About Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale: Our Pumpkin Ale blends the spices of the harvest with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie. Pounds of pumpkin form a malty foundation that supports the fall flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.
While pumpkin beers were produced in the early days of the American colonies, they were different from the pumpkin beers we know today. Colonists used pumpkin and squash as the fermenting medium, since malted barley was scarce. Once malt became more readily available, it replaced these alternatives to grain. In the 1990’s, American craft brewers reintroduced the style to the delight of pumpkin beer drinkers. Available August-October
Beer Advocate Score: 94
Appearance: Copper-colored, bright
Process: Brewed with pumpkin squash and a blend of spices
Hops: Marynka (PL)
Grains: Pale, Crystal, Munich, Wheat, Chocolate
Yeast: American Ale
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 16
OG: 18.2
SRM: 27
Case Cost: $46
*website: http://http://schlafly.com/beers/styles/pumpkin-ale/
Nothing says December 1st like pumpkin. I enjoyed this pumpkin fest @12am (day one tradition) with a glazed doughnut - don't judge. Unfamiliar with pumpkin beers, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, giving it a strong Check+. To be clear, this is a fruit beer - just saying.
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, welcome to the 4th annual 24 Days of Beer. This year we've doubled our count of participants to 72. To those of you that are new, blog away with reckless abandon. Let's see what we can do to keep the momentum going throughout the month!
I assume this is the same Bolter post as last year where he logs on at 12:02 am, brags about how he's drinking the beer right now since he couldn't wait, chastises everyone for not commenting, and then we don't hear from him until he sends an email next October asking if we are in again.
DeleteAnyway, I do expect that and it's okay. Without Mark and Tony, I would have no structure to my annual December bender (Debender?). Love 24 days of beer. Still vote for doing it every month. That would give us 6 or 7 days to recuperate each month (except for February of course).
24 days of Beer...what a great idea! Makes me want to start the 24 days of Wiskey.....but I can't afford that....unless of course we only hand out 3 or 4 oz. tasters.....hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteThe Pumkin Ale is too sweet for my taste, and I normally enjoy a good Pumpkin during the season. Too much spice, not enough pumpkin and ale, more like a Pumpkin Pie Ale to me.
Maybe this beer is meant to be enjoyed with a donut to start the day?!?!
Donuts are always OK. Beer is pretty much always OK or at least should be. So, yeah. Maybe with one of those Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Glazed donuts...good idea.
DeleteThank you Mark, Katie and Tony. So pumped for the 24 days but then I saw we had a pumpkin beer to start. Oh boy, I hate pumpkin beer. But I was happy to get the klunker out of the way on day 1 so I opened it up and was pleasantly surprised. Just like the label said, it was the best pumpkin beer I had but still not the type of beer I would drink. Probably tasted better because I drank it with a piece of pumpkin pie.
ReplyDeleteSince I am dating again, I will explain the beer like dating a women for the first time and you are holding her hand thinking this is nice I am going to move onto a arm around the shoulder and b/c of the high ABV I definitely want to get in there and have a frontal hug and rub all up on her. Much to my disappointment, the more I tried to hug her, the more I realized there was nothing there to rub against. The hug fell flat - just like this beer. Not asking her out again or this beer.
Well put!
DeleteFirst, thank you Mark, Tony, Katy, and Tom (and any others I missed) for organizing this and getting a great selection of beer yet again!
ReplyDeleteI was looking forward to drinking this beer since I got up this morning since I am a fan of pumpkin beer. This is a little sweeter than I typically like, but I really enjoyed it and it will certainly be added to the family fall beer list. I only wish I had a doughnut to accompany it. Great start to the 24 DoB (I like how we now have an acronym - was that Katy?)
Thanks to all who put in all the hard work to make this happen...again! I've been looking forward to this all year. Now, on to the important stuff. I have tended to shy away from pumpkin ales mostly because they seemed kind of trendy and I'm really more of an IPA guy. But with this one, I was pleasantly surprised. The first sip had me hooked. It starts out well and tends to linger with nutmeg and/or cinnamon for quite a while. No nasty aftertaste. It does not seem heavy enough for an ABV of 8%, but I'm only half way through it. I may be singing in ten minutes. This one goes on my nice list. Great pick for day 1!
ReplyDeleteGod I love December. And I've realized recently that it has nothing to do with Christmas and is solely connected to the 24 days of beer.
ReplyDeleteSo as many of you know, I have a long standing hate hate relationship with all beers pumpkin. It has nothing to do with my feelings on pumpkins themselves. I ate an entire pie last weekend. Pumpkins are literally the only thing we grew in our garden this year (okay that wasn't a choice) and I made pumpkin bread from scratch. And it was damn tasty if I do say so myself as one who bakes a loaf of bread once every decade.
