Pumpkin Beer Tasting Panel Reviews & Rankings for the most divisive seasonal beer style
We taste tested, scored, and ranked, nine of the best pumpkin beers released by Oregon and Washington breweries this year.
As the New School’s beer review tasting panel of pumpkin beers got underway last week, it suddenly struck me just how weird this divisive “style” of beer is. The realization came after guest taster Jeff Alworth (of Beervana blog) took a deep sniff from a glass of one of the 9 pumpkin beers we were evaluating, and asked “Are you getting much squash in this?” Pumpkin spice is so ubiquitous this time of year that we expect to see full supermarket displays of the latest seasonal pumpkin infused beers. But isn’t that weird? Because the majority of these beers atleast claim, (and are expected by consumers) to use actual pumpkin/squash/gourd. But I don’t think anyone orders a Pumpkin Spice Latte and expects the actual pumpkin fruit to be in it. Spiced beers are not weird at all of course, from Belgian-style Witbier/White to vanilla bean cream ales and stouts and porters, to IPA’s with rye and citrus peel, it’s the starchy and watery, low-flavor contributing pumpkin that has always been a strange choice to build an entire seasonal industry out of. But boy are they both beloved and hated in equal measure, but as we learned in this special tasting, the new school of craft brewers are often putting their own spin on them.
Pumpkin beers generally fall into one of two broad categories, the most common being the pumpkin spice beer, and then the less obvious pumpkin/squash beer, or field beer, which can be summed up as a showcase of the actual fruit/vegetable and is not spiced.
The 2023 Brewers Association beer style guidelines qualifies the Pumpkin Spice Beer category as beers using pumpkins (Cucurbita pepo) or winter squash as an adjunct in either the mash, kettle, primary or secondary fermentation. Pumpkin or squash may not be present or may range from subtle to intense. They are spiced with other ingredients whose character should be present and in balance. While cinnamon, allspice, clove, and nutmeg are common spices added to American-type pumpkin beers, other spices may be used. For example, a brewer could replicate a Wit-Pumpkin spiced beer by using orange peel and coriander. The Color/Clarity/Bitterness/Body/Strength all default to whatever is appropriate for the base style (ie stout, amber ale, brown ale, etc.)
Pumpkin beer tasting panel: Jeff Alworth, Ezra Johnson-Greenough, Neil Ferguson. (Photo credit: Sara Szymanski)
Our panel consisted of New School, Willamette Week, and Glide Magazine contributor Neil Ferguson, and Jeff Alworth of Beervana blog and podcast, and author of The Beer Bible, and myself, Ezra Johnson-Greenough of Oregon Beer Awards, New School Beer, etc. I asked each of the tasters to rate each beer on a 0-5 scale in .5 increments, and share their tasting notes. All 9 beers ranked from bottom to top in total point scores below:
Brewery / Beer/ Average Score:
Fort George Brewery: Topaz Pumpkin Ale (Score 3 out of 5)
Pumpkin Ale w/ ESB yeast, 6.7% ABV
Jeff Alworth: A subtle beer. Lovely light orange hue with a bit of caramel in the nose. The squash flavor is present but quite light and there are no spices to trick the brain. Works well with the caramel notes. A slight beer, perhaps underpowered, but it does allow you to taste actual pumpkin. Score: 3 stars
Neil Ferguson: I can’t attest to being an expert on heirloom pumpkins but the blue doll pumpkins in this make it work, imparting a subtle sweetness. This beer feels very harvest-like and what sets this apart is the bitterness you still get from the hops, especially on the finish. It’s also just straight pumpkin with no spices for a hearty but easy-drinking beer that feels simultaneously classic and modern. Maybe it’s the fact that we’re so tainted by the spice but this might not grab your attention unless you’re sipping it while walking through the corn maze. Score: 3 stars
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Hits the color of pumpkin dead on, and nails the starchy pumpkin and sweet potato aroma. Starts out with lightly toasted sugars on the palate, nutty in the middle, lightly tangy and crisp finish with a semi-strong herbacious hop bitterness on the back-end. While there are notes of spices, not the type you would expect in pumpkin pie. This definitely falls into the non-spiced pumpkin/squash field beer category and the main beer is closer to an English-style ESB. Very drinkable beer, but don’t expect the typical American Pumpkin pie beer. Score: 3 stars.
Grains of Wrath: Graveyard Smash (Avg. Score 3.16 out of 5)
Strong/Brown Pumpkin Spice beer, 7% ABV
Jeff Alworth: A brownish ale with a big spice nose. Has a late-autumn look about it. The spices are assertive, but balanced by toasty malts that linger in the aftertaste. The spices have a slightly husky, tannic quality, and the beer is a bit too dry. Score: 3 stars
Neil Ferguson: Lovely dark brown hue that evokes winter and holiday ales. This is a weird one that goes heavy on spices to give it a crazy mouthfeel with lots of cinnamon punching through. Dry and quite bitter but has a nice pie crust finish. This is a fun beer that could benefit from a bit more balance. Score: 3 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Pours an autumn nut brown color. What I perceive as allspice, nutmeg, soil, and other earthy spices hit you in the nose, and in the flavor. Reminds me of the smells of wet logs and pine needles after a rainy day in the pacific northwest woods. Not particularly pumpkiny, but a nice subtle change from the normal pumpkin pie beers. Score: 3.5 stars.
