I’m kicking off my Oktoberfest challenge with a pumpkin beer from Dogfish Head. Their site says it’s a “full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices.” The bottle says it’s “brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg.” It also says it’s 7% ABV.
It was clear and was a copper color with a slight orange hue. The head was bright white and was a creamy quarter inch thick. The aroma was full of the spices mentioned on the label, but cinnamon and nutmeg stood out the most.
The mouthfeel was fairly creamy from the foamy head, and it had a medium body. Despite the creamy mouthfeel, there was also a bit of a carbonation tingle as well. There was a brown sugar sweetness up front before the spices really kicked in. The spices were fairly strong throughout the finish, which had a bit of an alcohol heat to it.
As far as a food pairing, all I can think about is turkey, stuffing, and gravy. The flavorful beer would be a good accompaniment to this traditional fall meal.
I enjoyed the flavors, but I thought the spices were a bit too strong and the pumpkin flavors were a bit too muted. Overall, it’s a pretty good pumpkin beer.
My Rating: 
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