And For Your Halloween Pleasure …

As the holiday seasons kick into gear, a variety of spices and interesting additions will be mixed into the beers that are offered over the coming months. With Halloween next up on the calendar, pumpkin beer is a standard choice this time of year. The pumpkin is the symbol of Halloween, and is closely related to Thanksgiving, so grab these tasty beers while you can; they are usually gone by the first weeks of November.
There are a variety of pumpkin beers on the market, most made by east coast and Midwestern brewers, although a few come from the west coast. But, many craft brewers offer a pumpkin ale. Some are made with real pumpkin, others with artificial flavor, most also contain different spices reminiscent of pumpkin pie, including clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger and allspice. These types of spices tend to dominate the flavor of today’s creations, with pumpkin being prominent in the smell, subtle in the taste. The beers themselves are often amber or brown in color, more malty than bitter, and are medium-bodied brews.
Being that the pumpkin ale is a totally American creation, and knowing how American brewers love to go full tilt, over the top with some of their beers, you can imagine that there is an example of a pumpkin ale more strong and explosive than most; such is the imperialization of American beer. And, that beer just happens to be an amazing pumpkin ale from Pennsylvania.
Weyerbacher Brewing Company offers several “big” beers; big in strength and flavor. Their outstanding fall seasonal is Imperial Pumpkin Ale, a monster of a veggie beer that checks in at a bulky 8 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) (most pumpkin beers are under 6 percent). The brewery says that this beer is “heartier, spicier, and more caramelly and pumpkiny than its faint brethren!” And, I must admit, they are correct.
The imperial pumpkin ale comes in a bottle with a creative label, depicting a jack-o-lantern king of the pumpkins, holding a staff and topped with a crown, flanked by his dominion of followers. The beer pours up a splendid glowing dark orange amber color with a huge head of ginger-tinted creamy foam that stays around in wisps on top of the beer.
The smell of this beer is overwhelming in a good way. Warm pumpkin and tangy spices arise from the beer. Cinnamon is a strong presence in the nose, as is another spicy smell that blends well into the pumpkin pie mix. This beer smells amazing.
This is a pumpkin ale taken up a notch or two, and it’s great! A solid malty caramel taste serves as the foundation on which Weyerbacher builds a powerful pumpkin pie taste, but not sticky sweet, more spicy and zesty. Much of this flavor comes from the addition of cardamom, and it stands out with the pumpkin and cinnamon. Bursting with taste, it’s hard to determine if any hops show up in the mix, or if it’s the spices, especially a ginger note.
This beer is nearly full-bodied, and somewhat thick in the mouth, but its reminiscent of pumpkin pie and fits perfectly well. Enjoy the brews … Cheers
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.