But I hate pumpkin beer. I mean it's not on the level of hatred of James and the Giant Peach beer and High and Dry Watermelon, but I have always had a problem with adding fruits and vegetables to beer and although I'm not a botanist, I'm pretty sure pumpkin is a fruit and/or a vegetable. Plus it feels like in the past few years, pumpkin beers have been the cool thing that all the hipsters get all excited about and as an aging Generation Xer, that makes me want to tell all pumpkin beers to get off my damn lawn.
In October I had the Dogfish pumpkin beer since someone told me I'd like it if I liked no other pumpkin beer. It didn't taste like pumpkin at all but the rest of the pumpkin pie flavors were overpowering. All nutmeg and all spice and I struggled to finish it.
So to say my expectations were low would be a gross understatement. I opened this up and took a whiff. Didn't smell bad at all. Figured it was just because I'm congested. Took a sip. Definitely got some all spice and ginger flavors but again, not too bad. Accompanied by a lot of what I would term "malty goodness." Took a few more sips and it got even better. I must say I actually liked it. I might even order this in a bar based on what else was available. So I'm going to give this a solid B.
I gave some to my dad who is in town visiting. He drinks about three beers a year when visiting me. He started by saying it was interesting and then said he really liked it and then finished it off. My mom, who believes beer is evil, took a sip and didn't even hate it. Aunt Phyllis would be so proud of the family values that her nephew's beer is creating here in suburban Maryland. Except that Ro hated it. But I'll let her comment on that.....
Bill you didn't disappoint. Thanks for the James and the Giant Peach reference.
DeleteSounds like the time is right to take the folks bar hopping. Tell them the first round at the Quarry House is on me.
Deletethat's a lot of backwash from people sipping on your beer. I say " get your own" : )
DeleteJust for the record, Ro drank about 3 ounces of hers, mom drank one sip of dad's glass, so it was pretty much my dad and me splitting 20 ounces of pumpkin goodness. Sometimes it's bad to have two participants in the household but sometimes it's good. Very good. Good gourd.
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ReplyDeleteNot a huge pumpkin beer fan but this one hit the spot after a long day at the office (a bud light probably would have as well today..but I digress). Thanks for putting this thing together...looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteWell this is a different beer as far as the 24 DoB is concerned. PUMPKIN! I guess since we are only a couple days past Thanksgiving, this works in well. Poured this in a glass and could smell the pumpkin. I can definitely taste the pumpkin too. I like it, it's pretty sweet for a beer. Went down fast and love the 8% ABV. Though, I probably could only drink this between October and November. Prefect seasonal beer except we are borderline past the right season to drink this. I like pumpkin pie so I like this beer. Score 8 out of 10, solid B
ReplyDeleteWe're off to a good start! Drink this beer from a glass versus the bottle - it tastes much better because you can smell the nutmeg as you drink it. My rating is a Check Plus. I just wish I had a glazed doughnut to accompany this delicious pumpkin taste.
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ReplyDeleteWell....what a great start to December. Thank you for opening up this group to all the new folks....I appreciate it, especially since it gives me another reason to drink beer every day! On to the pumpkin beer.
ReplyDeleteSo far, not many pumpkin beer fans but I for one am. I was excited to try this one as it isn't one I have had. Growing up in St. Louis, I've had many beers from Schalfly but not this one. It poured out with a nice copper color and rich head that dissipated quickly. It definitely smelled of pumpkin and spice. I could almost taste it from the smell. Initially, all I could taste was pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and such. Then came a slight burn and I was reminded its a 8% beer. I feel like the higher ABV thins out the maltiness of the beer. Its not necessarily on my list of favorite pumpkin beers but overall not terribly disappointed. Rating: B-
Bill is right--I hate all pumpkin beers and this one is no exception.
ReplyDeleteOk, this is my first year participating in the 24 Days of Beer and therefore my first post. Thanks again to my friend Dave for getting me involved and for those of you who clearly do a lot of work to make this thing happen. What a great concept.
ReplyDeletePumpkin ale was a great first choice. Tis the season. As far as pumpkin ales are concerned, I wouldn't say that this is the best I've ever had but not the worst either. I'd put it somewhere in the middle of the pack. It had a good taste and great aroma, with a very slight afterbite. If I had a few more in the house, I suspect I'd be drinking another right now. I was surprised to read that it has an 8% alcohol content. It also went well with the leftover gingerbread cake I was eating. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's selection.
