The Steam Whistle Brewery Review

The Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto, Ontario

In 2008 I decided to take my wife to Toronto for her birthday.  Neither of us had ever been to the Toronto Blue Jays' ballpark and since we hope someday to visit them all, it seemed like a great weekend trip that we could take.  When I found out that there is a hotel attached to the ballpark AND that some of the hotel rooms actually look out onto the field, I knew that I had at least to look into it.  Figuring a room would be in the multiple-hundreds in terms of cost, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get a one-night rate of less than two hundred bucks!  It was luck of the draw whether we would get one of the coveted rooms that looked out onto the field and we wound up coming up short.  Still, our room was great, the hotel was amazing, and it was definitely worth the expenditure.

We got to Toronto early in the day with the ball game scheduled for later that night.  After we got settled into the hotel, we decided to go and out to do some sightseeing.  (I'll outline where we went at the end in the "WHAT ELSE TO DO IN THE AREA" section of the review.)  While we were traipsing about the city, we kept seeing a weird truck that looked sort of like the Red Bull jeeps that you will see from time to time in New York (the one that has the giant Red Bull can on the back).  This vehicle, though, seemed to have an enormous beer can on it, which was really odd.  Eventually, we were able to read the writing on the side of the truck and saw that it was from the Steam Whistle Brewery.  We had never heard of it before so we made a mental note to look into it later.

After scoping out the harbor area, we started to head back towards the hotel at the Rogers Centre.  We wound up in a park across the street from the CN Tower and arenas that comprise the Rogers Centre compound and I broke out laughing.  Not a few dozen yards from where we were standing, I saw the "water tower" pictured to the right.  Not only had we stumbled upon the Steam Whistle Brewery but it was literally right across the street from where we were staying!  We could see activity near the doorway so I decided that we should go in and scope it out.  Unfortunately, based upon the chalkboard located outside, we had just missed the last tour of the day.  There was a bouncer standing outside so I figured I would ask him about the schedule for the next day or at least to see if we could go in and scope out what was inside.  He tells me (apologetically, I might add) that we just missed the last tour of the day but that if we wanted he could give us a free coupon to head inside for a beer sample.  Heather and I exchanged psychic high fives and kindly accepted the paper tickets.  The bouncer apologized and said that we had only a half an hour before they closed and because of that (and that he couldn't get us on the tour that had just left) he handed us each a few more tickets.  And with that, he became my all-time favorite bouncer.

The space inside was interesting.  Immediately to the right of the entrance was a gift shop area that sold all sorts of things from t-shirts to bottle openers as well as cans of the beer itself.  Further in was the spacious bar and drinking area.  The walls here were adorned with various artwork and Steam Whistle miscellany.  Towards the back of the room was the previous tour that was finishing up as well as people who had lingered to enjoy their brews.  It was a bit loud and busy but free beer is free beer so we sidled right up to the bar and enjoyed our samples. 

In a way, it was one of the most interesting beer/brewery experiences I've ever had.  For one, the beer (a pilsner) is the only beer made by the brewery.  Seriously--they make one beer.  It was serviceable as far as pilsners go but it definitely wasn't the best I had ever had.  Distribution was also interesting as the beer was available only in tall aluminum cans (though they've since added bottles).  We wound up snagging two to go and I have them on my travel desk as mementos from the trip.

Steam Whistle's only beer: a pilsner.

We sat and enjoyed our beer and wound up purchasing both the aforementioned cans and the glass (shown above) as souvenirs.  We were in and out of there in a half an hour, maybe forty-five minutes and we definitely had a good time.  The tour might have been interesting, especially since they have various green initiatives that they partake in, but, at the same time, they offer only one beer so I can't imagine they would have much to discuss in terms of their offerings or plans for future brews (three years later and they still brew only the pilsner).


