It has been a very bizarre year.
It wasn’t enough that we had to deal with a massively disruptive pandemic, which affected all aspects of life, but the world was affected by additional oddities in 2020 that were almost too strange for words.
We had murder hornets. We had massive wildfires that destroyed the Australian outback. We had UFO footage. We had strange monoliths appearing out of nowhere, and vanishing overnight. We had a rapper run for president.
With all of these bizarre occurrences happening at the same time as a global viral outbreak, I think it completely appropriate, to ring in the New Year with a unique beer-tasting throwdown.
I give you, a very pumpkin New Year.
“You can’t drink pumpkin beers now! It’s December, you should have been drinking them in October!”
“They are out of season!”
“Its time for stouts and winter ales!”
“You must be crazy drinking those right now, you should be drinking champagne!”
As a retort, I simply say, “It’s 2020, norms be damned, let’s drink some pumpkin beers!”
First up to the challenge is Boneshire Brew Works Gourd Damnit
Judge 1 – This pours light copper with a creamy, quickly evaporating head. The nose is kind of spicy, mostly reminiscent of nutmeg, with notes of cinnamon, and subtle notes of pumpkin pie. The body is thin, and the taste is very allspice heavy; light notes of ginger-snaps fill this out, with an odd bitter element finishing this off. Overall, not bad, but very heavy on the spices, which isn’t my favorite accent on a pumpkin beer. 6/10
Judge 2 – The color is copper like a used penny. The aroma hits hard with nutmeg and ginger notes as it gets to your nose. The flavor fills your mouth with a taste of an over-seasoned pumpkin pie. I would have preferred more of a pumpkin profile versus a super spiced beer. 6.5/10
Next up, Energy City Bistro Grande Pumpkin Cobbler
Judge 1 – Murky marmalade is the best way I can think of to describe the color and consistency of this one. If pumpkin whipped cream existed, that is exactly what this beer smells like. The body is thick and chewy, and the flavors are a magical melange of sweet, sugary pumpkin pie with ice cream, with subtle, complimentary notes of fresh, sweet mango. It may be a little unfair to have a style like this in the challenge, but, its still 2020, so, who cares? This is incredible. 9.5/10
Judge 2 – To my delight, the beer poured out looking like a thick version of Tang. You can’t miss the overwhelming smell of pumpkin puree mixed with a bit of fruit salad. The flavor is almost more fruity than pumpkin. It is very sweet and creamy with a sugary aftertaste. 9/10
Round 3 Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin
Judge 1 – The appearance is that of a amber ale, which is dark copper, with some slight chill haze. The nose smells like musty raw pumpkin. The taste is that of an amber ale; it’s malty, with light accents of allspice and some cloves and licorice. Very unremarkable. 4/10
Judge 2 – The color is a beautiful amber jewel tone. The smell of the malt hits you immediately. As someone who is admittedly not a huge fan of malt, the flavor does not sit well with me. It is very thin with a lot of spice and an unpleasant aftertaste. 4/10
Number 4 – Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale
Judge 1 – This is a nice carmel/amber colored beer with a quickly dissipating head. The nose smells strongly of sweet apple cider, with accents of sugary cinnamon, and creamy oats, with subtle notes of caramel. The taste continues the strong, appley notes, and reminds me way more of an apple cider ale, than a pumpkin beer. This almost tastes like a cold “toddy.” There are little to no pumpkin notes in this, and though it is an excellent beer, I have to give it lower marks due to it not truly fitting into what I believe is a “pumpkin” beer. 5/10
Judge 2 – This pours a lovely amber colored beer. The smell hints of cinnamon and apples. I had to double check the can to verify that it was indeed a pumpkin beer. The flavor follows suit with more of an apple pie taste despite being labeled a pumpkin beer. The taste is wonderful but there is nothing remarkably pumpkin about it. 6/10
Round 5 – Tattered Flag P is for Pumpkin
Judge 1 – This is the darkest hued pumpkin beer so far, bordering on the coloration of a belgian strong ale. The nose is fairly straight forward, and simply smells like ripe pumpkin with a wisp of spice. The mouth feel is full, and rich, and the taste is similar to the nose, pumpkin, with hints of nutmeg and clove. As far as being a true “pumpkin” beer, this is pretty solid. If the drinker is search for a more dessert style, pumpkin-pie flavored beer, this is not it. 7.5/10