Loved the smell. Really liked the taste at first, but just got too sweet. Not the best pumpkin I've ever had but decent effort. Again, just too sweet in the end. Gets a B.
ReplyDeleteHay all y'all,
ReplyDeleteThanks for allowing me to join in the fun this year. Name's Todd Lang, but I guess I also go by "#26 jlangtbone@aol" on the list below (it's all good, I'm the new guy)! First off, great concept, and great variety of beers, well done already. And I'm seeing some posts from Southern MD! We prob used to drink together growing up (McDonough?). Even see another "Lang" on the list!
I'm getting off topic...
On to the beer. I, for one, was thrilled to see my old friend Schlafly Pumpkin Ale as the first beer on the list. I'm very familiar with this beer (almost all of the others are unfamiliar), having discovered it at the Shirlington Octoberfest a few years back. My buddy and I went back to the Schlafly hut for several additional glasses (only later to find out about the high ABV). I'm not ashamed to say that I DO like pumpkin beers. They're GREAT for a month or two out of the season. And this is one of the best in my opinion. I see several posters appear to be pumpkin disparagers...
I had to chuckle a bit at the "pumpkin beers are trendy, I'm more of an IPA guy" comment because... c'mon, there's nothin' more popular than describing oneself as an IPA guy! That's as original as a Prius with an Obama sticker. Not picking on anyone, just pointing out irony. Look, it's fall, it's ok to enjoy the seasonal flavors.
And sure, pumpkin is technically a fruit. TECHnically. But not all fruit is created equal. Pumpkin is a fruit like a tomato is a fruit. These are manly fruits. If it was a blueberry beer, I'd be with you. Beer should never be "fruity"... unless the person drinking it is really a wine-drinker at heart, has boobs, or just abnormally high levels of estrogen. I would definitely not describe this beer as fruity. This beer is all balls.
Going back to my discovery story: after Octoberfest my buddy and I went in on four cases of the stuff together. Admittedly, that was a mistake...it's a hard beer to drink a lot of. You CAN burn out on it. If you do wanna drink a lot of beer AND enjoy a slight pumpkin flavor, I'd recommend Shipyard's Pumpkinhead. You can binge that stuff. ...I'm guessing.
So summing up. Great selection. And thanks for reuniting me with an old beer that I'd burned out on, broken up with, but with whom I now have a rekindled relationship. Cheers!
-Todd
Todd - you're going to for in nicely with your blogging. Keep in mind this is a marathon , don't use all your A material with the first mile ....err beer.
DeleteWise words and a good tip! Thankfully (depending on one's opinion) I get talkative when I drink.
DeleteThanks!
Nice job on the assortment - thanks again for putting this thing together!
ReplyDeleteI don’t find pumpkin beers as polarizing as some here. It’s certainly easy to find ones that are done poorly. I think this beer tastes as advertised – “full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie.” Normally I’m not into sweet beers, but I’d drink this one again.
First time to the party so 1) Thank you all for putting this together and 2) thank you for allowing me to join! A big thanks to Dave O for keeping in mind when the opportunity to join came up. With that said I'm not a big fan of pumpkin beers but this had an almost indiscernible hint of pumpkin. It was also 'light' in taste and body - would have guessed a lower ABV (as some mentioned). Certainly drinkable but I'm hard pressed to pair food, other than maybe dessert (pumpkin pie), with it. With 23 more to go probably not going into the 'win' column just yet. Overall too sweet and too light for my taste.
ReplyDeleteI am a pumpkin beer fan. When I had this a year ago, I thought it was the best pumpkin beer out there. Ever since then, nothing has come close to it. It is a dessert beer but I do not mind having dessert with dinner. It got a really spicy feeling my first sip but that might be because I had just eaten a piece of garlic. It made me regret not buying more of it this season. Great start!
ReplyDeleteAfter a couple days off of work, this beer hit the spot after spending all day answering emails and sitting on pointless conference calls. Fall seasonals are my favorite type of beer and this one is no disappointment. Most pumpkin beers go to far in trying to make their beer taste like pumpkin but Schlafly's got the combination spot on. It doesn't seem like an 8% ABV beer which could sneak up on you if you had a couple of these but thats what we said about the punch in college. Overall I liked this one and will seek it out next time its in season/stock. A
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to finally meet you
Deleteyou may remember me from such memorable experiences as taking Tony to the ER after a successful Santa Stumble ( Tony and Katy may not consider it successful), a few country concerts and a fellow Hokie fan (this year it was tough to admit, but at least they beat UVA.)
DeleteEverything that comes out of the STL is pretty awesome (with the exception of riots and Nelly). This beer is no exception. Just the right amount of pumpkin. Solid B.
