Waiter, There's a Jack-O-Lantern in My Beer - An Overview of Pumpkin Beer

If you have been beer shopping recently chances are you noticed a wide selection of pumpkin brews on beer store shelves. The most widely available pumpkin beers in the U.S. are Anheuser-Busch's Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale and Molson-Coors's Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale from their Blue Moon brand. But there are so many other pumpkin beers available this season, most only regionally available, that you should not restrict yourself to these two no matter how aggressively marketed they may be.

The pumpkin beer season is short, only about two months for most brewers, but the differences in pumpkin beers are vast and you should try as many of them as you can. The pumpkin style is widely interpreted. You might think that the common denominator is pumpkin but even that is not the case. There are actually pumpkin beers out there with no pumpkin in them!

It is easy to understand how a brewer can get away with a pumpkin beer with no pumpkin. Think about pumpkin pie. What is the first smell or taste that you remember? It is probably not pumpkin. In fact, when pressed, most people would probably have to admit that they are not really sure what pumpkin alone tastes like. No, the taste and smell of pumpkin pie comes from its spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and whatever else your grandmother's mother told her to put in it which she passed on down the line to you.

These are the spices that define most pumpkin beers. Most brewers actually do put in a bit of pumpkin but the dominate flavors and aromas of all pumpkin brews is almost invariable those familiar, warm autumn spices. Otherwise, pumpkin ales and lagers tend to be light on hops allowing the rich malty flavors of the barley to shine through and blend with the spices. A well brewed pumpkin beer can taste like liquid pie in a bottle. Be care; these are dangerously drinkable beers!