I often say that doppelbocks (double bocks to Americans) are my favorite style of beer. "Ah, then, Bruguru, what comes next?" I am often asked. And to that I think I can unequivocally say: pumpkin beers. There's just something exotic, delightful, and downright colonial about pumpkin beer. So, whenever I come across a new one, I get pretty excited.

And Lakefront Pumpkin Lager seemed really one to get excited about, mainly because I had wanted to try this for a long time. Lakefront claims this is one of the first pumpkin ales since prohibition (Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale has been around longer); they further maintain it is the only pumpkin lager in existence (more on that below).

From the Lakefront website:

In 1989, Lakefront Brewery owner, Russ Klisch was reading dusty brewing tome, tippling one of our fine lagers and came across a beer recipe that Thomas Jefferson had brewed with pumpkin at his home in Monticello. Barley was scarce and expensive in the early days of the United States, but pumpkins and other squash were readily available. The idea that clicked with Russ' philosophy of using the best ingredients available locally and incorporating them into the finest ingredients for making beer, and thus a legend was born.

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager Beer pours to a bright orange color with a light and fizzy head formation and a spicy pumpkin pie nose. As soon as you take a sip, you'll find this one a bit different from other pumpkin beers. That's because this is a lager based beer (cold aged for four weeks) rather than an ale based one, and it's a bit smoother for it.

That said, this beer rocks. Right off the bat, I get a firm enough malt body, but it’s really the spice and pumpkin flavor that predominate. And that's a good thing, because my mouth is exploding with spicy nutmeg, clove and cinnamon, just like in a slice of pumpkin pie. But I'm also getting lots of stringy, vegetal, real pumpkin flavor, too. In the finish, the spice dries the beer out, so a big hop presence is neither here nor really needed.

You might think pumpkin in a pumpkin ale would be a given, but that's not so. A lot of breweries make pumpkin beers without any pumpkin at all, and do quite nicely at it actually. That's because, as you may know if you've ever made a pumpkin pie from scratch, not a lot of pumpkin goes into it. It's the spice that flavors the dessert. That said, I still prefer pumpkin ales that use pumpkin, and there is definitely a difference. Just try Lakefront's version and you'll see what I mean.

I highly recommend Lakefront Pumpkin Lager.

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Update November 24, 2009: It's a few days before Thanksgiving as I type. What better time for a pumpkin beer? And this one is still a fantastic beer: firm bodied, full of pungent pumpkin pie spices in the nose and palate (cinnamon, nutmeg, a hint of clove) and that meaty, stringy vegetal pumpkin pie that makes this so delicious. Not much different than I recall from last year, but that's a good thing, right on down to the drying spice in the finish. Dangerously drinkable, try a glass with the holiday bird and you'll really have something to be thankful. Alcohol by volume is 6%, which will also help cut through that big meal.

 

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

 

 



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