Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Fall beverages - a continually updated list

Every year, at the end of August, I start to see seasonal fall beers and ciders appear on the shelves, which gets me very excited for the change in seasons!  I love all of that pumpkin shit, Oktoberfest, apple, spice, all that shit.

I decided that I should keep track of the ones that I have sampled, so I have a record to consult next year.

Pumpkick - New Belgium - lovely and refreshing - lighter than most, hoppier than most.  Slight pumpkin and cranberry flavors.  Very drinkable and flavorful.

Pumpking - Southern Tier - intense. Not exactly "drinkable" at 8.6 ABV.  But big pumpkin flavor - the pumpkiniest of pumpkin beers.  Graham cracker, malty, pumpkin bread, spice. A small glass is very nice to sip, although this year's batch seemed overly spiced.

Oktoberfest - Great Lakes - a seasonal favorite, very flavorful, rich but drinkable.  Hops and malt, slight, pleasant sweetness.

Ace Pumpkin Cider - California Cider Company - surprisingly tasty! Didn't know what to expect, but I could drink about 5 of these easy. Cidery sweet, but nice tartness and pumpkin flavor, rounded out with the allspice.  A perfect fall sip, not too complex, so drinkable.

Oktoberfest - Sam Adams - I would definitely order this over any other mass-produced beer at a bar, by a LONG shot.  'Tis more than acceptable - tasty and refreshing and that's all I remember about it.

Jacques au Lanterne - Evolution Brewing Company - A nicely spiced, not-too-pumpkiny Saison style beer.  So very tasty.  Big foamy head, lovely amber color, slightly sweet, hoppy.  Delicious!  Had it on tap at a Belgian restaurant.

Special Harvest Ale - Southern Tier - A good beer, nothing really incredibly "special" about it.  It's hoppy like a pale ale, but also malty/roasty.  Complex, and good, but I probably wouldn't buy it again because it just wasn't very exciting.

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