La Folie by New Belgium Brewing – This barrel-aged sour was the second American sour I had ever tried, (the first being Avery’s Brabant), coincidentally at the same bar (The Muddy Pig, Saint Paul). Albeit I enjoyed these two brews on different occasions, this Fort Collins, Colorado brew delivered an amazingly flavorful and tart beast of a spontaneous beer. Vinegar and cherry nose followed by tart woody notes with pleasant residual funk. A superb, sessionable sour.     –    4.5/5

Nor’Easter by Captain Lawrence Brewing- I hadn’t heard of these guys until the weekend of Darkness Day, when I met up with fabled beer traders Uncle Jedi and Purple Hat Joan, of Huntsville, Alabama. After enjoying dinner with these two, Leslie and I visited their hotel room, where I was fortunate to sample this barrel-aged winter warmer, complete with prominent fruity notes from the elderberries used in the beer. This was definitely a winter “warmer” ringing in at 12% ABV, with the sweet bourbon notes present in the mouthfeel.    -   4.5/5

Pumking by Southern Tier Brewing - A dark amber color with a potent spicy nose that fills the room with pumpkin pie aroma quickly. I am a pumpkin pie fiend, so this aptly-named “imperial pumpkin ale” delivers a punch of flavor and body. Yet, even though it rang in a 9% ABV, the creamy smooth mouthfeel is my definition of what a pumpkin ale should be. Yes, Southern Tier does have a few extremely gimmicky beers (think: Crème Brûlée) but this beer was definitely one I had to seek out and buy a few other bombers. Just so happened to be across the border.   -   4.5/5

Petunia Ale by Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery - Yet another beer I sampled Darkness Day weekend, I decided it was important Mike finally get the chance to experience Town Hall. This fall seasonal had great body, but was very well-balanced with spice. Unlike other pumpkin ales which use two prominent spices (cinnamon and nutmeg), this brew had at least four or five, rounding out the flavor palette. The creamy finish was definitely a plus, and it was a great draft beer.    –   4/5

Monk’s Blood by 21st Amendment Brewery - I waited nearly two years to have my first 21A beer, and I was fortunate to participate in the release parties (yes, more than one) in Minneapolis the weekend of the 21st of November (suiting, right?). Although all the beers Sully and his crew had available were phenomenal, this Belgian dark ale really fit the brisk late fall weather. The mission figs, vanilla, and Belgian candi sugar in its composition, completed by a barrel-aging to meld the flavors, really helped to yield a big-bodied, Belgian-style beauty.    –    4.25/5

“Sour” Rye Saison homebrew by Stephen Freshnock – I was able to meet Stephen Freshnock, founding member and regular participant of The Fellowship of Gentlemanly Gentlemen (known on the Twitterverse as the #gents) this August. I was able to acquire a few bottles of his homebrew when a friend visited Chicago for a weekend in late October. One of the two bombers of his rye saison I gave to BGP fellow Tom Hill; the other Leslie and I shared shortly after its arrival from Chicago. It was tart, with slight tangy pepper notes, the body reminiscent of a great Ommegang brew: Ommegeddon. For a beer of any origin, it was fantastic, let alone a beer made in a single, five gallon batch. Look for Stephen, a.k.a. @SlovakBrewer‘s beer in a brewpub someday soon.    -   4.5/5

The real winner for me this season was the La Folie from New Belgium. I can’t seem to get enough barrel-aged sour beers. It’s really too bad my sentiment is shared by only but a few über beer nerds the world over. Perhaps someday the BGP will have to acquire some used barrels for experimentation…

This episode is an oldie, but a goodie. My friend Jason (one of the many here at The Beer Genome Project) and I got together to primarily try out Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale, and decided to throw on a few other beers that we haven’t yet had a chance to try.  Unfortunately Schlafly is not a brewery that we have access to here in Iowa, and it might take another road trip to Missouri before I can taste another. Additionally, Jason and I tried the Grand Cru from Schlafly as well as the Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide Brewing Company. Buckle in folks, this Happy Hour episode is true to its name in length. Cheers!