GRADE

I give the Steam Whistle Brewery a grade of B mostly because of the awesome bouncer that we encountered at the door.  Free beer is great but not all free beer is...great.  I'm sure the tour was great and, if it was, I'd definitely bump up the grade to a B+ but even then I can't say that this is a "must see" destination.  The fact that they offer only the one beer reduces my level of interest since I enjoy scoping out multiple brews of varying styles to really get a sense for the brewery's direction and beer philosophy.  Still, if you're in Toronto and especially if you're visiting the CN Tower or staying at the Rogers Centre, you might as well swing by to scope it out.  I recommend hitting it up but don't go out of your way for it.


BEERS SAMPLED
Steam Whistle Pilsner


WHAT ELSE TO DO IN THE AREA
Toronto is a cool city that, in some regards, reminded me of New York.  There is a lot to do but I can't imagine spending more than a few days there at the most.

--Visit the CN Tower.  The enclosed observation area at the top has two levels, the lower of which has giant glass panels that you can walk out on (like the Willis Tower in Chicago now).  Here's a picture looking down from one of those panels:

The view from on high

--Catch a Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre.

--Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.  This is really a MUST-DO type of thing even if you're only remotely interested in the sport.  There are a bunch of awesome interactive exhibits and it's a great space overall.  Definitely take some time to check it out!

--Visit the harbor front.  Just a cool area of Toronto worth seeing.

--Stay at the Renaissance Hotel located at the Rogers Centre (especially if you're seeing a baseball game).  I can't describe adequately how awesome it is to go to a Blue Jays game while staying at this hotel.  To begin with, there is a phenomenal restaurant that overlooks the outfield that you can eat and drink in while watching the game (we stayed there for the first two innings).  After that, just head downstairs and enter the ballpark to enjoy the views of the CN Tower (if the roof is open) and, theoretically, the Blue Jays as well (at least if Bautista is on a tear).  The best part though is after the game is over.  When everyone else is filing out looking for cabs or trying to drive out from the parking area...you're already up in your room watching them.  Of course, you could hang out in the hotel lobby but it's best to do that later on since the visiting team will most likely be staying at the Renaissance as well.  Great opportunity for some photos and autographs.


For more information about the Steam Whistle Brewery and its tour, please visit their official page here:

http://www.steamwhistle.ca/

--Beer Whisperer Matt

The Miller Brewery Review

A trip to Milwaukee usually means two things: brats and beer.  In the great state of Wisconsin, there is no more hovering beer presence than that of Miller.  The third of the "Big Three" macrobreweries, Miller has arguably the smallest following of the three but, in many ways, the best quality beer.  Recent advertising gimmicks aside, Miller Lite (in my opinion) tends to be the only one of the three major-market light beers to seem, well, like a beer that is true to its purported style (pilsner, in this case).  In recent years, too, it can be argued that Miller has had the most successful advertising campaigns at least in terms of memorability.  Sure Anheuser-Busch has its Clydesdales and Coors its Rocky Mountains...but Miller has had a slew of successful marketing runs, which speaks, at least in some part, to the fact that it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as its competitors.

10:30 AM?  Why that would be "Miller Time!"

I had the pleasure of visiting the Miller Brewery in Milwaukee back in 2008.  My wife and I were in the midst of our epic Alaska Highway Roadtrip and this was one of the sanctioned stops along the way.  We had driven to Hammond, Indiana at the end of our first day of driving and we were beginning our second day on the road with a stop off at the brewery.  Clearly ten thirty on a weekday morning is not too early to be drinking!  (The parking lot was packed, for what it's worth.)  I was ecstatic from the moment we left the parking lot...but it wasn't simply because there was free beer to be had.  Over the course of our travels, I had taken pictures of every state's license plate...except for one.  I finally found it on a car in the lot: North Dakota.  It was definitely a good omen!

We began our Miller experience by visiting the gift shop where we would request our free tickets to take the tour of the facility.  We had some time to kill and so we perused the wares.  I was pretty impressed by the broad array of goods that they sold and I was surprised to find that the vaunted Olde English "800" line of malt liquor was a product underneath the Miller umbrella.  Overall, they had some really cool items for sale and I made sure to double back to the shop before we left.

