United Nations of Beer

Pumpkin beer review

by Lucia Novara
(Beer Delegate, CO, USA)

Pumpkin beer review: all our pumpkin beer ratings linked from here

When the Great Beer Editor in the Sky asked for a quick pumpkin ale review from Colorado, I thought I would get two of the local brews and compare them. Tons of breweries around here have pumpkin seasonals, so it seemed like an easy task.

Four liquor stores later I was finally in possession of two six-packs of pumpkin ale. One is officially brewed in Colorado, but for the other I had to settle for a Wisconsin brew. It seems that Denver-area alcohol distribution centers woefully, woefully underestimated the popularity of pumpkin seasonals.

Message to Shopkeeps Across the Land: It’s Halloween, people! I'm no marketing guru, but I’m pretty sure it's time to backorder plus-sized fishnet stockings, candy, Jack-o-Lantern themed condoms and most importantly, pumpkin ale!

In keeping with the theme of the evening, I sipped these brews while carving a badass skeleton pirate on a pumpkin. The smell of the fresh pumpkin might have made both of them taste even more pumpkin-licious, but I’m pretty sure they were great on their own.

As for the best pumpkin beer out there period, check out Shipyard Pumpkinhead ale out of Portland, ME. It was sold out at all the stores I went to in Denver, but it is everything you love about fall in a bottle. Bring a sixer of that or Lakefront Pumpkin lager to the next Halloween shindig you attend and you will be the star of the party.

Especially if you pair the beer with the aforementioned Jack-O-Lantern themed condoms.

Reviews:

Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin ale

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager