Dogs and Suds close by is that I can try single bottles of beer before dumping my wallet on something foul.

If you asked me at a bar I’d say to avoid it like the plague.  I know this style well enough to say with confidence this is a Mike’s Lemonade project gone bad.  It’s yellow colored water with a slight hint of peach and disgustingness. Seriously, I can’t say anything good.  I’ll have to redeem myself in HDH 21.

Beer Advocate readers have this as a B rating. There is a chance this was a bad bottle but I don’t know if I want to find out again. And no, there will be NO chugging challenge on this one.

cheers!

This past weekend my cohort in craft beer went to Baltimore for the 2nd annual Gravy Fest. Since I was stuck here in Pittsburgh finishing my last final he was nice enough (I bugged the hell out of him) to pick up a growler from DuClaw for me.

Apparently the bartender mucked up the order and instead fo me getting an imperial pils I lucked out with a delicious chocolate raspberry stout. I’ve had quite a few of these from other breweries but none pleased me as much as this one. The aroma on this one was a noseful of raspberry and chocolate bliss. The raspberry in taste though once wasn’t in your face dominate. The chocolate was barely noticeable but the characteristics of a stout were dead on.

Overall it’s a good stout but after having other beers from DuClaw it’s not worth driving to Baltimore for. Now if I’m already there that’s another story. i could drink a lot of it.

Website: www.duclaw.com
Style: Chocolate Rasberry Stout
Color: Black
Hop Variety: Goldings
Grains: Pale malt, Roasted barley, Caramunich malt, Chocolate malt
Bitterness: 30 BU’s
Gravity: 12 plato
Alcohol Content: 4.6% abv