The beginning of fall signals one thing for many breweries – time to release an Octoberfest beer! Now, seeing as how fall began over a month ago, I am a bit late, but in my defense, the weather just started cooling off here in north Louisiana. Less than a week ago we had a high of 88 degrees, so things are just now starting to cool off. Anyways, the folks over at the Schirf Brewing Company (Wasatch Beers) in Utah have taken the Octoberfest theme and jumped in head first with their Pumpkin Ale. I went to a Halloween party Saturday night and took along a few beers from work to enjoy. One of those was Wasatch Pumpkin Ale. The beer itself pours a cloudy amber, with very little head and a strong aroma of pumpkin and spice – it’s very similar to a cooled pumpkin pie. The taste, however, is very different from what I expected. I’ve had several Octoberfest and/or Marzen style beers, but this was different. It actually tasted as if someone took the ingredients for pumpkin bread, put them together, forgot to bake, but instead let it all ferment. I’m still not sure how to react – it was good, but not in a way that makes me want to buy a whole six pack. Kind of like egg nog – it’s great during November and December, but I don’t want a whole lot of it, nor do I want it year round; it’s good in doses. And that’s how I would best describe Wasatch Pumpkin Ale – it’s good, but not something I want to drink everyday.
