It’s starting to become a tradition for me. As the fall months approach I reach for at least one new fall flavored beer to try out. This year I’ll be drinking two! The first is Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (and yes, that’s how they are spelling pumpkin). The second is Hazelnut Brown Nectar from Rogue Brewing Company. I’m no beer snob and I don’t claim to be a beer expert by any means but I’ll give you my honest impressions of each! I’ll even list a few non-alcoholic beverages you might want to try out to wet your whistle this autumn.
This Year’s Fall Flavored Beers
First up for my review is Doghead Fish Punkin Ale. What a name! It’s no surprise that what attracted me to this pumpkin ale was the humorous artwork. I mean look at those guys! I would love to hear the tunes this band of pumpkins are rocking out to. I’m imagining that this beer is so good that you’ll want to grab a guitar and crank out some serious jams.
Right now I’m interested in any beer from Rogue Brewing Company. Recently I visited the brewery in Newport, Oregon and had such a blast tasting several of their beers. So when I saw Rogue’s Hazelnut Brown Nectar on the shelve of a local grocery store I scooped it right up. Upon first sipping the beer I could definitely taste the flavorful hazelnut. It isn’t overpowering in any way but was nice and easy to drink.
A Few Lighter Halloween Spirits
For those of you that think beer tastes like pee (never understood that connection) I have a few alternatives you can sample this fall. All of these you should be able to find at your local World Market store. The first is Pumpkin Spice Tonic. This carbonated tonic is said to have flavors of spice, pumpkin and cream. Yummy!
The second drink is called Flying Cauldron Butterscotch Beer. Although the name says it’s a beer it’s actually non-alcoholic. I think this is more of a cream soda type. I haven’t tried it myself but it would be wonderful if it tasted remotely like Harry Potter’s Butter Beer! Simply delicious!
Finally I saw Werewolf Howling Ginger Beer on the shelve. I’m not a big fan of ginger beer (although I know it’s used as an ingredient in some more popular mixed drink recipes). However if I was going to drink a ginger beer it might as well be one named Werewolf…my all time favorite monster.
If you want to see a few more weirdly flavored beers read this article on pumpkin ales. Well that’s it for now guys and gals! Let me know if you’ve tasted a good fall flavored beer or know of a Halloween themed carbonated drink the rest of us should try!
I like the labels on those non alcoholic drinks.