The tour began with a brief film that outlined the history of the company.  I found it to be both interesting and informative.  It was a great opening to what proved to be an otherwise disappointing tour.  From the theater, we headed outside and into an adjacent building where we were whisked up some stairs and through some corridors.  I wasn't sure of how I felt about the fact that the building (which housed all of the bottled beer) doubled as a tornado shelter.  Somehow, I would think that, no matter how sturdy the structure, the last place I would want to find myself during a twister would be in an enormous warehouse filled with glass.

But that's just me.

Palettes and palettes and palettes and palettes
and palettes and palettes of beer

Sadly, there really wasn't much to see or to learn about during our time in the warehouse.  There were a few informative videos and the tour guide did stop to take questions...but overall, it just felt brief.  We concluded our tour with a brief walk-through of a small part of the beer distribution and storage area.  The enormity of the space was striking and it made you realize just how much beer the company makes.  A gentleman there explained where the beer was going and how it would get there.  It was definitely the single most elucidating moment of the tour aside from the initial film.




I had been expecting the tour to continue elsewhere in the building or at least to visit another structure but, sadly, we were marched outside and led down the street to the next adjacent building that housed the tasting room.  Inside, we were treated to a free pint of Miller Lite and given peanuts and pretzels to snack on.  The setting was surprisingly posh and we were seated family style at round tables.  My wife and I conversed with an older couple who were enjoying their retirement by taking an RV around the country.  Their enthusiasm for their travels served to fuel my wanderlust and I couldn't wait to get back out onto the road.

Now, at this point in the day, I was feeling a little dejected.  The tour was surprisingly brief and, as it appeared, we were going to be receiving only one sample of beer.  Free beer is free beer, I understand that...but somehow I wanted more.  Fortunately, when we were finished with our Miller Lite, we were led across the street to the tasting area as shown in one of the photos below.

The walk from the "tour" area to the tasting room

Tasting area number two

A nice space to drink some free beer on
a gorgeous summer's day

The tour guide prepping us for the beers

The available brews for consumption

The weather was absolutely breathtaking that day so sitting outside and enjoying some generous samples was a truly enjoyable experience.  We were given wristbands as we entered that had three removable tabs.  Each time you wanted a beer, you ripped off a tab and traded it in for the brew of your choice.  The Honey Weiss and Berry Weiss are both Leinenkugel brews but we were curious about them so we included them in our selections.  I think we had those, the MGD 64, the High Life, and the MGD.

It was great getting to do some people watching while we sat and enjoyed our beers; you never know who you will see at a brewery tour.  There were a surprising number of foreign travelers but it was still a very American crowd, diverse as it was.  What was funny though was that while we were drinking the beers, someone asked about the building that we were looking at and it turned out to be the place where they stored the mash tuns.  The tour guide offered to take us all up there but warned us that there would be a lot of steps and that it would be extremely hot at the top.

She wasn't kidding.

The ironic part was that this was easily the most interesting part of the tour...and it almost didn't even happen.  It was an optional component (as I found out afterwards) but it was, in my opinion, what would be the heart of any other tour.  It was where we discussed the beer, the beer making process, and a bunch of other things that are central to any brewery tour.  The fact that it was left for last and even then was only an optional thing that many people missed out on simply because they didn't know what it was was kind of sad.

Touring The High Life

After we finished up with the tasting, we headed back to the gift shop and saw the Miller High Life Cruiser sitting out front.  We had passed it on our way in initially but I had no idea what it was.  Basically, it was a mobile museum that housed a bunch of interesting historical artifacts from the Miller archives.  There were films playing along with soundbites and other informative displays.  Again, this was a far superior experience to the "tour" and I can't understand why it's not included as a stop along the way.  Inside, I learned about the famous "Girl In The Moon" symbol that appears on all of the High Life bottles.  Apparently, it is the logo that is most associated with the brand.  Wouldn't have known if I hadn't stopped in the cruiser though!

