Wow! It is the end of October already! This year is sure is flying by. That means I need to really get cracking on more BrewSound posts because I'm going for 500 "Likes" on FaceBook by years end. And you folks aren't going to be sharing this if I don't keep it flush with new material. Thanks to everyone who has already "Liked"(125 at time of posting) and shared this blog with their friends or follows via a feed. And thanks to the few that have made some comments and given suggestions for future ideas for BrewSounds. You all are the people that will help make BrewSounds more enjoyable for everyone and more popular with everybody. And don't forget I am on Twitter, too. Tweet up a storm.
Alright. As promised I am doing another segment of Autumn Ears & Beers today. We have covered one Oktoberfest and two Pumpkin Ales. I'm going to make it three Pumpkin Ales today because, well, I love Pumpkin Ale and I'm really starting to get jazzed for Halloween.
Brewery:
Dogfish Head Craft Brewing
Milton, Delaware
Name/Style:
Punkin/Pumpkin Ale
ABV(alcohol by volume):
7%
Dogfish Head is one of the most well respected breweries in the United States for a reason. They make a huge variety of craft brew using a seemingly endless list of ingredients that most people would not even consider putting into beer. From adding tea, to mixing in juices, to aging beer in wine barrels, Dogfish are always pushing the limits of what breweries do with beer recipes.
With their their Fall Seasonal brew, Punkin, they put themselves right at the top for Pumpkin Ales. Not as high in alcohol as the Weyerbacher Imperial pumpkin, but holding it's own at 7% it is still not a beer to mess around with. Appears a crystal clear honey orange when viewed with sunlight behind it. Changes to a more brown-orange in not so direct light. There isn't any haze to the body, but you can see some tiny particulation floating in the middle of the glass. Spice remnants most likely.
The aroma is a little more subdued than other Pumpkin Ales, but it is still very pleasing. Bready pie crust with nutmeg, allspice, brown sugar, pumpkin and malt. Alcohol esters comes through all the spices, too.
I think for me what sets this Pumpkin Ale apart from others is this one seems to have the most pumpkin flavor to it. Other beers tend to be spice-centric, which this one doesn't fall short on by any means, but I can really taste the pumpkin. It carries all the other flavors instead of relying on the spices to convey the pie characteristics. Pumpkin up front followed by a yeasty breadiness and nutmeg and allspice. The malt melds beautifully with the spice and alcohol. Mouth-feel is a little creamy. Fishes with a slight sweetness. The pumpkin flavor remains in the aftertaste. This is the ale by which I measure all Pumpkin Ales. A masterpiece.
Musical Pairing:
Artist:
The White Stripes
Song:
We're Going To Be Friends
Album:
White Blood Cells
The Whites Stripes of Detroit, Michigan are one of the most innovative rockers in the last decade, although the more you know about The White Stripes the more you know Jack White is really just trying to create the emotion of old delta blues in a modern drum and guitar style."We're Going To Be Friends" might be most recognizable as the song used during the intro to the film Napoleon Dynamite. I think we can all agree that Dogfish Punkin and whoever tries it are going to be friends.
