Starr Hill beers are fairly easy to find here in Northern Virginia, so when I found out they had a Pumpkin Porter I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I love pumpkin beers, and pumpkin porters and stouts offer a nice twist on the standard Pumpkin Ale. If the pumpkin elements in their Boxcar can hold up to the roasted malts of a porter it should be a good beer, but if they’re drowned out it could be a simple porter…with some pumpkin “stuff.”
If you are a Pumpkin Ale fan and you see one that you haven’t tried before, you’re naturally compelled to give it a taste. When that beer is also aged in rum barrels for six months, you stop just short of leaping over the bar and pouring a glass for yourself instead of waiting for the bartender.
Fegley’s Brew Works delivered a stellar Imperial Pumpkin Ale this year with the Devious, that I reviewed last month. It was an excellent demonstration of the style and now sits at the top of my list for beers to enjoy during Thanksgiving. The second Pumpkin-style offering from The Brew Works is their original Pumpkin Ale, at a sessionable 4.7% ABV for the style.
October is finally here and that means that I’m in the Pumpkin Ale and Octoberfest beer-mode. Today, I’m reviewing the Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale from Smuttynose Brewing Company in New Hampshire. As with all Pumpkin Ales, I’m expecting a good amount of pumpkin spice and cinnamon. This beer is only 6% ABV, so the spices should have an easy job of eliminating any hints of alcohol.
Part of my most recent mixed six pack included the Brooklyn Brewery’s Post Road. The label describes this beer as a Pumpkin Ale at a typical 5% ABV for the style. Personally, I’ve enjoyed every single one of Brooklyn’s brews I’ve tried, but that just sets the bar of expectations even higher for this one.
