beernesday

my scant notes from yesterday's beer column on cbc radio one's on the coast with stephen quinn: Often released as a fall seasonal, Pumpkin Ales are quite varied. Some brewers opt to add hand-cut pumpkins and drop them in the mash, while others use puree or pumpkin flavouring. These beers also tend to be spiced with pumpkin pie spices, like: ground ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. Pumpkin Ales are typically mild, with little to no bitterness, a malty backbone, with some spice often taking the lead. I brought in 4 examples of local pumpkin ales, all currently available at government liquor stores in 650 ml bombers.   I served them at room temperature so that all of the spice and flavour came out. The beers we sampled were: #1 Phillips Crooked Tooth Plucked from the patch, this Phillips seasonal classic combines fresh pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg with a full-bodied ale. It's a witches brew packed full of fall harvest flavour that, like...

stolen from npr : For The Best Belgian Beer, Go To ... Michigan? by Noah Adams April 18, 2010:   "When The New York Times published a ranking of Belgian-style beer — based on a blind taste test — the top spot went to a golden ale from a small brewery in Michigan. Oro de Calabaza, from Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales in Dexter, Mich., beat out 19 other beers, several of them from — you guessed it — Belgium. The beer is the work of Ron Jeffries, who owns Jolly Pumpkin. He had worked nine years for brew pubs before deciding it was time to start his own brand. And how did he decide on a name like Jolly Pumpkin? After he and his wife brainstormed brand-name ideas, Jeffries says, "The absolutely most ridiculous name on that list was 'jolly pumpkin,' and it made us laugh every time we would say it." The name stuck. And now his Oro de Calabaza is taking top honors."