You know those Coke commercials when people make that "Ahhh" sound after taking a sip? That's what comes to my mind when I think of pumpkin beer. It's fall in a bottle. I'm always willing to try a new pumpkin ale, give ones that may fall short one year a second shot the year after and of course, seek out the ones that I love once they come out in the following year. In my mind, I've found the holy grail of pumpkin beers, but I'm willing to accept someone's argument against it. This cherished beer I'm talking about is Southern Tier's Pumking.I had the patience (after buying an entire case of it last year) to save a bottle from 2008 to make a comparison to this year's batch and see how it aged. With 9% ABV (alcohol by volume), this could be done. Side note: you probably don't want to save a beer for over a year if it's under 7-8%. Anyway, I decided to make the comparison last week between the 2008 and 2009 batch of Pumking.
I thought of how to go about in doing this with a fair mindset, such as doing a blind tasting of the two, but I guess my impatience won that battle. So I just poured the two, starting with the '08, then the '09 in a tasting glass. It's easy to say the aged, 2008 batch tasted better than this year's, but in my mind/mouth, it really did. It just seemed as if all of the caramel, nutmeg, pumpkin flavor was much more enhanced in the '08. That's certainly not to say that the '09 was not good though...I would just say it was like eating a chocolate bar while drinking the '08 was like eating an oozing, freshly baked chocolate brownie.Now...I'll precede this statement by saying I was not taking hallucinogens, but when I poured the '08 Pumking, I swear I could make out the visage of a pumpkin in the head of the beer...it was magical.
I've tried a good selection of other pumpkin ales this year and here's my rankings, with #1 being the best...
1. Southern Tier Pumking
2. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
3. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
4. Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin
5. Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale
6. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale
7. Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale
8. Wolaver's Organic Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale
9. Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale - This will be at the bottom no matter what; I didn't taste anything in it.
Anyone try any others? Have one that you think is better? Let me know.
Until somebody can brew a better pumpkin ale than those top 3, I won't waste my money on any others. I love the Pumking as well, but weyerbacher and dogfish head are outstanding. In my opinion, nobody comes close to them - they are the holy trinity of pumpkin beer. I have 3 bottles of Pumking right now. Maybe I can hang on to one for next year. Great Post :)
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