by John Mizer
October 25, 2008

There's a recurring situation I keep finding myself in that takes place at some of my favorite watering holes around town and it goes something like this: I order a glass of Southern Tier Imperial Pumking Ale and have the person nearby sample it. Their expeditious response is invariably : "I don't like pumpkin beers". "Just try it" is my constant rejoinder. They usually LOVE it and another convert is born.

It wasn't always this way. Like many beer snobs, I too resisted the spiced charms of pumpkin brew. The market has blown up recently with new styles and substyles being created and beer drinkers finally relented. The pumpkin ale isn't going way any time soon and gains popularity with new additions coming each autumn.

Are brewers cashing in on a new trend? Not really. Pumpkin ale has been with us since shortly after the Mayflower landed. Barley was scarce and brewers would use pumpkin and corn as adjunct grains and pumpkin ale was born. There were no pumpkin lagers at the time as the lager yeast was yet to be discovered until the mid-nineteenth century. The first versions of this style are reported to have been quite hideous and barely drinkable but I imagine it's hard to be a beer snob when you're busy colonizing the New World.

This season you'll have no problem finding some interesting varieties unless of course they sell out-which has often been the case with the Southern Tier Pumking. Weighing in at 9% abv this is no wimpy spice beer. You can easily detect the pumpkin, spices, and yes-even the pie crust in the flavor profile. The high alcohol content imparts a slight alcohol burn which only enhances the experience. Other entries receiving high marks are the Dogfishhead Punkin which has a nice brown sugar taste happening and for beginners I recommend the New Holland Ichabod which is a bit lighter fare but not without it's rewards. As I write this, your finer beer stores are fully stocked with some of these products and in the inverted law of the shelf space jungle-the strong will be gone and the lame will linger on into the holiday season.