I know this much: whatever you think of the beer, Saranac Pumpkin Ale wins the award for best pumpkin beer label, hands down. That big grinning Jack o Lantern says “Halloween” all the way, something a little different for a pumpkin beer.

Pumpkins are truly fall’s vegetables. We carve them for decorations at Halloween; make pies of them in Thanksgiving and Christmas. But you can make really great beer from pumpkins, too. In colonial times, it is said this was done when malt was in short supply.

Today, there’s plenty of malt to go around. Pumpkins still taste great in beer, though, along with some traditional pumpkin pie spices. Saranac Pumpkin Ale is no exception to this rule. It is a little bit out of the ordinary in that it shoots for a Halloween connection.

Most pumpkin ales take full advantage of the long pumpkin season. The Halloween allusion seems to rule that out here, though this is a rather limited production brew and may sell pretty quickly anyway.

And though the label implies trick or treating, the flavor is all Thanksgiving Day. The spices certainly see to that.

Saranac Pumpkin Ale pours to a dark orange color with a light head formation and a spicy pumpkin pie nose. The palate is medium in body with the most potent notes being of allspice, clove, and especially nutmeg. There’s a little squashy, stringy pumpkin flavor and a touch of vanilla.

The beer finishes spicy with a gentle lingering spiciness coating the tongue. It’s very drinkable and compares favorably to many other beers of the style. A caveat here: drink this one cool, not cold. Drunk overly chilled the spices will be less apparent.

I like this one a lot, but then again I’m a sucker for a pumpkin ale. I think it could use a bit more spice, but you’ll have no trouble tasting it. It’s very drinkable and very satisfying.

If you’re into these kinds of beers like I am, don’t pass this one by, because it is a limited run beer as I mentioned earlier. I picked up a sixer at Sherlock’s, and they only had about six cases total for the season.

I suppose the natural inclination might be to suggest pairing with a slice of pumpkin pie, but that might lead to spice overload between the two. Just enjoy it by itself for a true fall treat.

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