For all my life I have loved anything with pumpkin in it — pumpkin spice coffee, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin ice cream, pumpkin cookies and so on.

It was only fitting that when I started to become a beer fan I was immediately drawn toward pumpkin ales. What’s not to like? The delicious, sweet flavor of pumpkin mixed with the crisp malt taste of beer, but I digress. To put it bluntly, I am to pumpkin ale what Starbucks’ regulars are to pumpkin spice lattes.

Many craft breweries release pumpkin ales during the fall season, but not all are created equal. A quality pumpkin ale needs to walk a fine line, too sweet and the drink can be off-putting, but not sweet enough and the pumpkin flavor can get lost in the mix. Some of my favorites include Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat and Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale, but I decided to try a new brew this time: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

Based in Milton, Delaware, Dogfish Head has yet to put out a bad beer in my opinion. From the strong 90 Minute IPA to the fruity Namaste, Dogfish Head has been getting it right since 1995. So I was very excited to try its pumpkin ale.

The Punkin Ale has a dark gold color to it, and had little-to-no head when poured into a glass. Surprisingly, the beer did not have an overwhelming pumpkin smell, but rather a very faint one. However, my first sip reminded me again just why I love pumpkin ales.
The beer has a very distinct pumpkin flavor to it, but not so much that it is overwhelming. The potent flavors of nutmeg and allspice are evident as well, and they are nicely balanced with the sweet flavor of cinnamon and brown sugar.

The Punkin Ale pairs best with turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing and sharp cheddar (which sounds incredible), and absolutely walks the fine line between too sweet and not sweet enough. With the calendar now flipping to October, ‘tis the season to take advantage of pumpkin ales (while they’re still available), and the Dogfish Head Punkin Ale is the perfect place to start.