Mark Graves/Staff
If you're the type of person who looks down your crinkled-up nose when the words “pumpkin beers” come into your consciousness, just stop reading. There's nothing for you to see here (though that probably won't stop you from commenting).
But if you are the type of person who loves running through the yard crunching yellow-red leaves underfoot while sporting your favorite scarf-and-cap combo just pulled from the closet – all the while sipping from an orange-and-black-labeled pumpkin ale bottle (and who hasn't done that?), then read on, autumnal friend.
That's right, our occasional pumpkin beer rating is back (we did it once in 2015), with old favorites and new offerings.
To address a frequently asked question, pumpkin beers don't all contain actual pumpkin. Some do, but others use adjuncts like yams, squash or spices to mimic pumpkin flavor – or even just the tastes of fall and Thanksgiving, like cloves, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. Back east, these beers are all the rage from early September right through Halloween, but here in the hop-capital-of-the-world Pacific Northwest, we have a little thing called fresh-hop season staring us in the mouth through the beginning of fall until about – well, about now.
So, before turning your attention to winter ales, you've got a month or so to go the way of the gourd. We gathered five of The Oregonian/OregonLive newsroom's pickiest beer palates to help guide your choices. We sipped through and rated 10 pumpkin beers from across the country, including five from Oregon, two from Seattle, two from Colorado, and one from Delaware. But all were from bottles found and bought in Portland stores, where you can find them and more.
We judged on a 1-to-10 scale, 10 being the best. So here are our ratings, from worst to best, including select thoughts from our judges:
10: The Great Pumpkin (average score: 4.2 out of 10)
Elysian Brewing, Seattle
Mark Graves/Staff
Imperial pumpkin ale (8.4% ABV)
Purchased at Belmont Station, 4500 S.E. Stark St., $9.35 (22 oz)
A different Elysian Brewing pumpkin beer, Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout, was the winner in our 2015 tasting, so we're surprised this beer didn't rank higher. Elysian has a significant pumpkin focus, brewing eight pumpkin beers this year and hosting a pumpkin beer festival in Seattle early in October.
9: Great Gourds of Fire (average score: 4.6)
Hopworks Urban Brewery, Southeast Portland
Mark Graves/Staff
Pumpkin ale with spices and cocoa nibs (8.6% ABV)
Purchased at Belmont Station, 4500 S.E. Stark St., $8.31 (22 oz.)
Judges found some things to like in this offering by Southeast Portland's esteemed HUB, like a hint of candied apple and a “gentle sourness.” But one found it “a little bready,” and another said it had “a little Lysol on the nose,” probably not a good thing.
8: Autumn Harvest (average score: 4.8)
Reuben's Brews, Seattle
Mark Graves/Staff
Imperial pumpkin ale (8.7% ABV)
Purchased at Saraveza, 1004 N. Killingsworth St., $9.95 (22 oz)
While this is an imperial ale, it’s subtle and doesn’t pack a big punch. One judge said it delivered a “more interesting flavor than most, like a beer you’d drink even if it weren’t pumpkin.” But another opined: “Nothing to write home about.”
7: Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin (average score: 5.4)
New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado
Mark Graves/Staff
Pumpkin ale featuring cinnamon and habanero chili peppers (6.4% ABV)
Purchased at Fred Meyer, 7555 S.W. Barbur Blvd., $11.59 (6-pack)
This beer from New Belguim Brewing, best known for its Fat Tire Amber Ale, had the distinct aroma of pumpkin pie, far more than any of the others, and was described as “a pumpkin patch in a cup.” The habanero chili came through mildly on the finish, but some judges wanted a bigger hit of heat: “The light, cinnamon-toothpick heat on the finish was like a kick in the shin,” snarked one.
6: Pumpkin Ale (average score: 6)
Laurelwood Brewing, Portland
Mark Graves/Staff
Pumpkin ale (7.5% ABV)
Purchased at Trader Joe's, 4121 N.E. Halsey St., $3.79 (16.9 oz)
Just out of the medals was this ale from Northeast Portland stalwart Laurelwood Brewing. Judges on the whole found it well-balanced and mild, with a slight bitterness and a decent pumpkin flavor. But one said it had an odd sour note, and another said the flavor came across like “fake pumpkin spice mix dumped in.”
5: Imperial Pumpkin Porter (average score: 6.4)
Epic Brewing, Denver
Mark Graves/Staff
Porter brewed with pumpkin and spices (8.4% ABV)
Purchased at John's Marketplace, 3535 S.W. Multnomah Blvd., $7.99 (22 oz)
With big coffee and espresso aroma, one judge dubbed this beer “Hershey's in a cup,” and another said it was “winter warmer-esque.” Some found the chocolate up front a bit heavy even for a pumpkin porter, but others said it was well-balanced with a slight bitterness.
2 (three-way tie): Jamaican Me Pumpkin (average score: 6.6)
10 Barrel Brewing, Bend
Mark Graves/Staff
Rum barrel-aged imperial pumpkin beer (10% ABV)
Purchased at John's Marketplace, 3535 S.W. Multnomah Blvd., $16.19 (22 oz)
This big bomb of a beer punches you in the nose with booziness, then delivers complexity and layers of flavor from start to finish. It may have been dinged a bit on scoring because the pumpkin flavor was a bit lacking, some judges said, with one adding that it was a little sweet and “would be hard to drink more than a small glass.”
2: Pumpkin Pedaler (average score: 6.6)
Stormbreaker Brewing, Portland
Mark Graves/Staff
Pumpkin ale (7.3% ABV)
Purchased at John's Marketplace, 3535 S.W. Multnomah Blvd., $5.99 (16.9 oz)
Judges found this ale to be easy drinking, with one calling it “Pumpkin Light.” All found it well-balanced and quaffable, with one declaring it their “favorite (not barrel-aged) beer of the group.” But another found it too light and lacking the heft of pumpkin flavor, more like “butternut squash.”
2: Punkin Ale (average score: 6.6)
Dogfish Head Brewery, Milton, Delaware
Mark Graves/Staff
Brown ale brewed with pumpkin and spices (7% ABV)
Purchased at John's Marketplace, 3535 S.W. Multnomah Blvd., $2.79 (12 oz)
Our East Coast representative, coming from the venerable Dogfish Head Brewery, was hailed as well-balanced, full-bodied, full of spice but not too big. One judge called it a distinctive, malty party beer. Two judges dinged the style, saying a brown ale fell a little flat as a pumpkin beer and didn’t deliver on the pumpkin.
1: Pumpkin Patch Ale (average score: 6.8)
Rogue Ales, Newport
Mark Graves/Staff
Ale brewed with Rogue Farms pumpkins (6.1% ABV)
Purchased at Belmont Station, 4500 S.E. Stark St., $11.43 (25.4 oz)
And we have a winner – one that surprised all of the judges. We didn’t expect Rogue -- which takes its share of criticism from beer snobs but which also keeps flourishing -- to take the top prize. Three judges found this ale to have a great balance with just the right amount of pumpkin spices, while the two others said it was just a touch thin and could use more pumpkin flavor. Either way, the legacy brewery from the Oregon coast takes the nod for producing our Great Pumpkin Beer of 2018 (with its beautiful, opaque, black bottle an added benefit).
Mark Graves/Staff
Oregonian/OregonLive staffers Andre Meunier (from left), Molly Harbarger, David Cansler, Michael Russell and Noelle Crombie sample and rate 10 beers from Portland stores.
-- Andre Meunier
The Oregonian/Oregon Live
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