It happens every fall. A million think pieces are launched telling you that pumpkin beers are terrible and that you're better off drinking some Oktoberfest or brown ale instead. The authors of these articles would have you believe that pumpkin beer is the scourge of autumn, second only in its dastardliness to the dreaded pumpkin spice latte.
And truth be told, I get some of the hate. Many pumpkin beers out there either taste too artificial, like someone tossed a candle into the brew kettle, or they're just too strange a mix of sweet and strong that clashes on the palate. But one pumpkin beer gets the formula exactly right, and it's become something of a legend to those in the know. I'm talking about Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.
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Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale Read More
Based out of Portland, ME, Shipyard is one of the Pine Tree State's most notable breweries, second only in output to Allagash, and Pumpkinhead is arguably its flagship product. Pumpkinhead is a wheat ale with the perfect mix of pumpkin pie spices — think cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. It's flavorful and delicious, with a true pumpkin pie flavor and just the right amount of sweetness — there's nothing cloying about it. It's also one of the easiest drinking beers you'll find, flavored or otherwise, clocking in at 4.5% ABV and just 18 IBUs.
And the stuff has quite the following. Just take a gander at the brand's Instagram page: As soon as the calendar hit August 1 (too early to begin fall shenanigans if you ask me, but whatever), the brewery's marketing department went full Pumpkinhead, and likely won't let up 'til Thanksgiving. The beer has its own mascot, Pumpkinhead Pete — a friendlier version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow's Headless Horseman. There's a wide range of Pumpkinhead merch, from clothing to beer glasses to a bottle-opening dog collar. And there are legions of loyal fans around the country, but especially in New England. I should know: I'm one of them.
I've been drinking Pumpkinhead for a long time. How long exactly, I can't say, but it started sometime in the 2000s while I was in college. I grew up and went to college in Maine where Pumpkinhead — which first debuted in 2002 — was a fixture during the fall college party season; especially during any Halloween-related activities. In my mid-20s, I moved to New York City, where I was happy to discover that Pumpkinhead was still pretty easy to find every October, though it took a bit more effort than on the beer's home turf. After four years in New York, I moved to Los Angeles, where the beer unfortunately was nearly impossible to purchase. There were a few stores that would get deliveries of Pumpkinhead for the fall season, but they always sold out in a flash. Clearly, I wasn't the only New England ex-pat wandering around LA every autumn in search of the world's best pumpkin beer.
But at the end of last year, after more than 7 years in California, I moved back to New England. Pumpkinhead is plentiful here in Connecticut, and I've been able to become reacquainted with the beer and remember why I loved it in the first place. A casual sipper if there ever were one, I find Pumpkinhead's pleasing nostalgic flavor and unsurpassed drinkability to be the perfect companion to every conceivable fall activity — from the obvious Halloween parties to watching football on the couch on a Sunday afternoon.
If there is a caveat to drinking Pumpkinhead, I will say this: It's not the most "beer-like" pumpkin beer out there. There's little in the way of hop-derived bitterness, and poured out of a bottle there's almost no head. (No wonder the beer's mascot is a headless horseman, amirite?) For me, its non-beerness is a bonus, as strong, bitter beers clash with the dessert-like tendencies of pumpkin pie. But if you are looking for a pumpkin beer that leans more beer than pumpkin, then Southern Tier's Pumking (8.6% ABV) out of New York and Shipyard's own Smashed Pumpkin (9% ABV) are your best bets.
But for me, I'll stick with Pumpkinhead as my beer of choice this fall, just as I have been for the better part of the last two decades.
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