West Of Free Press — December 2022 - Flipbook - Page 15
Pumpkin Burnout
Because of “season creep,” many of us are sick
of pumpkin beers before October even arrives
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Gre
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by J
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I
t is really my favorite time of
the year — autumn. Leaves
have begun to change and
are falling fast. Temps are
dropping, but aren’t yet bonechilling and nasty. The sweaty
days of summer are gone. The
world looks, smells, and feels
wonderful.
It’s also, for me, my favorite
time of the year for beer. And
that’s because, while the
weatherman and Old Farmer’s
Almanac will tell us its fall, the
brewers seem to think its winter.
Spiced, stronger, and maltier
beers have arrived. Like coming
across an old friend not seen for
a year, these wonderful beers
always bring a smile to my face.
Although you may find a stray
Oktoberfest here and there,
those lagers are typically gone
from the shelves and taps by
mid-October. However, pumpkin
beers still can be found. And it’s
the pumpkin beer that becomes
my dilemma around late October,
early November.
By this point, I’m very
torn—it’s become a love/hate
relationship with the once
magical American craft beer
star. Recently I had a 6-pack of
a very tasty pumpkin-harvest
ale, a session seasonal for sure.
Two pints in, I was done. It had
become too much spice, too
much sweetness.
These pumpkin beers
that once made my head and
tastebuds dance with delight,
now bring about apathy if not
repulsion. Cottonwood Pumpkin
Spice ushers in boredom, not
pleasure. A good friend now
refers to Southern Tier Pumking
as orange sugar water, or melted
candy corn, not the savior
imperial ale of the pumpkin
world, as it was just a a few
weeks ago.
My indifference is further
troubling as the pumpkin beers
come out earlier and earlier every
year. So after drinking a couple
in late August or September,
by the time late October rolls
around, the only pumpkin I want
to see are the jack-o-lanterns on
people’s porches.
But what to do with all these
‘leftover’ pumpkin beers? Like
the pumpkins rotting on stoops
and getting smashed in the
street, there is real dilemma with
what to do with the beers after
you’ve been pumpkin-ed out.
Here are a few ideas for your
remaining gordo-ales. Some are
more aggressive or unique than
others, but I’m sure you can find
a ‘punk’ to try out with these
suggestions.
The easiest option is to put
them in the back of the fridge
and drink the pumpkin beers
with Thanksgiving meals. The
spicy, tart yet sweet flavors of
many pumpkin beers pair well
with the multitude of tastes in
this holiday feast and maybe
by then, you’ll be ready for one
before saying good-bye for
the year. As for the sweeter
offerings, drink them as or
with Thanksgiving dessert.
Hell, even use a pumpkin
beer as an ingredient in what
you’re cooking, you might be
pleasantly surprised.
Sticking with the sweeter
side, I found pumpkin beers
to be a great component in a
beer float! Caramel ice cream
and Heavy Seas imperial
The Great Pumpkin was
delish. At a beer tasting
recently, I was given a
scoop of bourbon vanilla
homemade ice cream
in my Weyerbacher
Imperial Pumpkin Ale
… divine.
But the best use
of these beers was
not my idea, but that
of one of my favorite
local bartender–the
“Dirty Pumpkin!
You could also
call it a “black and
orange,”
made
with Dogfish Head
Punkin’ Ale and
Guinness. A better
version I requested
at a different spot
was
Murphy’s
Irish Stout over
Smuttynose
Pumpkin Ale. A hint
of smoke melded
with the creamy
pumpkin beer for a
real treat, no trick!
Happy Halloween.
Enjoy the brews.
Cheers.