Pumpkinhead
Shipyard Brewing Co.
EST. CALORIES: 153 ABV: 5.1%
Okay, finally. It’s October, which means I can finally get around to all these pumpkin, Halloween, and fall-themed beers. And luckily for us, Maine brewers put out some amazing seasonal ales for this time of year. From Oktoberfest to Smashed Pumpkin, there’s a fall beer to entertain everyone’s palette in October. Tourist or Native.
We are going to start this month off with the staple seasonal beer from Maine: Pumpkinhead. In the past few years, this brew has become so popular that there’s even been talk suggesting Shipyard sell it year-round. Too much of a good thing? Nah, not possible.
But back to the brew: The first thing you’ll notice is that Pumpkinhead is quite different than most pumpkin beers. Most pumpkin beers are heavy, with just a slight flavor of pumpkin in the aftertaste. On the other hand, Pumpkinhead tastes more like a pumpkin pie made sweet, sweet love to a wheat ale. It’s one of the sweetest beers you may ever drink. Add cinnamon and brown sugar to the lid of the glass for that sugar, spice and everything nice taste. Out of it tap, it pours a beautiful orange hue with little head. The scent is quite pumpkin-y, and it goes down incredibly smooth. Not to go overboard, but this may be just one of the easiest beers to enjoy.
Snobby food pairing: Lamb, turkey, sausage.
Unique food pairing: Apple pie a la mode.
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