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chumley wrote:i don't think the lion opens before nov. 1st.

jeffmacewen wrote:Arrogant Pumpkin

chumley wrote:HAZ filter for båstard = pumpkin

I'd like to enjoy an arrogant pumpkin while hiking along pumpkin hart ridge

chumley wrote:Why can't we have pumpkin beers all year?

chumley wrote:I hit up 4p at midnight last night for the first pours of the 2011 pumpkin porter. I've always liked it, but I believe that starting last year, there were some subtle changes to the recipe. Perhaps because they produce so much more of it than they used to? Anyway, while it's still a very tasty porter, I think it has a much more subtle pumpkin flavor than it used to have. I preferred it when the pumpkin flavor seemed to be a little bit stronger, several years ago.

And I also think that it's stupid that pumpkin is a flavor that is only allowed to be used in autumn. Why can't we have pumpkin beers all year?

Brewer's Blog: Pumpkin Beers

Seasons are hard to define here in Arizona, with no clear transition between summer, autumn and winter. It's more like blazing hot gives way to oppressively hot and then freeze-your-butt-off cold.

Luckily for beer drinkers, the autumnal equinox is clearly defined by the release of a seemingly ubiquitous array of pumpkin beers. It used to be that beer drinkers would patiently await the release of Oktoberfest lager beers this time of year, but now it seems, with the predominance of ales in the American craft-brewing scene, that pumpkin is the new Oktoberfest.

Pumpkin beers can either use whole, fresh pumpkin, which is usually roasted or charred to remove some of the strong vegetal taste of the pumpkin, or canned pureed pumpkin. They are also sometimes brewed with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon or any other spice typically found in pumpkin pie.

The greatest variation in pumpkin beers comes from the style of beer that acts as the vehicle for the pumpkin and spice. Some are made as amber or brown ales, others as porters or stouts.

Here are five that stand above the rest.

Punkin Ale - Dogfish Head Brewery, Delaware
As the label says, it's a "full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg." I like it because the caramel malt in the brown-ale base adds a nutty flavor that works well with all the other ingredients.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale - Brooklyn Brewing Co., New York
I like this one because of the lack of spice. It is truly a pumpkin ale made in a colonial style that gains complexity from the varied use of toasted and kilned malts.

Harvest Pumpkin Ale - Samuel Adams Brewing Co., Mass.
Pumpkin flavor and mild spices in a clean, amber ale. Nothing out of the ordinary for the style except for the addition of smoked malt, which lends a cooked, almost baked flavor that reminds me of homemade fall flavors.

Pumpkinhead - Shipyard Brewing Co., Maine
Not always available in the Arizona market (check your local retailer), but this one is notable because of its light character. Essentially a golden wheat ale, it has a nice, subtle pumpkin flavor, and it's easy on the spice.

Pumpkin Porter - Four Peaks Brewing Co., Arizona
Well, I wasn't going to leave it off the list just because we brew it; it is one of my favorites. The porter base beer lends a toasty, almost coffeelike flavor that goes well with pumpkin-pie spices. It's our most popular seasonal.

If you don't find one of the above beers in your local market, I'm certain you can find a substitute. Even Miller/Coors and Anheuser-Busch have jumped on the pumpkin wagon with Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale and Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale. It's nice to see them branching out.