In the spirit of Halloween, pumpkins, sweater weather, brown, yellow and red leaves, and the general fall season, I've decided to revisit this long defunct blog.
Those of you that know me have probably heard me talking about seasonal fall brews, mostly pumpkin beers. I enjoy a good Oktoberfest, but for me it's really pumpkin beers that get it (Er?) done. Well, the season is upon us. And... it has been for like a month and a half... and I guess pumpkin beers have been around since early August, honestly. So... I'm kind of late. But hey, it's FALL! The season of forgiveness! So stay with me. Kick your feet up. Let your hair down. Relax. Enjoy this review of Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale.
Beer has been around for a long time. Thousands of years. Pumpkin beer has been around for as long as people have been around beer and pumpkins. It's not some new thing we just figured out. Historically, pumpkin beer has been a season brew that follows the harvest, and the time when pumpkins become available to a mass market. Pumpkins were a native plant in the Americas, and as such were a major part of the diet of both natives and immigrants alike because of its nutritional benefits. Logically, people started brewing with it. Two birds with one stone. There are recipes for pumpkin beer dating back to the 1700's, and many of our forefathers themselves had their own pumpkin brews. It's something quintessentially American, so be proud of your pumpkin beers. Alas, pumpkin beer fell out of favor for one reason or another in the 19th century until rather recently.
In this glorious resurgence of home brewing and craft brews, pumpkin beer has itself experienced a resurgence. One of my favorites is the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Dogfish Head itself is a brewery near and dear to the hearts of most craft beer enthusiasts, and I could extol the virtues of this establishment and its dedication to off center ales for off center people until the cows come home. Thankfully, I wont. But behind every beer is a person, and a story. And Sam Calagione is the man behind Punkin Ale. He founded Dogfish Head in 95, and through hard work and dedication built an incredibly successful business doing what he loves. Really, from example and reputation, an incredible dude and incredible story. Punkin Ale was one of the first beers Sam came up with and put up for review, and it remains a mainstay of the Dogfish arsenal.
To the beer. What I enjoy most about the Punkin is that each part of it finds a comfortable moderation between overpowering (Southern Tier's Imperial Pumpking) and a bit too subtle (Shipyards Pumpkinhead). Both are vastly different beers from this, but on the scale of pumpkin ale, Punkin hits the mark most solidly.
Poured in a pint glass from a bottle, the bev produces a light and pleasant head which complements the rich, vibrant and warm copper-orange hue of the beer. It's translucent, and as the light peeks through around the edges of the glass it yields a more golden color. A fantastic looking drink.
The nose yields the familiar spices of fall. The cinnamon sweetness comes through strongest but functions well with the less prominent nutmeg and allspice, as well as lingering hints of vanilla. The pumpkin scent is much more omnipresent and subtle, reserved for the background, more the canvas that makes the other scents pop.
Your first sip may be a bit of a miss, because for the flavor to come out completely it needs to get just a bit warmer than the standard refrigerator will cool it to. It feels light on the tongue with a solid carbonation. Punkin won't leave the prickly feeling on your tongue that you sometimes get with beers at this high of an ABV (7%). It's a seriously pleasant feel. Like sitting on the patio with a breeze blowing by, not a cloud in the sky, feeling like a super cool guy. Really evokes the fall feel.
Should you sip in the temperature green zone, the pumpkin taste is much more refined, functioning well with the brown sugar and nutmeg that you would expect from a seasonal pumpkin ale. Where certain pumpkin beers prefer to deliver the more heavy and strong, almost overpowering pumpkin pie experience, this is a much more refined pumpkin taste which leads to other fantastic evocations of gourd-dom, while still retaining the sweetness you want in a fall seasonal. Absolutely functions well on its own, as Dogfish uses real pumpkin and not extracts and the like. A little roast is noticeable, but much much less than an imperial or a porter. Again, a much more subtle, but more than adequately executed, pumpkin experience.
Punkin is a seriously serious pleasant, relaxing, sit on your ass and watch the day go by beer. You absolutely will want another. The Imperial pumpkin ales are great in their own right, and deliver a much more powerful experience, but you'll likely be sick of it afterwards and more than a little bit parched. This is light enough that it's refreshing, but tasty enough that you'll continue to enjoy throughout. Drink up, and enjoy. You'll be happy you did.
