Shipyard Brewing Co. Smashed Pumpkin Ale

I believe I have tried just about every pumpkin ale I can purchase in the state of Utah, plus one or two others. I do, however, have one more left to check out, and then I'm onto lots and lots of dark ales. This particular beer comes from a brewery in Maine that has only recently begun to distribute their wares through the nearly impermeable state lines of Utah. May these victories continue to roll on through!

Shipyard Brewing Co. - Pugsley’s Signature Series - Smashed Pumpkin Ale

BG Poured from a 1 pt 6 fl oz (650ml) bottle into a stemmed tulip, 9% ABV, 1.088 OG, EXP 09/03/15

A Light amber in color with 2.5 fingers of cream-colored head. It pours very clear. Heavy lacing gradually slides back down into the beer.

A Nuttiness, alcohol, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, slight floral hops, caramel malt, spice, gingerbread, apple cider

T Banana nut bread, ginger snaps, brown sugar, pumpkin and all the pie spices, warm candied nuts, bread crust

M Medium body, medium carbonation

A Earthy spices and maybe a bit of hops. I wish the full taste was more like the aftertaste.

C Relive your childhood memories of eating so much Halloween candy your teeth ached, with this sugary-sweet ale. This would be the basic white girl’s pumpkin ale, but the alcohol content is too high, and would throw her into some sort of FourLoko frenzy as a result of also slamming PSLs all day. It’s a well crafted beer, but it’s just too sweet and light for me. Dark is the way to go for the pumpkin style.

FP Pecan pie, Thanksgiving leftover turkey sandwich, candied walnut and cheve rocket salad with sweet vinaigrette


That's all I've got for pumpkin ales. In retrospect, I'd say Epic's Fermentation Without Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter is my top favorite. It has an amazing mouthfeel, with a rich and complex set of flavors that equate to an amazing experience. If I had to choose a pumpkin ale to session, it would be Uinta's PUNK'N. It's not too sweet, but has a great balanced flavor profile I wouldn't have a problem with if I wanted to throw back a few. If you like the sweeter, lighter end of pumpkin ales, good for you! I don't mean to put them down, it's just that I find them mildly abhorrent. Find what you like and enjoy!