The best pumpkin beers to drink this Halloween

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      Ever ask yourself what pumpkins are good for beyond making jack-o’-lanterns? The possibilities are endless—pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin syrup for lattes, and, er…. Alright, there’s no point denying it, pumpkins aren’t actually good for much at all unless you’ve got a serious Halloween fixation.

      Give the brewers of the Pacific Northwest credit, then, for figuring out a way to use the most high-profile representative of the squash plant family. Over the past few years, pumpkin beer has exploded into a fall tradition in these parts. The Straight embarked on a taste test to root out the best of this year’s harvest. Some of these bottles are available at your local government liquor outlet, others at specialty stores. Almost all of them are superior beers—the big question here is, “Do they taste like pumpkin?”

      Howe Sound Pumpkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale
      The roasted pumpkin is up-front from the first sip, both taste- and aroma-wise, as are the subtle undertones of star anise and cinnamon. Howe Sound’s fall seasonal clocks in at a potent 8 percent alcohol but doesn’t come off as boozy. As for the label, think classic Halloween pumpkin, right down to the warm-yellow candle glow emanating from its grinning, hollowed-out head.

      Fernie Pumpkin Head Pumpkin Brown Ale
      Remember what your grandmother’s kitchen smelled like during baking season? The allspice, coriander, clove, and cinnamon notes in this topnotch offering will transfer you back to a simpler time, especially if your grandmother wasn’t above tipping a glass or two. Beyond the spices, the strong roasted-pumpkin flavour hits you right away, becoming even more pronounced as the beer warms. Props as well to the trippy label art, with the jack-o’-lantern looking ripped from the final reel of Stan Winston’s 1988 cult classic Pumpkinhead.

      Phillips Crooked Tooth Pumpkin Ale
      The label features a crow standing on a pumpkin. Lest one worry that Crooked Tooth includes a raven in every bottle, rest assured no crows were harmed in the brewing process. While a few orange members of the Cucurbita pepo family presumably suffered, it’s hard to pick up any taste of them in this perfectly pleasant but not very pumpkinlike offering.

      Parallel 49 Lost Souls Chocolate Pumpkin Porter
      As everyone who knows anything is well aware, everything tastes better when chocolate is involved. This bold 6.5-percent porter delivers a big chocolate kiss with nicely spicy afterburn, thus living up to Parallel’s promise “so good even the dead will indulge”. Although the pumpkin flavour isn’t there in any discernible form, that’s alright because, as mentioned, chocolate compensates for everything.

      Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat
      Remember that Clash song about how the wheat was growing thin? That’s what you’ll find yourself singing after one sip of this strangely fizzy Belgian-style wheat ale made by the Missouri brewery. “Thin” is a good starting description: packed with pumpkin flavour it is not.

      Tree Jumpin Jack India Pumpkin Ale
      The last time we checked, ships that traversed the seas between England and India back in the 19th century didn’t exactly transport a lot of pumpkins. At 65 IBU, Tree Brewing’s seasonal IPA is hoppy enough to please the most demanding of old-time sailors, not to mention modern aficionados. As for those hoping for a hint of pumpkin, sorry—the spicy gingerlike afterburn is the closest you get to a taste of fall.

      Parallel 49 Schadenfreude Pumpkin Oktoberfest
      Unlessyou’re after a beer that initially tastes strangely like pumpkin-flavoured soap dissolved in double-carbonated soda water, something is a little off here. Things do get better, however, as Parallel 49’s Schadenfreude approaches room temperature, even if it’s more of a vanilla-like taste that seems to surface. Overall though, you might want to stick with the brewery’s Chocalate Pumpkin Porter, because, well, did we mention that chocolate compensates for everything?

      Spinnaker Spiced Pumpkin Ale
      Instead of pumpkin, you get mild caramel at first, followed by an aftertaste that somehow brings to mind old pennies. The spices start to come through as it warms in the glass, but the pumpkin never makes an appearance.

      Russell Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale
      Making one wonder what he looks like when he’s not angry, Happy Jack is one decidedly pissed-off-looking jack-o’-lantern. If the creature on the label doesn’t totally live up to his name, that’s somehow appropriate, because this ale isn’t exactly bursting with pumpkin flavour. If subtlety is your thing, though—to the point where the last thing you want to be tasting is Jack’s mashed head—mild pumpkin taste and oak finish will leave you happy.

      Steamworks Pumpkin Ale
      Gastown’s favourite brewery boasts that 100 pounds of local pumpkins are in every barrel, along with a scoop or 10 of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Steamworks delivers big-time, with a taste that’s deliciously sweet without being cloying.

      Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
      If Linus from Peanuts had a beer fetish, his bar fridge would be packed with nothing but this gold-star triumph from Seattle. Ely­sian bills this best-in-show brew as an ale made with roasted and raw pumpkinseeds, as well as seven pounds of pumpkin per barrel. That seems like false advertising—it’s more like they figured out how to melt down a slice of pumpkin pie and then get it into a bottle. If pumpkin beer is your thing, this is your holy grail.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      OMG

      Oct 22, 2014 at 3:54pm

      There's a 'best'?

      felix

      Oct 23, 2014 at 3:09am

      You missed out on the I,Braineater Pumpkin Ale from Bomber... awesome label and made with real pumpkin!

      Aidan Alan Bush

      Oct 26, 2014 at 9:35am

      The red racer one was the best by far followed by st.ambroise and a great offering from lighthouse brewing and swans brew pub