on THE TAPHANDLE

Pumpkin Ale by Buffalo Bill's Brewery

My favorite time of year is fall. I love all of the associations that it stirs up for me—the return to school and college, the smell of woodsmoke, wearing sweaters, cool mornings and warm afternoons, and Pumpkin Ale. The latter is an acquired taste, and one that I had to work through, but the reward is worth it.

I first tasted Pumpkin Ale a few years ago on a whim. I wasn't too sure that I actually liked it. It has become, however, one of my favorite beers.

Pumpkin Ale is brewed with pumpkin and spices. You can think of it as pumpkin pie in a bottle with an undergirding of beer. This beer smells like pumpkin, when poured has a nice amber color, and has a good clean head that doesn't linger around for too long. Pumpkin is at the forefront of its flavor, with nutmeg and other spices moving in rather quickly, followed by the taste of the malt. The pumpkin is the primary flavor, though.

It was recommended to me one or two years ago that this beer is best served with Thai food. I had the opportunity to test this recommendation on Friday evening. Friends invited us over for a three-course Thai meal. Each course increased in level of spiciness, and the Pumpkin Ale became even better as the heat increased. The sweetness of the fruit in the beer countered the spiciness of the food, which made the heat more bearable, as well as further highlighted the nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon of the beer. The Thai dishes and ale were perfect complements for one another.

I hope that autumn takes its time because that will give me plenty more time to drink some Pumpkin Ale. I am not holding out much hope for that, however, because I saw Pyramid Brewing's Snow Cap Ale in stores. Snow Cap is a winter ale. Please let us stay in the correct season for a while. It is like Christmas coming to Costco the last week of August. Let us get to back-to-school and Halloween before bringing out the Christmas trees and Santa Claus. Let us enjoy our Pumpkin Ale while the leaves are beginning to change from green to yellows, oranges, reds, and browns.