Every year about this time, as regularly as Starbucks promoting their Pumpkin Spice Latte's, the beer companies start coming out with their pumpkin beers. Heck, it actually started happening 6 weeks ago, but since temperatures were still into the mid-90's even into last week, I refused to allow for the schedule creep of putting out a fall product in August.
I am a sucker for this pumpkin beers though. Each year I try a new one, and each year I am disappointed. With it finally feeling like fall is in the air here in the inland Northwest, and hope of a different level of satisfaction, springing eternal, I figured it was time to try again this year. Yesterday, I picked up a 6-pack of Redhook's Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter.
There is a reason I am not traditionally an optimist, and a continual string of disappointing pumpkin beers are part of the reason. Now...to be fair, this Pumpkin Porter is not a disappointment, like other pumpkin beers I have tried in the past, but, I am glad I only bought a 6-pack. I would rather have 5 remaining bottles of Redhook's ESB in the fridge to look forward to, but, the Pumpkin Porter will get drank...sometimes, we have to settle for Okay, and realize not everything can be Great...or even Good.
I think the fact that it is a porter gives it an advantage over the other pumpkin beers, mostly ale's, that I have tried in the past. The darker flavor notes tend to actually cover the pumpkin flavor too much.
Although, it pairs pretty well with the Chocolate Banana Muffins my wife made yesterday.
I get this picture of a grown up Lucy holding a new pumpkin beer out for a grown up Charlie Brown. He doesn't want to, but in the end he takes it. She just chuckles and suggests that he will never learn. Oh, keep trying. And okay beats other options. I'm pulling for you.
ReplyDeleteYou might try Pumpking Ale from Southern Tier in NY. About the only good thing coming out of that state.
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