With the tour concluded, I decided to take advantage of something else that was sitting outside of the facility: the hot dog guy.  I figured, where better to try my first real Wisconsin brat than from a cart-pushing dude sitting outside of the region's biggest brewery?  I wound up destroying two brats smothered in chili sauce before we headed back out on the road, venturing towards the rest of our waiting adventure...but not before seeing one final photo-op that capitalized on a then-viral Internet sensation:

Seriously, Bro.  Don't.

GRADING


I give the Miller Brewery Tour an A- because of the generous free samples, the film at the beginning of the tour, and the Miller High Life Cruiser museum; without any of those it would be a B-.  Compared to its two bigger brothers, the Miller tour is lacking in substance, which is a shame because the company has a rich history that it is quite obviously proud of.  Hopefully they can expand the tour to include more informative aspects but as it stands, I would definitely recommend scoping it out if you're in the area.


BEERS SAMPLED ON THE TOUR
Miller Lite
Miller Genuine Draft
Miller High Life
Miller Genuine Draft Light 64
Leinenkugels Honey Weiss
Leinenkugels Berry Weiss


WHAT ELSE TO DO IN THE AREA

Milwaukee is a really cool town that's reminiscent of other working class cities like Pittsburgh and its ilk.  If you have the time to spend exploring, you could spend it scoping out the city's numerous museums including the Harley-Davidson Museum as well as the Milwaukee Art Museum...but let's be real.  You're in Milwaukee.  Aside from sampling the best brats and cheeses in town, your time will be best spent scoping out the city's numerous breweries and beer-related locations, many of which I visited on my second (and briefly third) time there.

--Catch a game at Miller Park.  Of all the ballparks that we've been to, this one is definitely in the top five of my favorites.  The people are incredibly courteous, the food is ridiculously good, and the beer...well, it speaks for itself!  If the Brewers are in town you have to make the trip to the ballpark, for the tailgating if for nothing else!

--Tour the Lakefront Brewery.  The beer was tremendous and the tour guide we had was hilarious.  It was a really informative, well-paced tour that ended and began with samples of some really great beer.  Pick up a variety pack to go!

--Visit the Pabst Mansion.  We didn't get to do this while we were there but it's on our list for the next visit!

--Tour the Sprecher Brewery (in Glendale, Wisconsin--a Milwaukee suburb).  The tour here wasn't nearly as good as the one in Lakefront but you can mix and match a full case of beer and soda from their impressive list of offerings.  I had a few strange beers and sodas that I really enjoyed.  The tour was pretty good but if you're smart, you'll sign up for it, then duck off into the bathroom or hang around the tasting area until the samples start flowing.

--Shop at the Whole Foods on Prospect Avenue.  If you're driving into the city (or you have space in your luggage) from either the west or east coasts, you ought to consider stopping off at the Whole Foods to explore the wonderful panoply of Midwest beer offerings.  We loaded up on our last trip through Milwaukee and enjoyed a bunch of brews at home that we never would have gotten otherwise.

--Eat and drink at the Water Street Brewery.  Located in a "beer" area of Milwaukee, this little spot had some great grub and even better beer.  Definitely worth scoping out!

--DEFINITELY eat and drink at the Milwaukee Brewing Company.  THIS place was ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!  I had arguably the best brown ale I've ever had as well as a number of other stellar beers.  This is a MUST see spot.

IF YOU HAVE SOME TIME TO SPARE...

I'd recommend driving out to Madison to visit both the State Capitol (with its rooftop viewing area) and the Capital Brewing Company located in Middleton (just outside of Madison).  The latter's beer garden and offering of a mixed variety pack of whatever beers they have make it worth the trip!


For more information about the Miller tour or the company at large, please visit their official website here:

http://www.millercoors.com/milwaukee-brewery-tour.aspx

--Beer Whisperer Matt

Beer Is Beer...Right?

Beer.  The sweet nectar of the gods.  The ineluctable modality of the taste buds.  The oft-misquoted proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

But what is it really?

