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....

Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale

Brewed By: Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon  

Purchased: 750ml (1 pint, 9.4oz) bottle bought at Binny's in IL; 2013 

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 5.6%

Reported IBUs: 25

For all the reasons to have scorn and wrath and hell fire for Rogue, they do occasionally do good things. Tonight's beer is brewed using fresh pumpkins grown at Rogue's 42 acre hop yard. The pumpkins are picked, taken to Rogue's brewery in Newport, roasted, and pitched into the brew kettle to make this very beer. Even a douche canoe clock is right twice a day. About Rogue:

Rogue has been around forever, and if their beer was more widely available, and not so damn expensive, I'd probably drink more of their stuff. The brewery was founded in 1988 in Ashland, Oregon by Jack Joyce, Bob Woodell, Rob Strasser, and home brewer Jeff Schultz. Due to increasing space and distribution limitations, Jack Joyce went searching in Newport for a location for the new Rogue pub. It was at this time that he met Mohave Niem, founder of Mo's Clam Chowder. She offered Jack space to brew in her building, and in 1989 the Bay Front Brew Pub was built. Rogue's headquarters currently reside in Newport to this day. In May 1989, current head brewmaster, John Maier, joined Rogue after a brief sting brewing with Alask Brewing. John was a former Senior Technician with Hughes Aircraft Co, and a graduate of the Seibel Institute. To learn more about Rogue, check out their website HERE.

As previously noted, this beer is brewed using fresh roasted pumpkins from the brewery's pumpkin patch. In addition to the fresh pumpkin, the Pumpkin Patch Ale (formerly the Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale) is brewed using a list of 13 ingredients, including Rogue Farms Dream Pumpkins; Rogue Farms Dare, Risk, Carafa II & Crystal Wheat Malts; Rogue Farm Independent Hops; Orange Peel, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cardamom, Vanilla, Ginger & Nutmeg; and Rogue's infamous Free Range Coastal Water & Pacman Yeast. Punching in at 25 IBUs and 5.6% ABV, this beer is modest in its execution like many of Rogue's ales, despite the huge grocery list of ingredients. 

Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale

This beer pours with a fizzy, effervescent, and rapidly dissolving sand/tan-colored head. The head starts out with two fingers that rapidly drop off, leaving some lacing on the edges of the glass when you swirl the beer. The body of this beer is a darker amber/brown/orange in low light. In bright light this beer is a vibrant dark orange, has a semi-transparent appearance, and features lots of carbonation rising upwards with mid-to-large sized bubbles. Good times.

The aroma on this beer is really awesome...I'm getting lots of ginger and cardamom, some nondescript sweetness (maybe from the yeast?), and lots of vanilla. Swirling the beer and stirring it up brings pumpkin spice, vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the forefront. The aroma is too mild to point in the direction of a mulled wine or Winter/Spice beer, but I'm not really getting tons of pumpkin spice or pumpkin seed or pumpkin. 

You do get more pumpkin in the taste...I'm picking up soda-like carbonation and spices working in tandem with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, spritzy ginger, and some pumpkin spice. There are actual notes of baked pumpkin and pumpkin puree in the taste, though subtle they are (/yoda). There's also mild malt sweetness, with toffee/vanilla and some breadiness. It's not overwhelmingly spicy like many Pumpkin beers are.

This is an easy-going, well-made Pumpkin beer. As the beer warms up, you pick up more and more of the pumpkin and vanilla in the taste, which is awesome. The beer has good palate depth and complexity for the style, and the drinkability is super high (especially at 5.6%). The mouthfeel is medium-light, with lots of carbonation and spritzy spices helping things along. You get blasted with malt sweetness, vanilla, and pumpkin up front; that rolls into baked pumpkin and spices; the back end is trailing spices and malts. It's actually a really nice, well-balanced, Pumpkin beer. Especially at the ABV.