Saint Louis Brewery – Schlafly Grand Cru Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale ABV: 9.00%

Saint Louis Brewery – Schlafly Pumpkin Ale Style: Pumpkin Ale ABV: 8.00%

Great Divide Brewing Company – Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 9.50%

The Beer Genome Project Happy Hour #8 Show Notes

0:00-3:32 - Introduction 3:32-17:31 – Grand Cru by Schlafly (Saint Louis Brewery) 17:31-36:35 – Pumpkin Ale by Schlafly (Saint Louis Brewery) 36:35-57:41 – Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti by Great Divide Brewing 57:41-58:54 – Conclusion

I’ve made a loosely-ranked, numerically score-free list. The bottom of the list does not mean that it is a bad beer; the example happens to be less-favorable than the others I’ve tried.

1 ) Southern Tier Pumking – potent, like liquid pumpkin pie, yet so fulfilling 2 ) Tyranena Painted Ladies – five spices work so well to balance the rich pumpkin body 3 ) Minneapolis Town Hall Petunia – like a fresh, draft version of Tyranena 4 ) DogFish Head Punkin – solid pumpkin body with decent spice character 5 ) Flat Earth Mummy Train – a tad golden for me, needs more pumpkin, spiced just right 6 ) Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin – the first one I’d ever tried. classic example of a pumpkin ale 7 ) New Holland Ichabod – golden in body, but spiced well 8 ) Smuttynose Pumpkin – too bitter and lacking pumpkin body, spices work alright 9 ) Lakefront Pumpkin (Lager) – not bad for a lager, but not spiced enough 10 ) Shipyard Pumpkinhead – tasted like the residue of whipped cream and pumpkin pie crust 11 ) Michelob‘s Jack’s Pumpkin Spice – very artificial pumpkin body, decent spice character

I have two examples in my cellar that I have yet to try: the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale and the Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin (Pugsley’s Signature).

I love the fall/winter interim. I happen to be partial to pumpkin pie as a seasonal dessert staple, so exploring pumpkin beers is very enjoyable for me. Yes, a great deal of pumpkin beers I’ve tried don’t quite make it, but those that stand out are exceptional. In fact, the pumpkin beers I’ve had this season are inspiration to start homebrewing on my own.

Please sound off on the comments with agreement or disagreement to my findings. Are there any must-have pumpkin beers that are off my radar? Let me know. I want to try them all.

In the last episode, we presented a few Oktoberfest style beers as a traditional example of fall seasonal beers. This week we continue our foray into fall seasonals with three ales, two of which are of the pumpkin variety. Of course we detail a few upcoming local events, present some blog posts from our friends, and there is also some news surrounding Anheuser-Busch InBev. As always, let us know what you’ve found to drink in these fall months and again, thanks for listening. Cheers!

Redhook Ale Brewery – Late Harvest Autumn Ale Style: American Amber Ale ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.9% IBU: n/a

O’Fallon Brewery – Pumpkin Beer Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.6% IBU: 11

New Holland Brewing – Ichabod Style: Herb and Spice Beer ABV (Alcohol by Volume): 5.5% IBU: n/a

Story Links

“Brewpub Etiquette” from BeerDorks.com

“Ind. lawmakers hear Sunday alcohol sales ban views” from Forbes.com

The Beer Genome Project #23 Show Notes

0:00-0:49 – Introduction 0:49-10:24 – Late Harvest Autumn Ale by Redhook Brewery 10:24-18:46 - Pumpkin Ale by O’Fallon Brewery 18:46 -25:30 – Ichabod by New Holland Brewing 25:30-45:54 – News and Discussion 45:54-49:37 - Conclusion

Everyday Drinkers

I was also a guest on this past week’s Oktoberfest episode of the Everyday Drinkers podcast. The cast went through quite the assortment of fall beers. Check it out at EverydayDrinkers.com.