If you've ever taken a brewery tour, then the odds are that you've been informed that it is a liquid comprised of four constituent parts: water, yeast, hops, and malt (barley).  Certainly this definition has been used for hundreds of years, particularly in Germany, where it was made law in the form of the Reinheitsgebot or "German/Bavarian Beer Purity Law."  (The reasoning behind the law is not something that I will go into but if you're interested in learning more about an integral part of the history of beer, by all means scope it out here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot )


So we have our meaning of the word "beer," right?  Well, if you've ever enjoyed an offering from Rogue Ales or Dogfish Head Craft Beer, you know that a lot more than the things mentioned in the Reinheitsgebot find their way into beer these days.  DFH has made beer infused with flavors of wood, spices, and even saliva; Rogue currently has a beer made with, among other things, maple flavoring and...bacon.  (Seriously:  http://www.rogue.com/beers/voodoo-bacon-maple.php)

Let's take a quick peek at the dictionary to see if we can gain some clarity here.  Dictionary.com has the following definition for the word "beer":

beer [beer] noun

1. an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermentation from cereals, usually malted barley, and flavored with hops and the like for a slightly bitter taste.

Okay...so beer is an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermenting.  This brings us to our first issue/misnomer: Non-Alcoholic Beer.  Surely you've seen the likes of O'Douls or Coors Non-Alcoholic Beer at your local supermarket or mini-mart.  They seem like the perfect option for the designated driver that still wants to feel like he or she is imbibing or for the person whose body cannot process alcohol...right?

Wrong.

Non-Alcoholic Beers are actually Low Alcohol Beer, with an ABV that will vary between 0.10% and 1.00% depending upon the brand.  It's an important point to make particularly for those with physical ailments that are brought on by the consumption of alcohol: you might think that you're safe but, depending upon the severity of your condition, you might still be putting yourself at risk.

So beer is an alcoholic beverage that is fermented...and non-alcoholic beers are still beers because they're not really non-alcoholic...but what about cider?  There has been a push in recent years to introduce what has been a popular potable across the Atlantic for decades.  Magners is the most ubiquitous brand you'll find here in New York and it is appearing in more bars as an alternative to beer...because it isn't beer.  Cider is fermented from apples and it might employ yeast but by definition there are no malts or hops involved.

Okay...so beer is a non-alcoholic-alcoholic beverage that is not cider.  So how much alcohol can there be for beer to remain, well, beer?  And just what is the strongest beer in the world?

The answer, like with most things in life, is:

It depends.

Currently, the strongest "beer" in the world is "Start The Future," brewed by a Dutch brewer to a whopping...60% ABV.  Yeah.  60 percent.  As in 120 proof.  The beer was made in response to a BrewDog offering that, at the time of its brewing, took the title of world's most potent beer at 55%.  But here's the thing: it's not necessarily "beer" in the truest sense of the word (whatever that means).  For one, both the Dutch and the Scottish efforts were essentially tongue-in-cheek affairs (the latter very much so) that were not meant to be taken seriously as standalone brews.  The BrewDog beer (called "End Of History") was released in an extremely limited batch with each bottle distributed in...a squirrel or stoat carcass preserved through taxidermy.

No joke:    http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/341

and

http://consumerist.com/2010/07/combine-your-loves-for-alcohol-taxidermy-with-beer-packed-in-rodent-carcass.html

Later that same week, the Dutch brewery released their offering:

http://consumerist.com/2010/07/high-alcohol-content-beer-war-continues-with-60-abv-brew.html

The problem with both beers is that they are more distilled than fermented, which would make them more like whisky than beer.  In order to jack the alcohol content sky-high, a process known as freeze distillation is used, which freezes out the water and preserves the ridiculously large abv.  Ordinarily, the amount of alcohol that is created is determined by the type of yeast used (among other things)...so, basically, these guys cheated.

So what is the strongest, legit beer in the world?

