We won’t make you wait for the leaves to change colors to celebrate all the autumn season has to offer. And that’s more than just candy corn and witch-shaped lollipops — no offense, Halloween.
As the weather cools down and the handful of deciduous trees around Gainesville start to get in the spirit, we know what you’re craving: pumpkin ale. The Avenue sampled some of these autumn-flavored brews and ranked them based on taste and seasonal spirit.
Pumpkin-ish
Blue Moon’s autumn offering is Harvest Moon, an ale brewed with pumpkin, nutmeg, clove and allspice. At first taste you might just think you’re drinking a very tasty ale, but eventually you’ll start to detect faint but delicious notes of pumpkin and spice. Although subtle, it’s worth digging deep and searching for those fall-time flavors.
The best thing about Harvest Moon is the color. Pour your beer into a tapered glass, and you’ll see all the hues of the season. At the skinny end of the glass, you’ll see a deep yellow, fading into reds and oranges across the middle, and at its deepest, a rich shade of brown. Hold your glass up to the light and feast your eyes — as well as your stomach — on your beverage. For someone who wants a good fall beer without a healthy serving of pumpkin, Harvest Moon is your weapon of choice.
Pumpkin Perfection
Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale strikes a good balance between seasonal flavor and a full-bodied beer taste. The smell and taste bring out plenty of spice and pumpkin, but it backs it up with a quality beer. The taste is sweet and reminiscent of pie, with a rich, mellow aroma. For those who want a tasty but restrained pumpkin taste, Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale is your best bet.
Holy Pumpkin Patch
For maximum pumpkin impact, grab a six-pack of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale. Just as the headless horseman on the bottle screams Halloween, Pumpkinhead Ale is pumpkin flavor to the max. The beer pours out a light straw color with lots of carbonation, and from the first sniff, all you’ll be able to think about is pumpkin pie.
You almost can’t call it a beer. It’s more of a pumpkin soda. While I wouldn’t recommend Pumpkinhead to the serious beer fanatic, for those who are more concerned about holiday festivities than impressing their friends, stock up on this ale.