Wayfinder Beer: Corpo Seco (Avg. Score 3.83 out of 5)
Decocted Pumpkin Strong Ale aged on Amburana wood, 6.9% ABV
Jeff Alworth: This "premium pumpkin ale" delivers on the promise, with a rich but smooth and clean malt base. It's described as decocted, and it tastes like it. Hints of spiciness, but quite mild. It impresses more with its heartiness than as a pumpkin beer. Score: 4 stars
Neil Ferguson: If there’s such a thing as a hypey pumpkin beer, this is it. The kicker is that it has no spices. This monster created by some of the mad scientists of pumpkin beer (Steve Luke and Dick Cantwell) is back from the dead after a year off and this time it’s slightly different. Fruity, sweet, and warming in a way that will make you throw that latte out the window but with a pronounced seriousness that comes from the Amburana wood. Notes of brown sugar are also present, and in typical Wayfinder fashion, it’s got all the right elements despite being called a strong ale. Though this one seems to lack the herbal notes of the original batch, it is super approachable and well worth the hype. Score: 3.5 stars
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Unexpected fruity, orange, berry flavors and aromas coming out of a carmelly but not too sweet malt body. This is lightly bitter, tangy around the edges. It has a very subtle oaky-vanilla, a nuttiness, and dry leaves and musty tea quality. Not really pumpkiny, but in the realm of the fall flavors that this season brings to the forefront. Score: 4 stars.
pFriem Family Brewers: Pumpkin Bier (Avg. Score 3.16 out of 5)
Belgian-style Ale w/ pumpkin puree and spices, 6.9% ABV
Jeff Alworth: It's clear pFriem was shooting for a premium pumpkin experience with their cage and cork, and the beer had the wonderful Belgiany saison character many of their bottled products contain. Unfortunately, the phenols in the yeast and the spices in the beer reacted weirdly to my palate, producing a distinctly fishy flavor. I assume it's a minority experience, but I couldn't shake it. Score: 2 stars.
Neil Ferguson: Heavy Belgian ale notes on the nose with close and banana that is followed by a nice wallop of spices. This is a fun beer because it leans towards a traditional Belgian ale but then takes a detour into spice world. The spice mixture might not immediately bring to mind a pumpkin ale but this is a fun way to break from tradition while including traditional elements. Score: 3.5 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Apparent coriander on the nose, do I get a little sulphur, and herbs like tarragon? I am probably imagining that second part, it may be the floral/woody tettnang hops. This is more Belgian than pumpkin, and that sits well with me! I get a pinch of ginger, a stone fruit (apricot?) flavor, peppery, sweet but dry like a good Belgian beer should be. It’s definitely clearly spicy, and though the bottle says cinnamon and nutmeg, those are not the spices I get. And I get no sense of the pumpkin. But otherwise it is a super enjoyable beer. Score: 4 stars.
Threshold Brewing: Punkin’ Patch Kids (Avg. Score 4 out of 5)
Pumpkin pie-inspired seasonal tart ale, 6% ABV
Jeff Alworth: Pure pumpkin spice aroma. The acid may help make it sharp and clear on the nose. Flavor is more sweet than sour, with vanilla/marshmallow and spices that are more subdued on the palate than nose. The tartness is mild but helps balance the sweetness. Great balance of elements. Score: 4.5 stars.
Neil Ferguson: For all you PSL fans, this might be a winner. Heavy notes of vanilla that brings to mind marshmallow fluff or vanilla yogurt and works well to tone down the tartness. It’s difficult to pin down the spice mixture here but everything works in harmony. This leans more toward pie than straight pumpkin as it doesn’t contain actual gourds. Props to the Threshold team for thinking outside the box and making a style that isn’t based on amber, stout, or brown ale. Score: 4 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Juicy fruit and grandma’s pumpkin pie (with whipped cream) aroma up front on the nose, so this is off to a good start. I get a lot of marshmallow-vanilla in the flavor, reminds me a bit of a berliner-weisse with woodruff syrup plus pumpkin spice. I was hesitant about a presumably kettle sour beer with pumpkin spices coming off a little like the day after OD’ing on pumpkin spice gin and juice, but this is more like pumpkin spice CBD gummies! Lemon candy finish, touch of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and more creamy churned vanilla notes. Score: 3.5.