As it stands, that would be Samuel Adams' Utopias at a substantial 27%.  There is plenty of conjecture that even this isn't really beer, mostly because it tastes more like a fine brandy or cognac and it lacks carbonation...but, if we go by our original definitions, then it is a fair brew.  Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) brewmaster and founder Jim Koch has been quoted as saying that the only ingredients that go into the Utopias are water, hops, yeast, and malt and that he knows that it is definitely a beer because the Commonwealth of Massachusetts charges him a nickel deposit for every bottle he produces.


http://www.indy.com/posts/brewer-pushes-limit-on-extreme-beer

Sam Adams makes a super powerful beer that is widely accepted as actually being beer...but it doesn't taste like beer.  In a way, I think that this is really the central argument here.  Take fans of microbrewed beer.  Now, it stands to reason that most people start drinking macrobrews first--Coors, Bud, and their ilk.  Something somewhere along the line causes the budding beer aficionado to branch off into newer waters and, eventually, they expand their palettes and find what they really like (hoppy brews, dark malty ones, etc.)  Often, when people have been enjoying craft brewed beer for quite awhile, they find that a return to the macrobrews is quite a daunting task.  Many say that they can no longer stomach the taste and others still will say "that ain't beer."  But therein lies the irony: lifelong drinkers of Bud, Coors, Miller, and all the rest will say the exact same thing about microbrewed beer!  Hand a Budweiser-only man a well-hopped IPA, he's liable to spit it out and say that "it don't taste like beer."

Ironically (or perhaps not), whenever I have heard the phrase "I like beer that tastes like beer" it has been uttered (not without an air of pomposity, mind you) by a staunch Coors or Bud fan who has had little experience with the broad spectrum of ales and lagers available to him.  So the macrobrew guy thinks that microbrewed beer doesn't taste like beer...and the microbrew fan thinks the same thing about the big beer offerings...

So we find ourselves right back where we started, wondering what makes beer, beer.

If pressed for an answer, I would say simply that beer, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  If the drinker is enjoying his or her particular brew, then who are we to correct them?  So whether it's a 55% abv Belgian Strong Ale served in a dead squirrel dressed up in a kilt, an oatmeal stout with strong chocolate and caramel notes, or just an ice cold Bud...the only thing I can say is:  DRINK UP!

Beer is beer

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of Year...

Pumpkin patch in Warwick, NY

The advent of autumn brings with it the promise of many seasonal delights: clear moonlit nights, the cool crisp breeze that shakes free the color-changing leaves, still reflections on a calm lake and, most important of all...Oktoberfest.  As I sit and type this entry, sipping a Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale, I can't help but smile at my favorite beer drinking time of year.  Sure spring and summer have their light bodied, bright-tasting brews and winter (that old curmudgeon!) has his thick, dark, brooding beers...but fall...fall offers a panoply--nay, a veritable cornucopia--of brews that are unique to this very special time of year.

 Many of you, I'm sure, have heard of "Oktoberfest" beers.  If you've ever ordered them from a beer menu at a well-stocked spot, you might've noticed that the beer style associated with said brews is "Märzen."  In fact, it is the very name of this style that makes Oktoberfest beers so special.  The German name for the month of March is "März" and, unsurprisingly, the beer style has its roots in Bavarian history.  Märzens, unsurprisingly, are beers that are brewed in March and were (historically) stored in mountainside or hillside caves to lager during the coming months.  Large chunks or blocks of ice would be placed inside of the cave to ensure that the temperature would not rise too much thus disrupting the beer-making process.  The beers would be stored inside of the caves until the beginning of autumn when they would then be bottled and released for...you guessed it...Oktoberfest festivals.

Märzens tend to be medium- to full-bodied brews that are extremely malty, often leaving a somewhat sticky, lingering mouthfeel despite enjoying a smooth, clean finish.  Most tend to be amber to dark brown although there are a few lighter-colored ones.  The flavor is unique to the style although there are other similar styles that will call themselves "Oktoberfest" beers despite being something completely different, usually American Amber / Red Ales or some of the milder brown ales.  My experience has been that American-made Märzens have a very different flavor profile (though still quite malty) than their German and other European counterparts.  My palette enjoys the American Oktoberfest beers more but that's just me.

