Happy Pumpkin Days

The upcoming fall season has already provided us with an open door to numerous wonderful flavorful offerings. The Oktoberfests, the autumn ales, the pumpkin beers, ah yes, the pumpkin beers. As the pumpkin beers are now everywhere from every brewery imaginable, you might as well give in to their gourdy goodness. An amazing selection is the offering from Southern Tier Brewing Company of Lakewood, New York.
Only brewing since 2002, Southern Tier has amassed a stellar selection of beer, especially those in their imperial series. Their Crème Brulee Imperial Milk Stout is decadent. Choklat Imperial Stout is one of the best chocolate beers made today. Unearthly, their Imperial IPA is delicious. But it’s their pumpkin beer, also an imperial offering, which you can find now and enjoy until Halloween.
Pumking is an Autumn Seasonal from Southern Tier, released in August, so it will likely be hard to find. Checking in at 8.8% alcohol by volume (ABV), it is certainly Imperial, and the strongest pumpkin beer I’ve ever tried. The bottle is great, with a menacing looking jack-o-lantern staring you down, a bejeweled crown atop his head, as bats fly above.
The beer shows up bright orange with an off-white soapy head of foam. The aromas are where the best pumpkin beers establish themselves, and Pumking does not disappoint. Spices, caramel malts and pumpkin are all well mixed and delicious smelling. Possibly the best tasting pumpkin beer there is, you can taste the pumpkin pie! Even a bit of crust-like nuttiness is present in the flavor.
I find that people are torn on this beer, running the line from those who believe it an amazing beer to others who see it as too sweet. I really dig it. Not too spicy, real pumpkin flavors are present, this one is sweet for sure, but it’s great.
Southern Tier brewery says it best. From their website: “Pumking is an ode to Púca, a creature of Celtic folklore, who is both feared and respected by those who believe in it. Púca is said to waylay travelers throughout the night, tossing them on its back, and providing them the ride of their lives, from which they return forever changed!
It’s brewed in the spirit of All Hallows Eve, a time of year when spirits can make contact with the physical world and when magic is most potent. Pour Pumking into a goblet and allow its alluring spirit to overflow.
As spicy aromas present themselves, let its deep copper color entrance you as your journey into this mystical brew has just begun. As the first drops touch your tongue a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds making it difficult to escape. This beer is brewed with pagan spirit yet should be enjoyed responsibly.”
Enjoy the brews…Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.