A few years ago I discovered pumpkin beer. Not sure when or how, but I did. I think maybe my brother-in-law introduced me to it; I don’t mind giving him the credit so let’s go with that.

There are seasonal beers of all sorts and there are flavored beers of all sorts. Frankly, I’m not crazy about a lot of them. Too sweet, too spicy, too… not like beer. Pumpkin beer, if done properly, is the exception. A little spicy, a little sweet, a little like liquid pie, but still totally beer.

My husband and I decided to seek as many pumpkin beers as we could in local liquor stores and do a little tasting. I thought I would let you all in on our reviews. Our scoring system: beers that tasted good were considered “GOOD” and beers that tasted bad were considered “BAD.” Very scientific. We tasted five beers. I present them to you in order of our LEAST favorite to our MOST favorite.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale — New Hampshire

Before even addressing the pumpkin/spice flavor, I have to say that this beer was far too hoppy and bitter for my preference. It suffered for that… greatly. The worst part was that it left a bitter aftertaste. (I’m making a bitter-beer face right now just thinking about it.) The pumkpin flavor was weak especially considering the bitterness. I did finish the whole thing, but I did not enjoy it nor did my husband. I should also note that this the beer that ruined my stew. Not a fan.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale — New York

This beer was pretty good — my husband liked it more than I did. Upon the first sip, he declared “this tastes like that pumpkin donut but beerier.” The Saranac had a strong spicy flavor, definitely reminiscent of pumpkin pie. I thought it was a little heavy on the allspice. It had an amber color and was relatively smooth, so it gets points on both of those fronts. The pumpkin flavor was just a tad strong for my preference, but it wasn’t overwhelming either. I’ll give it a solid “good enough.” Mike would give it a slightly better rating.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale — Delaware

I’m a big fan of Dogfish Head in general. Some of my favorite beers are theirs and this one fits that bill. I have to confess that when I started this tasting, I expected Dogfish Head to be the winner. It wasn’t, but it is still delicious. The Punkin Ale is a brown ale and is quite smooth. It has delicious flavors of cinnamon, allspice, and cloves but it doesn’t overpower the flavor of the beer itself. It also has a little something different, which I had to look up… brown sugar. I think that is what balances out the flavors and makes it so nice to drink. I’m a big fan of this beer and have been since my early pumpkin-beer-drinking days.

Clipper City’s The Great Pumpkin — Baltimore, MD

I have never had their beer before, but this one was a great way to be introduced. The Great Pumpkin came in a 22oz bottle, so it was one of the few that I poured into a glass. It looked very smooth and tasted even smoother — very similar texture to Boddington’s, another one of my favorites. It is lighter side in color, but not flavor. Frankly, even before getting to the pumpkin flavor I was in love with the texture and flavor of the beer itself. The pumpkin flavor was terrific too. It was a little more subtle than the other beers, but it was still obvious. Because the quality of the beer was so high, the softer pumpkin flavor was welcome. I enjoyed every last drop of this brew. FYI… it has a very high alcohol content, 8.5%.

Southern Tier’s Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale — New York

I have read a few other pumpkin beer reviews and this one is at the top of almost every list. Mike and I planned to only try the four brews we found in stores, but still desperately wanted to try the king… Pumking. We heard it was on tap at RFD in Chinatown, so we headed there. Before the rim of the glass even hits your lips, you catch a strong whiff of what smells exactly like pumpkin pie. And then the sip… it is smooth, flavorful but not overwhelming, and so very warm. This beer has vanilla in it which is what makes it taste so much like pumpkin pie. It was like a dessert — but not so sweet that it wasn’t drinkable. I had a few Pumkings as did Mike. And on that note, I should mention that it has a high alcohol content. It only took a few before we were telling the beer how much we loved it… “no really, beer… you don’t even GET how much I love you…” It was simply delicious.

The first four beers were purchased at either Elbe’s liquor store in Wheaton or at Belby’s in Rockville. Pumking was enjoyed from the tap at RFD. I am still trying to find this beer in a store. Any tips?

That was a really fun post to “research,” I must say. Don’t forget, research responsibly.