Oakshire Brewing: Big Black Jack (Avg. Score 4 out of 5)
Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter, 7.8% ABV
Jeff Alworth: Those who don't like pumpkin beers might like this--a booming imperial chocolate porter that satisfied as a hearty winter dessert. However, I couldn't really connect it in any way back to pumpkin. Score: 3.5 stars
Neil Ferguson: Right on the nose you get chocolate malt, spice, and roasted malts. I’m a sucker for porters and the boldness of the style lends itself to adjuncts. You don’t get a lot of pumpkin because this beer is so intense on the chocolate and old-school bitter notes but it has the makings of a pastry beer without any cloying sweetness. What’s impressive is the way the brewers manage to keep the pumpkin flavor present and complement it with spices. I would like to start a petition for them to do a barrel-aged version of this one. Well worth seeking out. Score: 4.5 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Baker’s chocolate, ginger and nutmeg on the nose. Dry and bittersweet chocolate notes, with kind of a herbacious earthy spice finish. Pithy and lingering bitterness melding with the roastiness. This is a nice way to slightly mute some otherwise strong pumpkin spice flavors, this one goes straight for the nutty and peppery spices in a beer that tastes big and warming although not quite the sweet/pastry that you would get with current Imperial Stouts. Score: 4 stars.
Hopworks Brewery: Great Gourds of Fire (Avg. Score 4 out of 5)
Pumpkin Ale with Ancho Chilies and spices, 6.5% ABV
Jeff Alworth: A deep orange color, the beer has a rich though not intense spiciness in the nose. It's familiarish, but not exactly like pumpkin pie (the ancho chiles). That spice blend is especially clever in the beer. The chiles do eventually gather to heat on the tongue, but mostly provide a rich base note that complements the full, sweet malts and other spices. Unexpected, but welcome. Score: 4 stars
Neil Ferguson: If you’re looking for heat, this is it. That largely comes from the subtle but sneaky addition of ancho chilis. Though this beer isn’t overly dark, the combination of pepper, pumpkin, and spices gives it a chili mole-like quality. As it warms, the spicy heat comes forward to tickle your palate without ever overwhelming it. Hopworks makes a strong argument for making more pumpkin beers with peppers. Score: 4 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: A cloudy burnt auburn-orange color with the aromas of orange cream ale on the nose. This is a fun beer with soft but apparent spicing that is different than the typical and rote cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice blend. I get toffee, with a subtle dry chili spice, vanilla is more pleasant, kind of has a chai-lite spice with a full body and a sweet and musty mace pungency. Super enjoyable to drink. Score 4 stars.
Stormbreaker Brewing: Pumpkin Pedaler (Avg. Score 4.5 out of 5)
Pumpkin Spice Ale, 7.3% ABV
Jeff Alworth: Gorgeous orange color and that bang-on classic pumpkin pie spice flavor. The malts give the aroma a crust-like dimension. The flavors comprise all the quintessential "pumpkin ale" notes, but in the most positive sense. It's hearty and sweet for autumn, a treat but not one that cloys. This is the beer for people who want a classic. Score: 4.5 stars.
Neil Ferguson: If you’re looking for the most classical and dialed in take on a pumpkin beer, this is it. The mix of spices with shimmering notes of clove, cinnamon and nutmeg is wonderfully warming and immediately pulls you into its cozy embrace. The hearty pumpkin and a kiss of maple follows the rounds it all out. There’s also an oily deliciousness that coats your mouth and lingers in the best kind of way. Score: 5 stars.
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Copper color (so close to being orange!), bubblegum, vanilla, light caramel and toasty flavors. Surprisingly woody and juicy flavors in a mostly classic sturdy and traditional pumpkin ale with the requisite spices. What makes this stand out are that the spices are very apparent, but not overpowering of the base beer, and even better, they don’t taste artificial. Balance! It is possible in an old school pumpkin beer. Score: 4 stars.
Cloudburst Brewing: Your Worst Nightmare (Avg. Score 4.6 out of 5)
Pumpkin Spiced Milk Stout, 7.6% ABV
Jeff Alworth: It seems preposterous, but I am certain I can smell pumpkin. It's a squashy note underneath the chocolatey malts. The base beer is a lovely milk stout, and the spices accent it well on their own--and help evoke the pumpkin-y quality. Again, the vegetable itself seems evident. Score: 5 stars.
Neil Ferguson: Oodles of chai right out of the gate with a pleasabt spiciness and a creamy mouthfeel. There is a depth to this that brings to mind a charred campfire element (think s’mores) and sits right below the surface. The spices hit you hard and create a super long finish that combines with a chocolatey element to keep you wanting more. Roasty and pretty much perfect in the way it incorporates the spices, pumpkin, and lactose for a right balance of bittersweet and creamy. If you want to wow someone with a pumpkin beer, this is the way. 5
Ezra Johnson-Greenough: Silky chocolate milk mouthfeel, with a nutty, espresso/chai latte quality and a surprising bitter finish. Although you would expect a dessert/pastry beer when you read both pumpkin spice and milk stout combined, this beer is actually not that. Yes there is sweetness, and that silky body and not quite vanilla flavor that comes from lactose milk-derived sugar, but it’s not cloying or unbalanced. The roast comes through, and it seems to both mask the edges of spicing and bring other elements out at the same time. Score: 4 stars.
