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It starts off slow – a few days below 75, a scattering of orange leaves. Then Starbucks releases its pumpkin spice latte and all hell breaks loose. Suddenly, the orange is inescapable. Some people put up a perfunctory fight, lamenting the loss of summer, while craft brewers are wrestling with the ultimate question: to pumpkin, or not to pumpkin?
Shipyard Brewing‘s Pumpkinhead Ale led the charge in late July, with Harpoon‘s Pumpkin UFO and Wachusett‘s Pumpkin Ale close at its heels in early August. The term “seasonal creep” began to take shape as shelves rapidly piled up with spiced six-packs of Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and bottles of Wolaver’s Pumpkin Ale before Labor Day.
Amidst the onslaught, Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont staunchly took a stand, declaring they would sell no fall beers until September 1 – which is when they threw a six-hour extravaganza aptly named Okto-Pumpkin Kashizalapooza. And that’s where I met the two mad geniuses behind Rate My Pumpkins.
While I sympathize with the seasonally sensitive souls who complain about fall beers in the summer, I have no such qualms. I love beers with flavor, and I love choices, and damn if the amount of pumpkin ales out there is nothing short of awe-inspiring. There’s no way I could ever possibly try them all. Fortunately, I don’t have to, because in the midst of all the orange box mania, Alexandra Dietrich and Nicola Chamberlain are there to drink everything they can get their hands on – 61 brews in 61 days, to be precise.
What began last year as a part science experiment, part game of one-upmanship got serious. The ladies rate each beer in terms of aroma/appearance, taste/mouthfeel, “pumpkininess” and overall appeal. They don’t discuss their scores before they post them online, and as Nicola puts it, “We almost even stop eye contact until we have both finished the whole process, from first sniff to last letter.” Despite the secrecy and adherence to palate cleansing between beers, the results of these tastings is always fun to read. Some of my favorites:
“I admit, expected it to suck. Lemon-pumpkin shandy? Ew! Wrong. Tasty fall BBQ beer that won’t leave you crapulous.”
“When they say organic Vermont pumpkins, they mean it. These pumpkins are blasting Phish right now.”
“A nice session stout if you’re feeling the fall. I just thought it’d be thicker. And yes, that is what I said.”
It’s refreshing to read reviews that are educational, yet don’t take themselves too seriously. As Alexandra pointed out to me, professional raters of craft beer tend to look down on the pumpkin genre, which translates to undeservedly low scores. Having the same two people consistently taste, compare, and compile fall beer reviews across a year is a valuable resource to the craft community. I’ve already reaped the benefits of their experience, bee-lining straight to the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale at my neighborhood Blanchards instead of staring glaze-eyed at row upon row of fall-hued cardboard.
At this point, you might be wondering about “pumpkiness.” Alexandra explains, “It’s where we discuss the type of pumpkin used; whether or not it was balanced to the recipe and style of beer. [It] allows us to relay for our followers that heavy pumpkin does not a perfect beer make. For stouts, lighter pumpkin is preferable! Sometimes, super fresh and present pumpkin, but no spicing, tastes watery and too raw.” She gives Hoppin’ Frog Brewery‘s Frog’s Hollow Double Pumpkin (say that five times fast) top marks, while Nicola is partial to Cape Ann Brewing‘s Fisherman’s Imperial Pumpkin Stout.
As we enter October, Rate My Pumpkins will be hitting its full glory with tastings of Rogue and local favorite Jack’s Abby, culminating in their final review on Halloween. You can follow their heroic journey and throw in your two cents on the brew of the day via Facebook and Twitter.
May the spice be with you!
