Which commercial pumpkin beers actually contain pumpkin?

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Tenchiro

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Most of them seem to contain just the pumpkin spices and some of the ones I had which say they are made with pumpkin seem to lack the body I was expecting.

Any recommendations for a good commercial pumpkin brew that I can sample before trying to create my own?
 
Night Owl Pumpkin from Elysian Brewing in Seattle.

It may soon be more widely available since they just inked a deal with New Belgium Brewing that will have New Belgium brewing select Elysian beers and Elysian brewing some of New Belgium's brands.

Rumor has it that New Belgium recently brewed 600 barrels of Night Owl Pumpkin for Elysian.
 
Southern Tier Imperial PumKing Ale. (Uses puree). Astoundingly delicious. There is a thread talking about this right now.
 
Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale was decent a couple years ago when I had it. I'm sure you already know this but stay away from Buffalo Bills Pumpkin Ale. One of the worst beers I've ever had.
 
Night Owl Pumpkin from Elysian Brewing in Seattle.

It may soon be more widely available since they just inked a deal with New Belgium Brewing that will have New Belgium brewing select Elysian beers and Elysian brewing some of New Belgium's brands.

Rumor has it that New Belgium recently brewed 600 barrels of Night Owl Pumpkin for Elysian.

That is cool. Maybe we'll see a better selection of NB beers around the Pac NW.
 
Beer Info's top 10 pumpkin beers all contain pumpkin

IIRC, I've only had one of them on the list, the O'fallon, and it is amazing.

Punkin' Ale - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. Perfect to warm-up with, as the season cools. Food Pairing recommendations: Turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings. 7% abv. 24 ibu.

Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch Ale - Wild Goose Brewery
Wild Goose Pumpkin Patch Ale is slow-brewed with 9 special malts, 100% British Fuggle hops, nearly 300 pounds of pumpkin, and a secret blend of spices. Deep orange and amber in color, rich malt flavors and a subtle spiciness this beer is Wildly aromatic and bold.

Ichabod Ale - New Holland Brewing Company
Ichabod combines malted barley and real pumpkin with cinnamon and nutmeg in a delicious and inviting brew.
Ichabod pairs well with autumnal foods such as poultry and root vegetables. After dinner, try it with your favorite dessert. 4.7% abv.

Post Road Pumpkin Ale - Brooklyn Brewery
The smell had aromas of malt and spices. The taste had a full malt body, a medium hop profile, and a bit of pumpkin flavor. Also present, especially towards the aftertaste were many spices. Detected at least cinnamon and nutmeg, and perhaps some ginger as well.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale - Saint Louis Brewery
A full-bodied, deep reddish amber beer made with pumpkin and butternut squash and spiced with nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Celebrate the bounty of harvest with this rich, malty ale and invoke the season of plenty.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale - Matt Brewing Company
Saranac Pumpkin Ale is brewed with Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Ginger and Vanilla. Look for a full-body and amber color. We're sure you'll enjoy this special brew! 5.4% ABV. Malts: Maris Otter, Wheat. Hops: Cascade Hops.

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale - Buffalo Bill's Brewery
A seasonal favorite made only in autumn, as it's brewed with fresh-roasted pumpkins, and accented with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale - Coors Brewing Company
Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale is a clear amber color, well-carbonated, and produces a creamy head. The complex estery aromas are due no doubt to the yeast strain used. This medium-bodied brew offers a full mouth-feel along with an overall malty flavor with just hints of any pumpkin in its ingredient list.

Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co.
Butterscotch was present in the aroma and very noticeable in the taste. Some nice pumpkin is also present but in a very creamy way. Kind of a mixture of Cool Whip and pumpkin paste. Not a lot of spice is present but sweet malt is. A bit of toffee and vanilla come to mind.

O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale - O'Fallon Brewery
Liquefied home-made pumpkin pie! There are cinnamon sticks and halloween candy flavors too. Mulled cider minus the apples. Sort of like mulled pumpkin cider! The caramel malt really provides a nice base for the graham-cracker crust and pumpkin pie filling flavors.

The links to the breweries are on the original article http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages/pumpkinbeers.html
 
Saranac Pumpkin Ale - Matt Brewing Company
Pumpkinhead Ale - Shipyard Brewing Co.

These are the only two I have had from that list. I'd say Shipyard's is much better! I was NH last year, wife and I tried it. I'm not much of a pumpkin ale lover, but Shipyard's I liked!
 
Good info, thanks. What should I be expecting from a good pumpkin ale? I have had a few and all were good beers, but the actual pumpkin wasn't noticable. Is it that the spices used over power the flavor or are you even supposed to be able to detect the pumpkin? I just want to make sure that my expectations aren't out of line with what the finished product should taste like.
 
These are the only two I have had from that list. I'd say Shipyard's is much better! I was NH last year, wife and I tried it. I'm not much of a pumpkin ale lover, but Shipyard's I liked!

These two are my favorites, but I prefer the Saranac. Just a hint of pumpkin, not overpowering.

The Blue Moon stuff is way too sweet for my tastes.
 
Does Pumpkin Post Road contain Pumpkin?

[edit]Yeah it does, I read up on it at Brooklyn's site.[/edit]
 
Good info, thanks. What should I be expecting from a good pumpkin ale? I have had a few and all were good beers, but the actual pumpkin wasn't noticeable. Is it that the spices used over power the flavor or are you even supposed to be able to detect the pumpkin? I just want to make sure that my expectations aren't out of line with what the finished product should taste like.

I guess it depends on what you like...I'm a pumpkin Ale zombie (i guess that is what they are called based on some article I read while looking for the info for you.) So I have tried a few (though not many on that list.)

Some are really sweet, like pie with whipped cream in the bottle, or they whipped a lot of sugar in the pumpkin. Some have the spice blend dominant, some have a certain spice, like cinnamon or ginger dominant.

I personally like a really balanced PA but with the pumpkin not too sweet, but with hints of pie spices, without one predominating. I really like the ones that are bottle conditioned with brown sugar, so there is a bit of that flavor in the swallow as well.
 
I lean toward the pumpkin side when it comes to pumpkin ales, I don't mind the spices in small amounts but I really enjoy the flavor of the pumpkin in the beer.
 
I fell in love with Pumpkin Ales a few year ago. I was in the infancy of my beer obsession and still developing my pallet. What got me started on Pumpkins was the Buffalo Bill's.

Last year, when I pick up various Pumpkin Ales in the Fall, I realized that they all seemed lacking a bit. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. To much spice?

I got to say, I'm not a big fan of Buffalo Bill's, Blue Moon or Shipyeard. They are all missing something.

For my money... I think the best Pumpkin is the Cottonwood from NC.
 
Smuttynose makes a pumpkin beer that everyone seems to be in love with and is made with real pumpkin pulp.

BTW, steer clear of Shipyard if you arent in love with nutmeg. Its a real nutmeg bomb.
 
I got a taste of pumpkin beer at a keg party in college of all places. The keg was from the Socorro Springs brewery and the beer was amazing! It was full-bodied, with a great pumpkin flavor and a mild blend of spices. Very good stuff.

I bought a sixer of Buffalo Bill's last year and I must say... I'm not a fan. It seemed like something was missing...

Now for the part where you all take shots at me... I bought a sixer of Michelob's pumpkin beer the other day and, surprisingly, it's pretty good. There, I said it. :D
 
Doog, I know it's been a few years since your post but does Socorro Springs still make this stuff? I might have to look them up and see when it'll be on tap and make a road trip south.
 
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