{"id":4670,"date":"2013-09-19T18:02:34","date_gmt":"2013-09-20T00:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/?p=4670"},"modified":"2014-11-07T11:08:57","modified_gmt":"2014-11-07T17:08:57","slug":"tap-beer-of-the-week-wolavers-pumpkin-ale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/tombedell\/golf\/lifestyle\/4670\/tap-beer-of-the-week-wolavers-pumpkin-ale","title":{"rendered":"TAP Beer of the Week: Wolaver\u2019s Pumpkin Ale"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ratemypumpkins\"<\/a>I had more or less seriously vowed not to have a pumpkin beer before October 1, my feeling being that this is a time for Oktoberfest beers\u2014it still being September. When October arrives, then I\u2019ll consider having a pumpkin beer.<\/p>\n

I made an exception last night, September 19 [2013], only because of #BeerChat, a weekly endeavor on Twitter, Thursday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern time. Anyone is welcome to join in each week–just use the hashtag #BeerChat with your Tweets and you’re in.<\/p>\n

Last night the guest hosts were @RateMyPumpkins, also found on Facebook and at the ratemypumpkins<\/a> website. Started by two women near Boston, the site appears to have a group of fanatics (obviously) who are plowing through and reviewing 61 pumpkin beers in 61 days, ending appropriately enough on Halloween.<\/p>\n

[For those suffering deja vu<\/em>, I put up this post yesterday to announce the chat, but said I’d return today to revise and expand it.]<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, I went local and picked up a couple of bottles of Wolaver\u2019s Pumpkin Ale. The Vermont brewery claims to have brewed the nation\u2019s first certified organic beers, made with 100% organic malt and hops, and there\u2019s that USDA sticker right on the label.<\/p>\n\"IMG_0303<\/a>\n

This is a pumpkin beer from the spiced school, where a little goes a long way in my opinion. (Actually, one or two pumpkin beers a season is about my speed. Drinking 61 of them is a little scary.)<\/p>\n

The Wolaver\u2019s is an attractively clear, burnt orange beer, with a nice, restrained balance in the spicing. It skews toward clove, and comes off as bright and tasty, not too sweet, lightly peppery, still a pleasing ale instead of merely an ersatz pie. According to their tasting calendar the RateMyPumpkins folks will be having it tomorrow, so I may have to revise the post again after their take is in, unless they see fit to chime in here.<\/p>\n

Benjamin Moore, a beer blogger<\/a> from Maine, started up #BeerChat and still hosts from time to time under his @ActiveBeerGeek guise. But lately he’s been dragooning guest hosts to take over the hour, the usual format to ask a handful of questions around some beery topic. Then whoever is on Twitter and aware at the time can dive in.<\/p>\n

\"Alexandra<\/a>

Alexandra Dietrich<\/p><\/div>\n

It’s not easy to imagine two less likely pumpkin beer fanatics than Nicola Chamberlain and Alexandra Dietrich. Nicola is a molecular and evolutionary biologist working at Boston’s Museum of Science, while Alexandra Dietrich<\/a> is a mezzo-soprano leading what appears to be a busy life of performing and teaching in and around Boston. Nonetheless, this is their second consecutive year of going all-in on pumpkin beers and posting the results.<\/p>\n

They asked six questions last night:
\nQ1: Pumpkin beer is a controversial style – often people LOVE it or HATE it. What about you? Why?<\/em>
\n Q2: PUMPKINGATE – do you wait until a specific date to drink pumpkin beer or do you drink it the second it hits shelves?<\/em>
\n Q3: Are you a sweet or savory pumpkin beer drinker? Do you want a cold pint of pumpkin pie?<\/em>
\n Q4: Do you think pumpkin beer brewers should strive to use fresh pumpkin in the ingredients, or is puree an acceptable substitute?<\/em>
\n Q5: Spices, which do you love or hate in pumpkin beer? Are any over or underused?<\/em>
\n Q6: Southern Tier Pumking claims to be the king. Does anyone “dethrone” the monarch or are you a loyal subject?<\/em><\/p>\n

That actually seems to be nine questions, but what the heck. The last question was asked with something of a drum roll, since the New York brewery’s Imperial Pumking Ale takes the controversial style and doubles down for a deliberately over-the-top brew. Last year it tasted to me like pumpkin pie dosed with a hearty layer of whipped cream. It actually made me laugh in its sheer audacity. But while it’s not a beer I could drink a lot of, I’d have another should I stumble across a bottle this year.<\/p>\n

As might be imagined, answers to the other questions were all over the map, but considering how controversial pumpkin beers can be (they sure got Q1 right!), the ticker tape-like Twitter feed unfurled with as much civility as speed. The two camps actually seemed divided into LOVE and MEH; the haters probably didn’t bother tuning in to begin with.<\/p>\n

Some sent along pictures of their beers–Josh Short @ShortOnBeer displayed his pint glass of Pumking<\/a> with a rim of crushed pumpkin seed and brown sugar. Others talked about homebrew recipes, others made recommendations for their favorites, among them: Anderson Valley Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale, Alaskan Pumpkin Porter, Frog Hollow’s Double Pumpkin, Epic Brewing’s Fermentation Without Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter, Propeller Pumpkin Ale<\/a>, Tyranena Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale, Cape Ann Brewing’s Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout, Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin Ale<\/a>, and plenty more.<\/p>\n

\"wolaver's<\/a>One of last night’s participants was @OnPumpkinBeer, who’s been reviewing pumpkin beers since 2011 on his website<\/a>. He hasn’t gotten around to the Wolaver’s yet this year, but\u00a0gave it a thumbs up in 2012. In a blind tasting over at Boston.com<\/a> four testers put 16 pumpkin beers through the paces this year and selected the Wolaver’s as their top pick.<\/p>\n

Whatever one’s own Great Pumpkin Beer might be, there’s no lack of ’em out in the patch. Have fun with the harvest.<\/p>\n

Name: Pumpkin Ale
\nBrewer: Wolaver\u2019s Organic, Middlebury, Vermont
\nStyle: Organic pumpkin ale
\nABV: 5.8%
\nAvailability: Seasonally, east coast
\nFor More Information: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wolavers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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