Thursday, September 18, 2008

Punkin Ale, Dogfish Head Brewing, Milton, DE

I am not really big on flavored beers, Cherry Wheats, Blueberry UFOs etc I tend to pass on. I was extremely hesitant to try the Punkin Ale for a few reasons. One, I am not a big fan of pumpkin anything. Two, my aforementioned bias to flavored beers. And three, the fact there is crazy and then there is Dogfish brewing crazy. Needless to say after a week or so of badgering I tried the Punkin Ale. I noticed immediately, it didn’t taste like a pumpkin. And then I realized what kind of beer it really was, a brown ale with a cinnamony and brown sugary kick that added just a hint of spice to a smooth alcohol tinged brown ale. The confluence of flavors gave the beer a syrupy texture perfect for a fall beer. The 7% ABV will also keep you warm on those cool fall nights. The Punkin knocks down a 4.0 ranking.

2 comments:

Mike said...

I heartily agree with this ranking. I stayed away from the Punkin Ale for a while, thinking that Dogfish, in true Dogfish Brewing fashion, tried to jam a whole pumpkin in each 12oz bottle. It is definitely not the case.

For a quick comparison, think of Harpoon's Winter Warmer, but with a brown ale and a bit of sugar. Good stuff

Michael said...

I sort of like pumpkin beers because they visit for a short time and then disappear. However I have not been a fan of Dogfish Head's products, frankly. This "Punkin Ale" is a different story. May be the best of the pumpkin beers I've tried. Great post!