This blog has always celebrated the joy of seasonal ales and Pumpkin Ales are included! The one I have had most of is from Trouble Brewing, which I had in 2013, 2014 , 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2020. This year it came in a can for the first time and it tastes as good as ever. It’s light and spicy and you could manage a few of them without difficulty. And it’s only 4.5%. Cheers to Joe McNab for tracking this one down in Ardkeen Grocers for me. (In fairness the lads in Craft Central and O’Brien’s, Athlone also got in touch when they had some as they knew I was on the hunt!)
I picked up White Hag’s Samhain Pumpkin Ale in (the always well stocked) Carry Out Tullamore. It’s their first Pumpkin Ale, but not their first beer called Samhain. This one is more full on at 6.2% and is heavier, like a creamy dessert beer. It has a vanilla, toffee pudding aroma which follows through to the flavour. There is also some cinammon in there and it tastes like Autumn. This is good craic but one is plenty.
I found New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin in Dicey Reilly’s, Ballyshannon. I think it was the only American Pumpkin Ale to make it here this year. This one is 6.5% and spicy but not quite as sweet as the White Hag one. I am keeping a can to go with some pumpkin pie.
If you want to try another Irish pumpkin beer Treaty City have one available as part of their Trick’r’Treaty special release… sold out on their website but there could be some lurking around Limerick. And if you want to look back at Sean Lightholder’s plethora of Pumpkin Ale posts you can do so here! Enjoy your seasonal ales sensibly folks…Sláinte!