After weeks of anticipation, Four Peaks Brewing taps its most popular seasonal, Pumpkin Porter, today.
Well, technically, the brewery tapped it at midnight last night.
While pumpkin beers seem to be everywhere now, this wasn’t always the case – certainly not back in 1999 when the Four Peaks version debuted. This year, though, Arizona breweries Grand Canyon, Mudshark, and Sonoran also are brewing pumpkin beers.
Brewmaster Andy Ingram says Four Peaks’ recipe, which utilizes an aseptic pumpkin puree, has not changed over its 14 years.
But the beer’s popularity sure has. Four Peaks increases the volume every year to try to keep up with demand. This fall, it’s been upped 30 percent to 800 barrels, the equivalent of 1,600 kegs.
Don’t expect it to last. Ingram says the goal is to keep Pumpkin Porter on taps through Thanksgiving. Last year, demand was so high they had to pull it off taps by the end of October to ensure they still could offer it at Thanksgiving.
If you can’t get to the Tempe brewery, look for Pumpkin Porter to appear at East Valley bars and restaurants in the next week or so.
