Over the last few weeks, I’ve subjected myself to a study of different pumpkin beers in order to find The Great Pumpkin. Here are my results:

Wolaver’s Organic, Will Steven’s Pumpkin Ale, bottle: not heavy on spice with a slightly bitter flavor. A funny smell that wasn’t really pumpkin. Not very impressive overall, it was a good try though.

Smuttynose, Pumpkin Ale, tap: smelled like a can of pumpkin pie but had too much bitter aftertaste. Think of a pale ale with some pumpkin spice. Not my favorite but it was more convincing than the Wolaver’s.

Shipyard, Pumpkinhead Ale, tap: light aroma with no bitter flavor and very carbonated. Smooth like a golden ale. Sadly, it was too watered down by the end of the pint.

Post Road, Pumpkin Ale, bottle: (this brewery was bought out by the Brooklyn Brewery) this ale had a good aroma. It was a step up from the Shipyard. The spiced flavor was very consistent throughout, not overpowering.

Blue Moon, Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, bottle: smooth pumpkin flavor and taste. Not bitter at all with no strong aroma. This one used to be my favorite.

Dogfish Head, Punkin Ale, bottle: strong pumpkin smell and solid flavor. No filler here, and consistent throughout with spice, you can almost taste the nutmeg. If you can find this ale, you’ll make the switch in no time.

There you have it folks, the fruits (or gourds, I guess) of my research. This year The Great Pumpkin goes to: Dogfish Head for this very consistent tasting ale. Well, those were all the pumpkin beers I could grab, maybe I missed a few. Have no fear there always is next year. See you around the patch.