Review Date 10/23/2004 Last Updated 9/20/2018
Try?
Re-buy?
When I see a beer with a pumpkin on the
label, I get excited. I’ve simply always enjoyed pumpkin: pumpkin pie,
pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice coffee, and of course, pumpkin beer. So when
fall arrives, you can usually find a generous supply of pumpkin beer in my
beer fridge. There will usually be some
Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale
and of course some of the original,
Buffalo
Bill’s Pumpkin Ale.
Still, one of my very favorite pumpkin beers is Post Road Pumpkin Ale.
That’s likely because it’s an old New England favorite, now being brewed by
Brooklyn Brewing (under contract mind you at Saranac in Utica, NY. It’s
really great stuff, not like any beer you’ve tried. If you like pumpkin pie,
chances are you’ll like this beer, even if you’re not a beer drinker at all.
On December 9th, 1998 I wrote the following about the original Post Road Pumpkin Ale:
As we all know, pumpkin was a favored ingredient to stretch out the barley supply when brewing beer in colonial New England, and in that spirit Post Road describes this beer as "a classic colonial ale". Personally, I've always been fond of pumpkin beers, I think pumpkin flavor is well suited to beer, and the addition of spices makes for a particularly festive holiday brew.
Post Road's Pumpkin Ale is bright orange in color with light carbonation and a spicy nose rich with pumpkin aroma. The palate is even more spicy, rich notes of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon combine with a strong pumpkin character to give the beer a big pumpkin pie flavor. There is a delicate malt body here as well as a balancing hop finish that makes the beer very drinkable. A really delicious brew, produced under contract by Catamount in Vermont.
Back to 2004:
The bottle says this on the neck label:
In the 18th century, colonial Americans brewed wonderful and interesting
ales by using local ingredients. Barley was the principal ingredient, but
pumpkins were also used. Pumpkins were favored by brewers for their rich
spicy flavors which melded perfectly with the malted barley. Post Road
brings you a delicious rendition of this traditional American classic.
That’s all well and good, as far as it goes. Pumpkins were in fact used by
colonial brewers, when barley was in short supply. Other vegetables and
fruits were, too. Basically, if you could ferment it, they did. More or
less. Still, those early pumpkin ales would have had little resemblance to
the Pumpkin ales we see today, including Post Road’s.
Why, you ask? Because the original pumpkin ales likely were not spiced as
todays are. Post Road Pumpkin Ale and beers of its ilk are brewed with not
only pumpkin but also cinnamon and nutmeg to give their pumpkin pie in a
glass character.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that, and I love it. Brooklyn says
that hundreds of pumpkins go into each batch of pumpkin ale they brew. There
certainly is good pumpkin flavor here, although I think the spice
predominates. So let’s have a glass, shall we?
Post Road Pumpkin Ale pours to a bright orange pumpkiny color with a
thick creamy head and a big, chewy-spicy pumpkin pie nose. Upon sipping,
you’re immediately struck with spicy nutmeg and cinnamon. The spice is heavy
and cuts through all the other flavor components here.
Still, there’s a crisp, rich crystal malt flavor here, too, and it serves as
a nice backbone for the brew. Along with the spice and the notes of vegetal
pumpkin flavor, one really does get the sensation of drinking a slice of
pumpkin pie. In the finish, the spices, especially nutmeg, intensify.
I think this one has more spice flavor than any of the aforementioned
pumpkin beers. Still, it’s a wonderful beer, perfect for fall weather and
holiday sipping.
Update 9/20/2018: Picked up a six-pack of Post Road Pumpkin Ale at Target for $9.49. My daughter enjoys Pumpkin Ales so I gave a bottle to her and she loved it. I do too. Post Road Pumpkin Ale pours to an orange Jell-O color with a thick creamy head and thick Brussels lace. The nose is full of pie spice, the palate is soft with light caramel and stringy squashy pumpkin all dried by allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. The beer finishes spicy dry and demands another pull. Excellent! It's worth stating the neck label still sports the same description quotes above from 14 years ago.
And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.
*Pricing data accurate at time of review or latest update. For reference only, based on actual price paid by reviewer.
(B)=Bottled
(D)=Draft