John Harvard's Pumpkin Spice Ale--one of my all-time faves!

As great as the Märzen style is, it's not for everyone.  Fortunately, a number other types of beer are brewed specifically for the autumnal season, including harvest ales and the ever-popular pumpkin ales.  The harvest ale umbrella seems to comprise mostly Extra Special / Strong Bitter beers (or ESBs) as well as American / English Brown Ales.  They are often lighter-bodied, have strong spice notes, and are of varying maltiness.  These beers tend to be hit-or-miss depending upon your palette. 

Pumpkin ales, despite using pumpkin as their main ingredient, vary greatly in flavor and composition from one brewer to the next.  By far, most, if not all of the pumpkin ales you will find will be brewed in the United States, and will be distributed beginning in late August through November (though most offerings will be long gone by then).  Many people who say that they do not enjoy beer (or "that beer taste") tend to enjoy pumpkin ales (unless, of course, they hate the taste of pumpkin as well!).  For many female drinkers, pumpkin ales offer a great gateway into the world of beer--more so than the innumerable fruit beers that tend to be marketed specifically for that gender.  Those strawberry/cherry/blueberry/etc. flavored brews are often extremely heavy on their respective fruit flavors and thus mute the "beer" essence...but they are often so far removed from the typical beer flavor profile that they do not always serve as a catalyst or inspiration for further beer exploration.

In contrast to the ubiquitous fruit brews available on the market, pumpkin ales are specific to the autumn months and offer a variety of unique flavor options.  Pictured above is a pint of John Harvard's Pumpkin Spice Ale.  This is arguably one of the most popular brews the chain makes and it is almost a unanimous hit with female drinkers.  In fact, I was introduced to John Harvard's through two female friends because of this beer.  Neither are die-hard beer drinkers and yet both praised this particular brew to an incredible degree.  My wife (who, at the time, loathed beer) fell in love with the beer immediately and, given her October birthday, a trip to John Harvard's in Lake Grove, NY has become an annual tradition (as has the purchase of a growler or two to take home!)

What makes the John Harvard's pumpkin ale so special is not so much the beer itself (which is a very good pumpkin ale in its own right) but rather the way it is served.  Pints come rimmed with their trademark cinnamon spice sugar.  In essence, it's almost like a margarita or martini with beer instead of spirits. When consumed this way, the beer is enhanced by the sugar, which sweetens it and brings to life the numerous spice notes that are hidden within its dark chestnut depths.  The only problem arises when the beer is left to sit for too long.  When it warms it loses much of its drinkability...but, then again, few people let their pints sit long enough for that to happen!

A bottle of Pumking with my Southern Tier brew-inspired Jack O'Lantern

Although the best way to enjoy a pumpkin ale is on draft, many are offered in bottles ranging from the standard twelve ounce to the larger twenty-two ounce size.  The photo to the left depicts my all-time favorite bottled pumpkin ale: Southern Tier's Pumking.  This particular brew has very strong spice notes that include a nose full of nutmeg, cinnamon, graham cracker, and allspice among others; it tastes as close to a liquid pumpkin pie as you'll find!  This might or might not appeal to you and thus the beauty of the pumpkin ale style is revealed: there's something for everyone.  The trick is simply to find one that best suits your palette.

Before I close with a list of the autumn/Oktoberfest/pumpkin beers that I've tried, I'd like to suggest to everyone reading that you take advantage of this unique beer season.  Go out to your local beer store and seek out a few of the available fall beers (at least a couple of different Oktoberfest and pumpkin brews).  You can conduct a beer tasting in conjunction with enjoying your favorite fall foods.  Most if not all pair well with traditional Thanksgiving fare like turkey and sweet potatoes and serve as the perfect complements to sticky pecan and shoo-fly pies.  If you're on the fence about diving into the world of beer, then you could not ask for a better opportunity than now to leap in.  These beers are not hoppy (a big issue among beer neophytes) nor are they overly dark or light (also considerations that impact a person's decision to imbibe); if Goldilocks were laboring over which brews to consume, she would undoubtedly pick these!

