New Brew Thursday - A Pumpkin Beer Trifecta

The season for spiced autumn beers is here.  So in celebration of this most awesome time of year I did a sampling of three pumpkin beers.  There are so many to choose from but these are the ones I selected:  Dogfish Head Punkin, Saranac Pumpkin and Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin.







Dogfish Head is one of my favorite breweries so choosing Punkin was a no brainer for me.  Punkin is a spiced brown ale. It pours a reddish golden color reminiscent of fall foliage.  The flavor?  Well, it pretty much tastes like pumpkin pie in a glass . . . pumpkin (obviously), nutmeg and cinnamon are prevalent. It's slightly sweet but not overly so.  Frankly speaking . . . it tastes like fall.  Yum!  (7% ABV )

Saranac an another brewery that hasn't disappointed me so picking up a jug of their Pumpkin Ale wasn't a difficult decision to make.  This ale isn't as pumpkin-y as the Dogfish Head Punkin but it's still a pretty tasty pumpkin beer.  This beer has a mellow pumpkin taste that is accentuated by cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with a hint of sweetness.  There is nothing overpowering here . . . simply a good pumpkin beer.  (5.40% ABV)

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale was the biggest of the three.  It poured a rich golden red with a thin head.  The pumpkin pie spices were forefront to this beer followed by the pumpkin itself.  Not as pumpkin-y as the Dogfish Head but spicier and more alcohol-y than both the Dogfish Head and Saranac.  There was a definite boozy quality to this brew and a slight metallic taste.  This was my least favorite of the three but that doesn't make it bad . . . just not my favorite.  Overall good. (8% ABV)

New Brew Thursday - Double Tap . . . Saranac Caramel Porter and Harpoon Chocolate Stout

Since I started writing reviews for the new beers that I drink I've notice an ever increasing awareness of the complexities of the flavors of different beers and a growing appreciation for styles of beer that I never truly enjoyed before.






Take porters and stouts for example.  I always considered them heavy beers with strong flavor.  This is true and yet it's not.  They certainly can drink like a meal but they can also spin an intricate web of subtle flavors that combine to make for a truly pleasurable drinking experience.




Saranac Caramel Porter . . . brewed by Matt Brewing Company is just a such a beer.  This 127 year old brewery located in the heart of the Adirondacks created a perfectly delicious porter.  





The caramel aroma and flavor are unmistakable and, yet, it is not an overly sweet beer.  Due to it's low carbonation, it pours with a light frothy head that dissipates quickly.  It has a soft mouth feel . . . very smooth.  Along with the caramel, there is a roasted malt flavor that finished slightly bitter . . . a nice balance of complex flavors.

A medium-ish alcohol content . . . 5.4% ABV . . . makes this a nice beer that you can enjoy a few over a couple hours and not be slammed.


All-in-all a very good beer.  Two-thumbs up!


Check out their other beers on the website or visit them on Facebook.

A stout that follows along the same lines is Harpoon Chocolate Stout.  You open that bottle and your pouring chocolate beer . . . dark chocolate beer.  Slightly sweet and a little bitter . . . a delight to be sure.

This yummy stout is brewed by Harpoon Brewery which has plants located in Boston Massachusetts and Windsor, Vermont.  

What makes this beer so chocolatey?  According to Harpoon it is brewed with an abundance of chocolate malt and a touch of chocolate. Enough said.  

It pours a dark rich brown . . . almost black . . . with a light brown head.  Chocolate, of course, is the primary flavor but there are hints of nuts and coffee, as well.  Not particularly sweet and finishes bitter with very little hoppiness.

This stout a got a nice mouth feel and is not overly carbonated.  It feels and tastes just right, in my estimation.  A beer to be savored and enjoyed . . . I think its a good curl-up-with-a-good-book beer or to be shared while relaxing good friends.

Just try to stop at just one.  Very drinkable at 5.9% alcohol by volume.

Cheers!

Check out their other beers on the website or visit them on Facebook.