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and jives well as far as Pumpkin beers are concerned. The subtle use of spices coupled with the big vanilla and pumpkin that starts to pop as this beer warms up is what makes this beer work. Additionally, this beer isn't overly boozy, so you get a lot of flavor in a reasonable package. 750ml bottles of this go for around 10 or 11 dollars, which is more or less a good deal. I'm about to pair this beer with some potato and leek soup, but this beer would pair well with any pumpkin foods, Thanksgiving foods, or Fall trimmings. I rarely say it about Rogue, but this beer comes highly recommended. 

Random Thought: Or for you folks in Chicago, highly Wreck "O" Mended. 

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Smuttynose Brewing Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Purchased: 12oz bottle from a 6-pack bought at Binny's in IL; 2013

Style/ABV: Pumpkin Ale, 6.3%

Reported IBUs: 35

I'm hoarding beers like...well, I had something for this. Hence tonight's twofer. About Smuttynose:

Smuttynose is a brewery based out of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The brewery was founded in 1994 by the same folks who started the Norhampton and Portsmouth Breweries. To be a bit more exact, the brewery was founded by Peter Egelston. In 1987, Peter and his sister, Janet, founded the Northampton Brewery, which Peter worked as a head brewer until 1991. In 1991, they opened the Portsmouth Brewery, New Hampshire's first brewpub. In 1993, Peter attended the auction of the bankrupt Frank Jones Brewing Company, and purchased what is now Smuttynose. Currently, Peter and his partner Joanne Francis own Smuttynose and Portsmouth, and Janet owns Northampton Brewery. For more info, check out the Smuttynose website, their FAQ, Wikipedia, or Peter Egelston's blurb. 

The Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale is a classic homage to the traditional American Pumpkin Ale. This beer features the addition of natural pumpkin puree in the mash, along with spices to give the beer some pumpkin kick. Using a malt base of North American 2-Row, Carastan, and C-60; this beer is hopped using Cascade and Liberty hops. In addition to the malts and hops, this beer features Natural Pumpkin Puree, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves. My bottle says this is punching in at 6.3%, and the website quotes 35 IBUs. 

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

The beer pours a radiant, golden-orange color, with a finger of nicely formed white head. The head has a Belgian look, with sustaining sea foam, placid bubbles, and a fantastic cauldron effect. The head also left some really nice lacing on my snifter. In bright light the beer is clearly orange, and the head is white/off-white. This beer is actively carbonated, with tiny bubbles streaming upwards.

The aroma on this beer is unique because there's a floral and lemon/grass hop character that is very distinct and noticeable. There's also a nice blast of refreshing and tart pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, and vegetal pumpkin. You get cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg on the aroma, with some hints of lemony-bready-pie crust.

The taste is a nice follow through, with some refreshing grass/lemon and tart pumpkin and pumpkin seed up front, followed up with some grain. That rolls into big nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and spice, and then you get malty-thick pumpkin, pumpkin pie crust, and pumpkin spice. The back end hits you with some more lemon and grass, and the whole thing is creamy, smooth, and well-carbonated. The finish is a touch dry, with lingering vegetal pumpkin and pumpkins seeds.

This isn't the most assertive or flavorful pumpkin beer out there, but it's a really well executed beer. If this really is 6.3%, it is stupid drinkable. The beer has a medium-light mouthfeel, with good palate depth and nice layers of complexity. The carbonation is on point, and the appearance (which I rarely have fucks to give about) is fantastic. You get pumpkin-to-grass/grain up front; spices and malts in the middle; pumpkins and floral grass in the back, with a dry pumpkin finish. 

Rating: Above-Average (4.0/5.0 Untappd)

This is a Strong Above-Average, and one of the best Pumpkin Beers out there. This beer is highly functional, and quite quaffable. I'm biased because I love the style, but this is a beer I would pick up every Fall, and stock in my fridge. This beer would pair well with football games, Autumn weather, changing leaves, early October, and anything with pumpkin, sweat potatoes/yams, chili, or strong spices. This was also priced very reasonably at around 10 dollars a 6-pack. Good job, Smuttynose. 

Random Thought: And now for a hoppy Brown Ale...