ReplyDeleteAwesome entry with the exceptions! Well done
DeleteI think I saw a Nelly CD in your car.
DeleteSo not a fan of any spiced beers, especially Pumpkin. That being said, I found this beer to be positively delectable. The spice and sweetness were so very well balanced. Wishing there were two. As an added plus, the Henry David Thoreau quote on the label was perfect!
ReplyDeleteSpecial thanks to Tony, Mark, and all others who put in all the work making this happen once again!
ReplyDeleteOn to the brewski! I'm a huge Schlafly fan and I'm a huge Pumpkin beer fan and this tag team combo doesn't disappoint. It seemed a bit sweeter than I remembered but at 8% ABV and with the spices just right it's all good. This gets a A!
Very excited to get this started. Less excited about the sick infant, screaming 4 year old and clogged toilet in my home. Thankfully I had this to look forward to after all those fires were put out. As others have said - not a big pumpkin beer fan but this is probably the best I've had. Really smells great.
ReplyDeleteIt's always great to have something to look forward to, so thanks to the 24 DoB Crew for another year of more to look forward to everyday! For me, the Schlafly's Pumpkin is a solid contender. I love Fall seasonals and some of the pumpkins, as long as they aren't too spicy / sweet. My first impression was that of a strong alcohol taste - I then looked at the ABV and was surprised to only see 8% because I don't think I would normally get a big hit of it at that %. That alcohol taste did fade into the background with each drink and the nice laid back spices came into focus. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of the other posters, I'm not into pumpkin beers. This is one of the more tolerable ones that I've ever forced myself to drink, but too many spices for me. Hell, I'll give it a C+ just because I'm excited for the next 23 beers.
ReplyDeleteThe other day I had to explain this endeavor to someone and the only thing that popped into my head is that this is a beer advent calendar. Now I'm not religious, but the thought of that made me even more excited to get started.
First of all, tip of the hat to our benevolent organizers and their incredibly valuable contributions to our little world and society as a whole. This is truly the most wonderful time of the year.
ReplyDeleteLike many others, I am generally not a fan of pumpkin beer. However, I am generally big fan of Schlafly's. So it will be a battle of opposing predispositions.
The result: Let's call it a draw. It is a generally inoffensive beer where the spice does not complete overwhelm.
That would be the my complaint about "trendy" pumpkin beers. They far too often cover up the taste of hops and malt. Schlafly's does a solid job of letting the beer flavor still come through. Still, I be consuming something a bit more hoppy or malty in a few moments.
I will give it 5/10. A solid start, but can't wait for the beers to come.
A lover of beer and first-time 24DoB participant, I have to admit my disdain for fruit-flavored beers in general and gourd-flavored beers in particular. The best kind of beer is the kind you like, so I would never begrudge another person's preference for spiced syrup masquerading as a seasonal treat, but I also must admit to being thankful last Thursday that the very few pumpkin beers I encounter are available only for a limited span of time, reducing my exposure to this "novel" idea. Schlafly makes a consistently good product, however, and I'm a big fan of their IPAs, so I had high expectations despite that aforementioned disdain.
ReplyDeleteBut, as gourd ales go, this one was pretty damn good - and even a little better than that. The aroma and first taste of this Pumpkin Ale were certainly sweet, but that's what you'd expect. The nutmeg and related spices came across smoothly, however, retaining a beer taste rather than crossing the line into the realm of confections one might find at a surreal harvest festival sponsored by Willy Wonka and filled with drunk college girls who just grew out of wine coolers and haven't quite aged into Manhattans. Instead, this tasted like beer that also tastes like pumpkin (or pumpkin pie, to be more precise), and the sweetness was pleasant without being overbearing (unlike me, or so I've been told). The mouth-feel (Yeah - I said it - so?) had good weight and body, delivering a satisfying finish. And it certainly grew on me by the end of the bottle, helped (I'm sure) by the 8.0% ABV that seemed about right for what they were trying to do here.
There's truth in Schlafly's advertising when they say it comes "with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie." My cousin Murdoch liked it too, though he says he prefers to take his pumpkin pie with a fork. I won't say Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale has made me a fan of pumpkin beers in general, but it certainly has proven to me that beers like this can be made well and can deliver a complex and satisfying experience. My cousin Murdoch wonders if they'll make a butternut squash lager. That might be harder to pull off.
Bottom Line At Bottom: If you don't like pumpkin beers, you should definitely try a pint of Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale. If you already like pumpkin ales, buy a case of this stuff.
Hello again friends...welcome to the 24DoB. Cheers to all my veteran drinkin buddies and all newcomers. I sure do love to drink beer!!!
