Beer Review: Pumpkin Ales

I was at my brother's house Sunday to watch football all day, and I brought with me a trio of pumpkin ales for a taste-test. Now let me say first, neither Kevin nor I care much for pumpkin ale, so you know we were both going into this unbiased. Here are the results:

• Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - According to the Shipyard website, their Pumpkinhead Ale has "delightful aromatics and subtle spiced flavor". While the latter is true, the former is not. Poured out of the bottle, the beer is the pale watery color of a cheap mass-marketed US beer (*cough* Bud/Miller/Coors *cough*), and has a not-so-pleasant reek to it. This is unfortunate, for I have had the pleasure of many a snootful direct from the tap (good friend Jen M. is a big fan of this beer), so it may just be the result of being cooped up in glass. The taste is quite good though. The nutmeg is pronounced but not overpowering, and the traces of cinnamon and an almost 'gingersnap cookie' flavor, make for a decent brew.
• Post Road Pumpkin Ale - This beer from the Brooklyn Brewery poured out of the bottle a nice medium-brown color. The trace scent detectable was a bit flowery, and didn't represent the strength of the spices once tasted. A good ale flavor, with a healthy dose of a nutmeg/cinnamon blend (but a surprisingly small amount of pumpkin flavor) made for a very enjoyable experience. Kevin and I both preferred it immensely over the Shipyard's offering on every level (smell, color, taste). It was a fantastic complement to the giant cheesesteak sandwiches he seasoned from his own home recipe. For a couple of guys who don't care much for fruit-flavored beers, it was a nice surprise.
• Gritty's Halloween Ale - Imagine our surprise when we discovered that this beer wasn't a pumpkin ale at all, just another autumn beer that happened to have a Halloween theme (my oversight when I selected a few brands to review). Dark brown out of the bottle, it had little scent, but the flavor was the perfect blend of Newcastle Brown Ale and Sam Adams Octoberfest. A typical October beer, with a dependable taste.

All in all, it was a fun experiment, and it was cool looking for places to photograph the bottles in Kevin's Halloween-themed backyard (he has three small kids). I plan on grabbing a few more brands in the next week or so to add to the list, so please check back for updates, and I hope this has helped you in choosing a decent pumpkin ale.This one is my current wallpaper!