Punkin Ale my Favorite Pumpkin to Date

Tis the season for the fall beers and among those is one of my favorites…the Pumpkin beer.  An alcoholic concoction of spices, caramel malts and brown sugar.  These are beers I want to top with whip cream (pumpkin pie is pretty much the only thing I eat with whip cream) they’re so like their namesake when they’re done right.

My favorite to date of the Pumpkin variety is the Punkin Ale by Dogfish Head Brewing (www.dogfish.com).  This is one of the few pumpkin beers that actually uses the meat of the pumpkin, most just settle for spices.

While most people would assume the beers name, Punkin, is a play on the words “Punk” and “Pumpkin” it is actually a reference to Punkin Chunkin.  Punkin Chunkin is a competition that is based in Southern Delaware where pumpkins are chucked great distance by mechanical means (think catapults).

Punkin Ale made it’s debut at the competition in the Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest in 1994 and won first place.  That’s six months before Dogfish Head opened it’s doors.  They state they’ve brewed it every year since but I only discovered this beer last year.

This beer isn’t subtle like most.  The spice is over the top with it’s nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice and enough of it to wake your palate up.  The real pumpkin used in the brewing process I think is what pulls this together but the copious amount of brown sugar and the 7% ABV don’t hurt either.