31 Pumpkins

This is an reliable favorite with a nice hit of pumpkin spice. When you get it on tap at the brewery, you can get it with a sugar run, which I highly recommend.

This is a seasonal favorite! I love a cream ale anyway, and this one has a nice added PSL taste and texture.

This year is the 10th anniversary of this pumpkin-y pursuit. And back in 2013 was the only time I finished the challenge, so I have good if spooky vibes for this year's effort.

Before we get going, a quick reminder of the Pumpkin Quotient, or PQ Scale, ranging in score from -5 to +5 with a score of zero being perfect.

-5 = Where's the pumpkin?

-4

'3

-2

-1

0 = Perfectly pumpkin

1

2

3

4

5 = Like licking a Yankee Candle

The first selection packs a wallop: The Headless Gourdsman, by Founders Brewing in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Aged in bourbon barrels finished in maple syrup, this beer packs a punch at 13% ABV. Lots of flavor, though it's that maple flavor that dominates over anything pumpkin spice.

On the PQ scale:

Mackenzie's Hard Cider, Utica NY

Thought I would give a cider a try and whew! Is this sweet. It basically tastes like a pumpkin cream soda. Definitely on the "like licking a Yankee Candle" end of the spectrum.

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakeville NY

The classic returns, and it's good to be the king. Tastes like a popcorn ball eaten on a hayride, but beer.

Southern Tier Pumpking: +1

Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakeville NY

How do you make the king of pumpkins even better? This is how. The nitro makes the original Pumpking so thick and creamy, it's like putting that dollop of Cool Whip on a piece of pumpkin pie. We might have our first "perfectly pumpkin" beer of the month.

F.X. Matt Brewing Company, Utica NY

This isn't a bad beer. It's just not really a pumpkin beer. I guess there is a sort of cinnamon-clove aftertaste if you give it a minute. But yeah, more on the "are you sure there's pumpkin in here?" side of things.

So on the PQ scale:

Shipyard Brewing Company, Rochester NY

This is a nice one. Crisp and clean and not too sweet but still a pleasing hit of pumpkin spice. A little lager-y on the finish, but still a nice one.

Turning to the Pumpkin Quotient (PQ) scale:

Pumpkin #2: Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin

New Belguim Brewing Company, Fort Collins, Colorado

This one has become an October favorite. It's brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, AND HABANERO CHILI PEPPERS and it just works. It has a kind of mole feel, and the pumpkin and cinnamon really come through.

On the PQ scale:

31Pumpkins is back!

Welcome to 31Pumpkins, in which I attempt to drink a different pumpkin beer every day during the month of October.

31Pumpkins started in 2013, and to be strictly transparent, 2013 was the only year in which I completed this task successfully. In 2013, the annual HighEdWeb conference I attend every year in October was held in Buffalo, New York. Turns out pumpkin beers, in western New York, and pretty thick on the ground. Every year since? Not so much.

But we remain undaunted in our pursuit of gourd-centered ales! Let us remind ourselves of the Pumpkin Quotient, or PQ Scale, ranging in score from -5 to +5 with a score of zero being perfect:

-5 = Where's the pumpkin?

-4

-3

-2

-1

0 = Perfectly pumpkin

1

2

3

4

5 = Like licking a Yankee Candle

And we're starting 2019 off ... powerfully. The Rum Barrel Aged Pumpking, or Rumking, from Southern Tier has an ABV of 13.4 percent. The rum flavor and the high alcohol content certainly pack a punch, leaving a hint of the original Pumpking flavor behind, almost as an afterthought. Plan to split this one with a friend.

So on the PQ scale, how does the Rumking fare as the first pumpkin to fall?

Uinta Brewing Company

Salt Lake City, Utah

This beer combines two of my favorite things: pumpkin spice and sours. There is a fall, caramel flavor at the start, and a funky wild ale finish, and an overall crispness reminiscent of a good cider. In short: there is a lot going on here, so much so that the pumpkin gets a wee bit lost.

On the PQ scale:

Southern Tier Brewing Company

Lakewood, New York

At this point, fully one half of the 31 Pumkins this year are from Southern Tier. And this stout is one of my absolute favorites. I stock up every year. The pumpkin spice really comes through; this beer is a great winter warmer.

On the PQ scale...

Southern Tier Brewing Company

Lakewood, New York

This actually tastes like a really nice Pumpking -- one of my favorites every year -- slightly ruined by the after taste of something burnt, which I'm guessing is supposed to be the light-roasted coffee. It's not well served by it.

Here's a reminder of the Pumpkin Quotient (PQ) scale, ranging in score from -5 to +5, with a score of 0 being perfect. Here’s what I mean:

-5 = Where’s the pumpkin?

-4

-3

-2

-1

0 = Perfectly pumpkiny

+1

+2

+3

+4

+5 = Like licking a Yankee Candle

How does this variation on a fall classic fare?

Southern Tier Cold Press Coffee Pumpking: +3

Custom Brewcrafters

Honeoye Falls, New York

Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) is a vegetable. Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo) a fruit. But both are orange and both scream fall. Plus, hey, marshmallow! Actually, the marshmallow is the dominant flavor here. Very vanilla, almost like a vanilla porter. Very tasty. Not sure where the sweet potato is, though.

Where does this fall on our PQ scale?

Brooklyn Brewery

Utica, NY

This is a more-than-decent brown ale, but really all of the pumpkin is on the label. Maybe -- MAYBE -- someone waved a pumpkin muffin over the batch. Maybe.

On the PQ scale:

Post Road Pumpkin Ale: -4

Southern Tier Brewing Company

Lakewood, NY

What more can I say about this firm fall favorite? It tastes like a popcorn ball or a haunted hayride in a glass.

With just the right hint of pumpkin, how does Pumpking fare on the PQ scale?

New Belgium Brewing

Fort Collins, CO

Man, does this one pack a pumpkin punch! It tasted spicy, but not just normal pumpkin spicy. Like there was some real heat coming through, but in a pleasant way that paired very nicely with the strong pumpkin spice flavor. This didn't make much sense until I read the label and found it was brewed with pumpkin, cinnamon, *and* habanero chilis?! And it really works!

The presence of peppers makes it tough the rate this on the Pumpkin Quotient scale, but needs must.

New Belgium Atomic Ranger Atomic Pumpkin: +2