Judge 2 – The appearance is a very dark, rich brown. As the smell wafts out of the can I get a hint of banana nut bread mixed with pumpkin spices. The flavor is full with pumpkin and spice and it is not at all sweet nor too spicy. There is a strong cinnamon aftertaste which lingers long after the beer has left your mouth. 7/10
Round 6 Lil Beaver Brewing Punkin Pi
Judge 1 – This beer is certainly the least visually appealing so far, looking a bit like murky plant water. The nose is very appealing however, smelling like confectioners sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie with ice cream melting on top, and subtle hints of maple sugar candy. The taste is liquid dessert pumpkin pie with french-vanilla ice cream, topped with cinnamon sugar, and sprinkled with nutmeg powder. This is truly a treat. 9.5/10
Judge 2 – The coloration is more of a carrot orange and not the most pleasant of colors. Meanwhile, the smell is sweet and reminds me of pumpkin pie. The taste is sugary, maple, with a whipped cream and pumpkin finish. If you are looking for a sweet, pumpkin beer, this is the one for you. 9/10
Round 7 – Lancaster Brewing Company Baked Pumpkin Ale
Judge 1 – This one is the color of dark straw and is slightly opaque. The nose smells more like sweet potatoes than pumpkin and notes of nutmeg and cinnamon accent the base. The taste is, well, what I would imagine biting into a rotten, black, chunk of pumpkin would taste like. It truly tastes like drinking a bitter, sour, squash with slight notes of vomit. I can’t get through more than a few sips of this. 1.5/10
Judge 2 – Its amber color has almost a pink hue to it. The smell is sweet but rather synthetic. It is watery thin with a strange flavor that I can barely describe. Yuck, is all that comes to mind. 2/10
Round 8 – Four Noses Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Judge 1 – This is a nice looking orange/caramel colored ale. It smells like sweet pumpkin filling straight from the can with slight notes of spice. The taste is spice forward, with a pleasing pumpkin base, finished with notes of roasted pumpkin seeds. This is very straight forward, and sometimes, the best quality beers come from simply executing a recipe very well, thereby creating a nicely balanced product. 8/10
Judge 2 – I enjoy the rich amber color of this beer. It is opaque and smooth in appearance. It smells like freshly cut pumpkin with minimal spice added. This is the most pumpkin tasting beer I have tried all evening. The rich body and flavor nail the “pumpkin beer” label for me. 9/10
At this point, both judges feel thoroughly saturated with pumpkin flavors, but, in the spirit of 2020 wackiness, we opted for a bonus round.
Round 9 – New Image Brewing Politics, Money, and Religion Pumpkin Pie Barleywine.
Judge 1 – This has the trademark dark reddish-amber hues of a barleywine. The first impression on the nose is, sweet cherries and candy, followed by sugary malts, pumpkin pie and apple butter, and rich butter cream. The flavor profile bursts with so many flavors, that it’s hard to grasp all in one taste, I had to take several sips to get everything that’s going on here. There are notes of caramel covered apple, followed by cherries, followed by vanilla, then whipped cream, pumpkin pie, and toffee, before finishing with brown sugar and warm, gooey marshmallow with a hint of booze. This is an absolutely incredible beer, pumpkin influenced or otherwise. 9.5/10
Judge 2 – I enjoyed the red-brown color that poured from the can. The immediate smell of cherries and caramel brought a smile to my delighted face. The taste to follow starts with a caramel-covered apple followed by pumpkin pie with whipped cream. It has such a smooth flavor and mouth feel that I could not wait to take another taste. 9.5/10
Just like Rona swooping into 2020 and ruining everyone’s year of perfect vision, a barleywine gets into the pumpkin beer challenge, and manages the highest score. Should it truly be awarded the best of show in this challenge? It is certainly the best tasting beer out of all in this panel. If the winner is based on truly pure pumpkin taste, then the award should go to the 4 Noses Pump Action. Either way, the winner is definitely not Lancaster Brewing Company’s Baked Pumpkin.
I guess we will anoint Politics, Money, and Religion the champ. How appropriate, for 2020.
Cheers everyone,
J