The Beer Snob’s guide to picking your pumpkin beer

I used to get excited about pumpkin beer — really excited. When I was first learning the ropes of beer snobbery, the changing of the seasons from summer to fall represented the influx of pumpkin beers to the market and heralded flavors radically different from all others.

Now, pumpkin beers bore me. It’s not that there aren’t good pumpkin beers out there. It’s just that, by and large, they’re all the same.

Pick just about any pumpkin beer off the shelf and I can tell you that, regardless of its brewer, you’ll taste cinnamon, nutmeg and malt. This is largely because most brewers base their flavor profiles for pumpkin beer off pumpkin pie. It’s also because just about all pumpkin beer isn’t pumpkin beer at all: It’s pumpkin spiced beer. This, of course, means that the wide majority of pumpkin beer out there contains no pumpkin at all.

Traditional pumpkin pie spice uses one part cinnamon, one part nutmeg, one part ginger and three-fourths part allspice, which is why most of these flavors can be tasted in any decent pumpkin-spiced beer. Even with this in mind, it is not the lack of its namesake ingredient that bothers me about pumpkin beer. It isn’t the marketing or the fact that it shows up in July. It’s the predictability.

Still, there are some exceptions. While most pumpkin-spice beers out there are nothing to write home about, two in particular stand out from the crowd. They are a bit more expensive than Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin or Sea Dog’s Pumpkin Ale, but what they lack in thrift, they make up for in taste. Most importantly, these beers aren’t lacking in originality.

The Boston Beer Company is never afraid to get a little crazy when it comes to its seasonal beers, but its annually-released Harvest Pumpkin Ale routinely disappoints in both taste and creativity. 

To the rescue, though, is Fat Jack, its limited-release double pumpkin ale. Unlike the aforementioned pumpkin-spiced beers, Fat Jack is brewed with actual pumpkin. A lot of it. 28 pounds of it per batch, to be exact. The more traditional notes of cinnamon and nutmeg are present and accounted for, as well. They are strong in the nose and on the tongue, but are not overpowering in the way that they are in most amped-up pumpkin brews. 

A surprising addition, though, is the ginger. Even though it is an essential component to pumpkin pie spice, most brewers leave it out of their beers altogether, fearing its spicy, finicky nature. Not Sam Adams, though. Not by a long shot. They loaded this beer up with ginger, adding a pleasing spiciness to the otherwise thick, rich taste.

Like all of Sam Adams’ small-batch experiments, this is a big beer. It’s packed with both spice and malt but tastes more like a pumpkin-based beer with cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger added than just a standard ale with some spices tossed in . If you need to have a pumpkin beer as the weather begins to ease into fall, Fat Jack is a good choice that will satisfy your autumnal urges without boring you to death in the process. Be careful, though. With all of the flavor and complexity comes an 8.5 percent alcohol by volume that can sneak up on you very quickly.

This discussion would not be complete without mentioning another truly original pumpkin beer — Southern Tier’s Pumking. Made by New York State’s finest brewery, Pumking is easily one of the best pumpkin beers around. Pumking has the cinnamon and nutmeg notes that you would expect in a pumpkin beer, but it adds other flavors that elevate it to an innovative level. Alongside the requisite notes is a prominent vanilla flavor that adds sweetness and creaminess that plays well off the beer’s boozy bite of 8.6 percent alcohol by volume. Furthering the idea of bottled, alcoholic pumpkin pie (yum), is a curious, savory note residing in the background that gives the unmistakable illusion of crust — warm, buttery crust.

It’s easy to get the idea that Pumking is a gimmicky beer or a flavored malt beverage masquerading as something hardier. Don’t be fooled. Pumking is a beer that simply happens to taste like a pie. It is sweet but not overly so, and each element, while powerful, is in perfect balance.

Honestly, you can do better than pumpkin beer during the fall. It’s a season that sees some truly remarkable Marzens (Oktoberfests) hit the market, none of which involve the word pumpkin. Still, should you feel a hankering for one, there are options out there that are sure to take care of your seasonal craving without forcing you to compromise on quality.