Seasons are changing, and the October beers are here once again. Today, I believe a list is in order. A list of five seasonal craft brews I have been looking forward to all year.
To start, we have a few new arrivals from Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah. Don’t laugh! For those not familiar with the breweries of Utah, let me tell you that they are all very good. As funny as it may sound, these guys (and gals) know a thing or two about brewing great craft beer.
The first comes to us from Uinta/Four+ Brewing and is called Punk’n Ale. Brewed with all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and fresh pumpkin, this easy-drinking amber is for those wanting just a hint of spice. It would pair very nicely with pumpkin cheesecake or even cinnamon apple cobbler.
Next up, Pumpkin Ale from Wasatch Brewing, a robustly spiced seasonal ale that tastes just like your mum’s pumpkin pie.  Generous amounts of holiday spice combine with roasted pumpkin to produce basic comfort food (beer)! Now the best part, both of these beers are very session-able and come in at about 4% ABV. Yes, I’ll have another please!
Moving on, the better known brews from Sam Adams and New Belgium come to mind. Sam Adams‘ Octoberfest combines five different roasted and caramelized malts to produce a sweet-yet-complex holiday flavor balanced with just a touch of hop bitterness. Flavors of toffee and caramel are abundant with a slight hint of raisin, making this a great brew to pair with fennel sausage and mash.
Now, just as a tease, Samuel Adams does make a pumpkin brew but on most occasions only boxes it in a seasonal mix pack. Kinda cheeky, don’t you think?
New Belgium Brewing moves in a different direction with their Hoptober Golden Ale. Made with five different hop varieties including Centennial and Cascade, this brew imparts bitter citrus notes combined with wheat malt, rye and oats to produce a medium body, creamy mouth feel and fruity cheers. Fruity what? Hello, Vicar!
Last but not least, the beer everyone has been waiting for: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. An ale brewed with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and tons of spice. This is a great beer to warm up with as the season begins to cool and would pair famously with yams, beer-braised turkey and cranberry relish. Punkin won’t be available in Arizona until late this month.
(Punkin was created to commemorate the Punkin Chunkin festival in Delaware and has since become a staple in the Dogfish stable of seasonal brews. If you’ve have never seen a Punkin Chunkin competition, check out this video:)
OK, let’s recap our October beers:
- Uinta/Four+ Punk’n Ale
- Wasatch Pumpkin Ale
- Samuel Adams Octoberfest
- New Belgium Hoptober
- Dogfish Head Punkin
These beers are very seasonal and should be sought out ASAP. They are only around for a short while and can be found at Whole Foods, Sprouts, Tops Liqour, Sun Devil Liquor and other craft beer outlets.
Ask for them on tap here in Arizona at Flanny’s, Hungry Monk, Whole Foods Chandler and Papago Brewing.
Until next week, cheers!
You can send comments or column ideas to England native James Swann, the beer buyer at Chandler’s Whole Foods, at kingjamesswann@gmail.com.
