Guest blog post by Alia Broman

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#3 – Oct 3, 2013: Pumpkinhead Ale by Shipyard Brewing Company (Portland, ME)

Whether from glass bottles, aluminum cans, or decorative gourds mother truckers, I have YET to meet a pumpkin beer that I couldn’t WAIT to try!

Year of conception: 2002

Color: cloudy, golden tan

ABV: 4.7%

Cost: $9.99 + tax for 6-pack of 12oz bottles

Availability: all liquor stores great and small

Description by Shipyard Brewing Co: “A crisp and refreshing wheat ale with hints of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg aromas and flavors.”

Sadly, that sentiment was taken to a spooky grave today by Shipyard’s Pumpkinhead Ale.  While I couldn’t enjoy the aromatics of the Pumpkinhead Ale either from lack of, or seasonal nasal congestion, the spices will certainly clear out your sinuses.  The combination of cinnamon and nutmeg leaves this beer tasting more like a fiery red-hot than warm, sensual pumpkin pie.  And maybe it’s just because “pumpkinhead” is what I used to call my backyard neighbor growing up.  You know, the awkward boy who instead of turning into a swan turns into the co-star of your failed (initially romantic later discovered to be) homosexual male relationships?  Anyway, the point is that this beer is in its awkward tween years and it needs to stop trying so hard to be something it is not, i.e. a PUMPKIN beer.

Pie Pieces: 1 – Rotten