ReplyDeleteA nod to all of you who whine and moan about a beer outside your wheelhouse...suck it up people!!! If you wanted to drink the same thing every day you should just grab a case of WGB and move on ;)
THis is one of the best pumpkins out there...the only thing better is an Imperial Pumpkin (and the additional 3% ABV). THis is one of the best all around pumpkins on the market. I hope you all enjoyed it. I am not into fruit in my beer but these give you a taste of everything that is great about the holidays and certainly does not suck.
I should have bought a case this year...Tony thank you for thinking ahead and scoring a few cases to add to this years line up.
New to the 24 Days Of Beer, thanks to Marc and Tony for organizing everything. Like a lot of the folks here, I also normally don't like pumpkin beers but thought that this was the best one that I've ever had. Good spice mix without a strong lingering aftertaste. Looking forward to the other 23!
ReplyDeleteIn Short: "Would accept another"
ReplyDeleteAs a self proclaimed beer snob, ex-homebrewer and now "just" a taster I love this idea - thanks to all for the hard work and opening up this community!
I generally don't like Pumpkin Ales, but this one is not subtle. Very Bold, the ginger aroma and taste is exceptional. My experience has been that too often pumpkin ales are under spiced and you are left with nothing but an unpleasant after taste - not this one!
Anyone on untappd (https://untappd.com/), I'm ctatem
Scale...
Worth seeking out
Refills all around
Would accept another
Just one please
Rather Drink Water
Ah, another untappd addict. See you in the best social media app ever.
DeleteGreat way to start out the 24 days! I enjoy pumpkin beers, and I found that this one had a lot more spice and flavor than the average one.
ReplyDeleteEach sip was like taking a bite of a delicious pumpkin pie. I enjoyed it thoroughly. By far, the best pumpkin beer I've had. Great start.
ReplyDeleteI had low expectations for this beer and it didn't disappoint. Meeting my low expectations that is. I mean it did disappoint...me. It disappointed me. I mean I was disappointed in it. Not just versus my expectations which were already low, but all by itself. Both in a vacuum and relative to my expectations, I was disapopinted.
ReplyDeleteI'm so confused. Check minus.
I got a late start to trying this beer since I was sick on 1 December. I admit I had it at lunch on 2 December while on a "work break". It was pretty nice. Can't say I'd order a bunch of these, but would definitely serve with Thanksgiving Turkey to the in-law relatives. (especially since they drank all my bourbon absent other, cheaper options available to them).
ReplyDeleteThe beer has a substance to it.... really does taste like a piece of pumpkin pie blended in the old Vitamix on puree for 30 seconds.
This brew was crisper and less pumpkiny than other pumpkin brews I've consumed this season. So in that sense, it was a winner. As far as pumpkin brews go. Which is not very far. As far as my palate goes.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great beer to start out with! I typically love pumpkins, but have been disappointed in many that I've had this season, but not this one! The sweetness mixed with the pumpkin pie spices were just what I was hoping for!
ReplyDeleteGreat first beer! Even though I am a loyal Dogfish Head Punkin Ale guy, this Schafly comes in as a second favorite. Not overwhelming and my wife, a hater of everything pumpkin, might even like this.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually like pumpkin beers but this one surprised me. Enjoyed it and will drink more of it when I can find it.
ReplyDeleteFirst I want to say I am glad to be a part of this annual tradition. And want to thank Scott for inviting to me a part of it. Now on to Beer 1: Schlafly's Pumpkin ale. I am a fan of pumpkin beers, so it goes without saying that of have sampled many. While this was not my favorite pumpkin beer, overall I still consider it a very solid pumpkin ale.
ReplyDeleteYou'll quickly tire of me saying that all of these beers just don't match up to Miller Lite (henceforth referred to as WGB, the world's greatest beer). I generally don't like ales at all and I've gotten a lot of mileage in my life making fun of fruit beers. Yup - pumpkin is a fruit - I had to look that up and I'm surprised that it's not a vegetable. Even more surprisingly I really like this beer. As quite a few have noted, there's something good about pumpkin pie in a bottle. I've participated in 3 or 4 of these events and this one gets the nod as my favorite all time. I can't wait for the Lemon Meringue beer.
ReplyDeleteCatching up tonight. This was a good pumpkin beer, cerainy better than most. Can't wait to see what the rest of this week has in store.
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party but look forward to catching up with the group. The first beer, Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale was a great start. Delicious! Didn't notice the 8% ABV and the pumpkin spices were not overkill as Pumpkin itself is pretty bland.
ReplyDelete