I recently went out on a quest, a quest for a beer that only shows up in those fabled autumn months, and then disappears for another year. No, not Oktoberfest beers (although I got some of those as well). I was looking for Pumpkin beers to fit the Halloween season.
I got a late start this year, and it took me several stores before I found any. Alas, the brands I was looking for - Smuttynose and Dogfish Head were long gone by then, and I grabbed what I could: a Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale and this beer, Post Road Pumpkin Ale.
[• about POST ROAD •] Post Road is made by the Brooklyn Brewery, although you wouldn't know it by looking at the bottle, since it shows "Brewed & Bottled by Post Road Brewery, Utica, NY". Perhaps it was good that they stood away from this beer, because the normally good name of Brooklyn Brewery would have been a little smeared by this one.
Made with American two-row, Crystal and Aromatic malts, as well as Willamette and Fuggles hops. So far, so good. They also blend in a lot of pumpkins, and top it all off with nutmeg and cinnamon to give it some spice.
According to the website, "Post Road Pumpkin Ale is a revival of a beer brewed by the early American colonists. Pumpkins were plentiful, flavorful and nutritious and they blended nicely with barley malt." Sounds great, but how did it turn out?
[• drinking this year's PUMPKINS •]
Sub-par. Brooklyn Brewery makes a number of very good beers, and I would have had even higher hopes for this had I known that they were involved. As it was, I was coming off a very sub-par Blue Moon version and was looking for a step up. I got one, but not by much.
The pour was nice, a deep orange color with a medium dark tan head. I liked the color and the nose gave me a hint of both malts and a bit of spiciness. Not too much, though, and very little that said 'pumpkin' to me.
The first taste was also somewhat disappointing. Again, there is a distinct bit of maltiness and a hint of spice to it - probably cinnamon but not quite sweet enough. The hops comes through at the end to clean up the palate, but there was a distinct lack of pumpkin (again). It couldn't happen twice, could it? Unfortunately, yes. Although this ale had more character to it, the 'pumpkin' aspects were missing or so understated that I missed them completely. It was a decent beer, almost a pale ale but a bit more malty, but I didn't get any pumpkin satisfaction.
[• grab the SECURITY BLANKET •]
So, the autumn has passed, and I missed my chance to get a pumpkin beer to enjoy. It's my own fault, I guess, and perhaps I should have known that the only beers left would be there for a reason. I've read other reviews - and had other pumpkin beers in the past - to know that there is a lot better out there. But now I'll have to wait another year - are you out there Great Pumpkin? I'll be waiting!
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