It’s Halloween and time for my favorite types of beer – Pumpkin! Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale packs in flavors of pumpkin, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. Rich, with sweet malt balanced with spices. Time magazine rated it one of “8 Great Pumpkin Beers for Halloween.”

A little back history to pumpkin ale – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin are all said to have brewed beer from pumpkins. But since they didn’t have a fermenting source like barley, colonists used pumpkin, parsnips, molasses, squash, corn, and apples. But really pumpkin beer became in vogue again in the 1990’s when craft brewers started to experiment.

When ever I say the name Schlafly, I remember the first time I saw the beer on tap in a local bar I pronounced it as “Schla-fly” – as in fly away – ha! Schlafly, which is owned by Thomas Schlafly and Dan Kopman, is the largest St. Louis owned brewery and first opened its doors in 1991. They now operate two locations in St. Louis and bottle and distribute around 42,000 barrels of Schlafly beer annually.

Appearance:
As you can see in the above photo, this beer has a beautiful copper amber color to it.

Smell:
One thing I love about pumpkin beer is the smells of harvest. First I smelled caramel, followed by smells of pumpkin pie – cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.

Taste:
This beer is rich with flavors of pumpkin, caramel, sweet malt and balanced with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. This beer is right up my alley, as it tends to lean towards a little spiciness, similar to my favorite Chai tea and Shiraz wine.

Drinkability:
Very drinkable and one my favorite Pumpkin beers.  I bought this at Randall’s Wine and Spirits and one of the sales guys told me the Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is their most popular mainstream pumpkin ale. I would definitely recommend this to go along with all your fall favorites, like acorn or butternut squash. Also, if you are enjoying this out and about make sure you realize this has 8% ABV. Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale is 240 calories and is so filling, it’s a meal in itself.

One last note – the quote on the front of the label made me chuckle:

I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion – Henry David Thoreau

Created: August 21, 2012
Style: American Brown Ale
Producer: Schlafly
Price: $9.99
Produced and Bottled: St. Louis, Missouri
Alcohol by Volume: 8%
Bottle or Tap: Bottle, 750mL
Website: Schlafly

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