Saranac Pumpkin Ale
Appearance: Murky brown. Tan head... taupe...looks dirty.

Smell: Smells like pumpkin spice, sweet pumpkin pie and a little earthy.

Taste: Crisp but not much flavor to it; not much pumpkin and just a little bit of spice. The beer finishes with little aftertaste, just a little spice and tartness. People didn't love this one, it was ok at the beginning, but nobody wanted to finish it. It feels like it leaves a film on your tongue. It's drinkable, but not our top recommendation.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead

Appearance: Quite light almost like a pale ale.

Smell: The aroma is filled with spices but not much hops, malt or pumpkin. There's a strong note of cinnamon.

Taste: This beer has a distinct and pleasant pumpkin flavor up front. Crisp at first, but a little thicker on the finish. Finishes clean, with decent pumpkin flavor, but not overwhelming. Pretty light for a pumpkin beer and quite drinkable. People liked this one. Tastes nutmeggy and spicy.

Brooklyn Brewing Post Road Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Clear copper with an off-white head.

Smell: Nutmeggy hops. Spice.

Taste: Hoppy and spicy with a very strong aftertaste of spice. While this may be a bit hard to explain without trying it the beer seems to foam up as you drink it.  Tastes fresh, but maybe a little overdone with spices. As you drink it, the spices mellow and it gets more drinkable. Body is light. You can smell spicy hops after drinking it.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale

Appearace: Red amber-ish with brown/tan head. A little hazy.

Smell: Pumpkin...yeah, lots of pumpkin.

Taste: Indian summer beer, sorry, indigenous native American summer beer. Tastes like eating pumpkin but in a really good way.  Our test panel was torn on this beer, though, people seemed to love it or hate it. Kevin says "chalky pumpkin." People are split, half like it, half don't.  Ryan thinks it's "a little sour..." Earl and Kevin agree. Devon drank it the quickest of all so far... and not because we had the least volume. As it went on, though, a lot of people liked it less. The sourness got more and more evident as it went on. Good carbonation. People are definitely split. Some think it's very drinkable, others didn't like it as much. We say this beer is worth a try though. Devon loved it.

Cambridge Brewing Company Great Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Light golden with a white head.

Smell: Pretty light smell, a little malt, but not much. Can't really smell the pumpkin or anything.

Taste: Light... pumpkiny...Kevin and Ryan say that it tastes a little like a wheat beer with pumpkin. Very smooth. In the growler it tastes different. Make sure you taste it around your whole mouth to taste the beer completely, that definitely helps. It's better on tap at CBC than in the growler, though part of that is making sure you let the beer breathe. We found after swirling it around in our glasses it really opened up the flavors. We also got one of the first growlers of this beer so the beer is very young. Definitely real pumpkin taste in here... you can taste that! After taste is really mild... Smooth beer, very much tastes like pumpkin. If you live near Boston, definitely check out Cambridge Brewing Company for this beer, it's on tap now... Growlers on sale October 1st we're told. This beer is best a little warmer than most people would serve beer at. Take it out of the refridgerator and let it warm up for about 10 minutes if you have a growler. At the brewpub, they'll serve it at the correct temperature.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Hazy golden, white head.

Smell: Pumpkin and a little spice. Gentle spice.

Taste: Wow, hoppy for a pumpkin beer! Definitely some pumpkin in here too... but the hoppiest so far, by a bit. People like it. Complex. Nice carbonation... Brian's favorite after CBC. Super easy to drink compared to the others, smooth and crisp, despite the aggressive hops. But, like most pumpkin beer, nobody thinks you could drink too many (please ignore the fact the the 13 of us are drinking 9 different pumpkin ales today...we're just getting through it to tell you all what we recommend). This beer goes very well with the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies that Amie made. Devon is the only one who says too hoppy... but only slightly. Jeff likes it, partially because of the hops. He likes hops a lot.

Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale
Appearance: Dark orange with a white head.

Smell: Warming spice, a little alcohol.

Taste: Full bodied brown ale. Amie says it tastes soapy and it does a little bit, we think but it's a product of the hops. Kate says it tastes like Cambridge Brewing Company Amber and this goes well with the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies as well. Definitely the most full bodied so far. A little mollases. Really a distinct taste... pumpkin up front but an aftertaste takes over. Excellent for after dinner. Some people like the hops, some don't. But it's not always the normal people who like hoppy beer.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale

App: Deep amber to red. Off white head.

Smell: Cinnamon, pumpkin and alcohol. It's 8% abv, the alcohol comes through a little. Great for after dinner. Some brown sugar.

Taste: Smooth. The group's favorite so far. Cinnamon. Really smooth. Thick. Nutmeg. Definitely a serious beer! Kevin notes that, "As it warms the alcohol comes through a lot more. Makes it much less pleasant." This beer when cold is very impressive. Imperial pumpkin can easily turn into something way overdone, but this beer uses restraint and the result is quite amazing. This is a must try for any fan of pumpkin beer.

Southern Tier Pumking

Appearance: Clear, bold gold...white head.

Smell: Soooooooooooo much pumpkin! Gingerbread... also just bread. Hazelnut... nutty.

Taste: "Tastes a little sour," Jan says. Thick and intense! Hazelnut. Pumpkin spice earthiness. This is a big beer! We wouldn't recommend you have more than just a little. There's a lot of alcohol and a lot of flavor. Great to split a bomber with... oh about 6 friends. We split 2 bombers among 13 people. Many thought the beer was dominated by hazelnut flavors. We don't think there's actually any hazelnut in here, that flavor just comes through.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies: Click for Recipe