Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Miller Brewing Company (MillerCoors) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin   

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Jewel-Osco in Chicago, IL; 2014 

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale (Spice/Herb/Vegetable), 5.7%

Reported IBUs: 16

Blue Moon. Huuwhhhuuuuttt? Yeah, I know, right. I really wanted to give this one a fair shake because it's not a terrible beer. I also have nostalgia tied to this one. Back when I was 18, dumb, and a freshman in college, snagging beer was a bit more challenging than it is today. That's the amazing thing about having an ID and being of the legal drinking age. Oh, and having a beard helps. Anyway, on a chilly Autumn evening, my friend and I departed from the dorms on a quest for beer. We met up with a third party, a friend of my friend's, climbed into his jeep, and headed to Dominicks. Being the classy mofos that we were back then, we loaded up on fancy beer. Said fancy beer included the Harvest Pumpkin. I'm not gonna lie. I enjoyed the Harvest Pumpkin way back when, when I was 18 and dumb. I can't emphasize the dumb part enough. This was one of those gateway beers for me...and again, it's not a terrible beer. But yeah, MillerCoors and Blue Moon:

Blue Moon was first brewed in 1995 at one of MillerCoor's R&D arms; in a sandlot, in Denver, Colorado, by Keith Villa. Keith Villa is an OG player these days. He's off judging beer, and talking about his PhD in brewing from the University of Brussels. There's a PhD for everything these days. Seriously though, it's Blue Moon. Read the Wiki. 

The Harvest Pumpkin Ale supposedly dates back to 1995. Blue Moon also states that this was the first nationally available pumpkin ale. I dunno. This one is brewed with Munich and Caramel malts, Hallertau hops, and Pumpkin, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Clove, and Allspice. 

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

The appearance is very much typical of the style, with a dark caramel-orange body in the realm of an Oktoberfest or Brown Ale. This produces a finger of short-lived, orange/brown-tinged head. In bright light, the beer takes on an orange color, and this beer is very clearly transparent. There's good carbonation at work here, and faint head retention. It's not a bad looking beer, all things considered.

I like the aroma on this one a lot. It's simple, overly sweet, and straightforward...very much like the standard Blue Moon Belgian White. Even with my lingering head cold, I'm getting overt pumpkin, pumpkin cookies, ginger, gingersnap cookies, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, and crackling pie crust. Really, this beer packs a ton of flavor on the nose. It has a club soda vibe on the aroma at times...so it's missing some malt depth you would otherwise find in stronger pumpkin beers, but this is way less soda-like than Shipyard's fuck-tastic and truly awful Pumpkinhead.

The taste delivers a solid continuation of the aroma, with big pumpkin pie sweetness, clove, ginger spice, pie crust, and even some malt depth. I'm getting some nice bread, pie crust, and cakey Munich malt kick in here. You get a little gingersnap, a little nutmeg, sweat potato pie, and some ginger soda. This does veer very close to club soda and ginger soda, but the malts pull things back and round this out into a real beer. It's like making a sandcastle. You want some moisture, but too much and the whole palace comes crashing down.

This is ridiculously drinkable at 5.7%, with a light to medium-light body, tons of carbonation, and a clean and attenuated finish. The finish here is impressive and clean. Really impressive compared to swill like Shock Top. Palate depth is straightforward but good, and complexity is average if not above average. I shit you not, there's good stuff going on here. From the sweet pie notes and pumpkin pastries up front, to the ginger and gingersnap spice in the middle, to the ginger soda finish that is grounded with bready Munich malts. This is a good pumpkin beer. Say it with me, even if you hate to.

Rating: Above-Average (3.5/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Light Above-Average. I'm not just drinking the nostalgia Kool-Aid. This is a legit beer, and definitely one of the better Blue Moon variations. This may be the best Blue Moon variant after the original. In a lot of ways, this beer functions well as a Marzen or Oktoberfest...I suggest pairing this beer with football, cooling weather, and tailgating. Really, this is fantastic at around $8 a 6-pack. You don't even have to go to Binny's or whatever to snag it. Seasoned beer drinkers owe it to themselves to revisit this one every once in a while.

Random Thought: I'm so ready for football....