Every year, it feels as though people start celebrating for holidays earlier and earlier. For fall, the pumpkin craze drives everyone to the nearest coffee shop for a pumpkin spice latte (extra whip, please!) with a pumpkin spice muffin to go. Now, the pumpkin has been smashed into a brown beer bottle for when people put down the coffee and hit the bars.
With craft beer and micro-brews on the rise, there is an art to making interesting tasting beer. So why not try pumpkin? Along with the malt and hops put into making the refreshing campfire friend, breweries have made a seasonal concoction with pumpkins or squash, flavorings and spices. Bottles have been hitting the shelves and making appearances on tap at the bars and just as quickly as they run out. The trend of the pumpkin has been such a success, that even the larger breweries have come out with their own form of fall or pumpkin beer.
Manny Brown’s is among the many bar restaurants which offer pumpkin beer on tap. It’s located on South Street in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the South Street district of Philadelphia. The manager, Lisa, raved that the pumpkin beer is a huge crave among customers during the fall season. While they typically have around three pumpkin beers on tap, Southern Tier’s Pumpking is the most popular.
Lisa said, “I think it tastes just like pumpkin pie!”
Sure enough, Pumpking is a typical favorite and top rated pumpkin beer during this time of year. It comes in at 8.6% ABV tasting sweet, smooth and has hints of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and nutmeg.
Lisa also said that during this time of the year, the pumpkin beers are more of a seller than the typical, original beer like Miller or Bud.
However, other major beer companies have picked up the pumpkin trend. Brands like Samuel Adams and Yuengling have come up with their own beer. Sam Adams can be picked up by the case at any typical beer distributor.
Food & Friends is a foodery located in Society Hill, known for its beer selection alongside typical deli foods — specifically craft beer. While they offer beer by the bottle for mix and match 6-packs, Kelsey, an associate of that location, says their top seller is Roadsmary Baby.
While some pumpkin beers can taste sweet like pumpkin pie or spicy and heavy, the trend seems to be rapidly growing. So while many people will drink it at the bar, at home with a sweet fall dessert or packing it up to bring to the campfire, the pumpkin field will have quite the business from breweries big to small. Whether you like all pumpkin everything or would just like to see what all the talk is about, there are plenty of options to choose from when you decide to ditch that pumpkin spice latte.