OKTOBERFEST BEER
High Point Brewing Company Ramstein Oktoberfest 6.00% A+ Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) Samuel Adams Octoberfest 5.30% A John Harvard's Brew House Oktoberfest 5.00% A- Stoudts Brewing Co. Oktoberfest 5.00% A- Privatbrauerei Franz Inselkammer KG / Brauerei Aying Ayinger Oktober Fest-Märzen 5.80% B Blue Point Brewing Company Blue Point Oktoberfest 5.50% B Flying Dog Brewery Dogtoberfest 5.30% B Victory Brewing Company Festbier 5.60% B Hacker-Pschorr Bräu GmbH Oktoberfest-Märzen 5.80% B Water Street Brewery Old World Oktoberfest B Würzburger Hofbräu AG Würzburger Oktoberfest B Staatliches Hofbräuhaus (Hofbräu München) Hofbräu Oktoberfestbier 6.30% B- Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu Spaten Oktoberfestbier Ur-Märzen 5.90% B- Lancaster Brewing Company Fest Beer 5.50% B+ Milwaukee Brewing Company Hoptoberfest 6.00% B+ Great Divide Brewing Company Hoss 6.20% B+ Flying Fish Brewing Company OktoberFish 5.50% B+ Thomas Hooker Ales & Lagers Thomas Hooker Octoberfest Lager 6.10% B+ Brooklyn Brewery Brooklyn Oktoberfest Beer 5.50% C Matt Brewing Company Saranac Octoberfest 5.40% C Sly Fox Brewing Company Oktoberfest 5.80% C- Capital Brewery Fest (Summer Fest) 5.60% C+
HARVEST ALES / AUTUMN BEERS
John Harvard's Brew House The Anti-Spice A 16 Mile Brewing Company Harvest Ale A- Goose Island Beer Co. Harvest Ale 5.60% A- Magic Hat Brewing Company Hex (Ourtoberfest) 5.40% A- Abita Brewing Co. Pecan Harvest Ale 5.00% B Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Autumn Fest 5.40% B+ Southern Tier Brewing Company Harvest Seasonal Special Ale 6.40% B+ Lakefront Brewery, Inc. Organic ESB 5.42% B+ Cricket Hill Brewing Co. Fall Festivus 5.10% C+ Capital Brewery Rustic Ale 4.50% C+
PUMPKIN ALES
John Harvard's Brew House Pumpkin Spice Ale 4.80% A++ Southern Tier Brewing Company Pumking 8.80% A+ Saint Louis Brewery / Schlafly Tap Room Schlafly Pumpkin Ale 8.00% A+ Bethlehem Brew Works Devious Imperial Pumpkin 9.00% A Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale 7.00% A Uinta Brewing Company Punk'n Ale 4.00% A Smuttynose Brewing Company Pumpkin Ale 6.00% A- Blue Point Brewing Company Blue Point Mother Pumpkin Ale 6.00% B Buffalo Bill's Brewery Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale 5.20% B- River Horse Brewing Co. Hipp-O-Lantern 9.00% B- Heartland Brewery Heartland Brewery Smiling Pumpkin Ale 5.75% B+ Weyerbacher Brewing Co. Imperial Pumpkin Ale 8.00% B+ Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale 5.70% B+ Otter Creek Brewing / Wolaver's Wolaver's Will Stevens' Pumpkin Ale 5.35% B+ Matt Brewing Company Saranac Pumpkin Ale 5.40% C
The Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is the closet thing that you will find in bottled form to the John Harvard's offering.  The Southern Tier Pumking, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, and Uinta Punk'n Ale are among the ones with the highest concentration of pumpkin pie spice flavors more so than a typical pumpkin one.  Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale still remains one of the most balanced of the bunch so if you're looking for a smooth entry into the realm of fall beers, you couldn't ask for a better starting point!
Prosit!
--Beer Whisperer Matt