As I have stated in previous blogs, fall is my favourite beer season. Once September hits, the shelves at the LCBO start to be covered in orange hues and many pumpkin puns (say that three times), and through the aisles you can see me leaping in slow motion with a smile. The doldrums of summer lagers are replaced with the rich taste of stouts and porters and yes, pumpkin.
Perusing through my local LCBO this past weekend, I recognized some old faves and of course had to pick up something new.
I gravitated towards Big Rig’s Tales from the Patch partly because the can art was very Tim Burton-esque. I walked by someone who was carrying three cans, which I took as a good sign. Tales from the Patch calls itself a pumpkin porter and packs a punch at 5.8 per cent alcohol, just the way I like it. It smells eerily similar to pumpkin pie, with a hint of chocolate. And the taste? Pretty much matches the smell. Despite the high alcohol content, this beer goes down smoothly, dare I say almost too smooth.
A nice double bill would include Release the Hounds Black IPA, another of my favourites from Big Rig. Slightly bitter and smokey, this beer is for those nights when you want to ponder spooky things while soulfully looking out your window plotting doom. Or after a night of trick or treating works too—which of course I’m too old for and didn’t do last year…
Back to pumpkin beers. Black Creek’s Pumpkin Ale is a stellar choice. I picked it up on a whim last year wanting to try something new, and was pleasantly surprised. While not as pie-like as Tales from the Patch, this beer is more subtle and less sweet.
Now the beer I am about to mention is not at the LCBO, sadly, but I can’t talk about Halloween beers without mentioning Flying Monkey’s Paranormal, which is by far the best pumpkin beer I’ve had. It’s silky smooth, spicy and 10 per cent, perfect for evenings where you gather ’round telling ghost stories —although I’m terrified of ghosts, so maybe not. If you ever see this beer anywhere do two things: try it and LET ME KNOW WHERE IT IS.
Unfortunately, there are some spooky beers I’ve had that were not the black cat’s meow. St-Ambroise Pumpkin Ale I found to have very little pumpkin flavour and was kind of bland. Muskoka’s Harvest Ale I have tried numerous times and only liked it once, and that was because it was on cask. Out of bottle, it tastes like soap to me – bitter soap. On cask it magically tasted like apples and was wonderful, but that was one time.
On a whole, most pumpkin beers I’ve had have been quite delicious. Honestly, part of the fun in picking beers is trying ones that either have cool artwork or a punny name.
So whether you’re meeting with your coven or wandering through a graveyard, these spooky beers will be a nice addition (although maybe not in the graveyard because that’s illegal).
