A seasonal beer known as "pumpkin beer" has pumpkin or pumpkin pie spice flavours. It is released every year in the fall and is well-liked by American craft brewers. It also appeals to drinkers who acquire a thirst for all things pumpkin spice in the fall. Though pumpkin stouts, IPAs, lagers, and radlers can be found, pumpkin ales predominate in this category. Pumpkin beers can be malty-sweet, bitter, or spicy, and range in colour from pale to very dark. They can also be light sessionable brews or robust imperials. With all of this variety, pumpkin beers provide a wide range of flavours for beer drinkers who enjoy pumpkin.
Although it has a seasonal name, Oktoberfest is nothing like pumpkin beer. Oktoberfest is a classic German lager that was first manufactured in March and distributed in October. It is also known as marzenbier, or March beer. The amber-colored beverage has been around since the late 1800s, is currently offered throughout the year, and is prepared without the addition of flavourings. Instead, bottom-fermenting lager yeast and a particular combination of hops are used to make Oktoberfest, which results in a sweet, crisp beer that is ideal for the fall season.
Pumpkin beer, on the other hand, can be any type of beer; ales are the most popular and have a tendency to be bitter and sweet with hops. Although each brewer takes a different technique, adjuncts are how all pumpkin beers receive their flavour. Some employ genuine pumpkin in the brewing process, either roasted or as a purée, while others don't. In any case, as the winter squash does not have much flavour on its own, the majority of pumpkin beers contain a blend of baking spices normally found in pumpkin pie, such as cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice. A few pumpkin beers are aged in barrels and some have additional flavours like molasses, orange vanilla, coffee, or hot peppers.
Technically speaking, the adjuncts used to flavour pumpkin beer would classify it as either a fruit beer (when it contains pumpkin) or a spiced beer (when spices are used alone). Both categories may apply to recipes that contain both pumpkin and spices. Pumpkin beer is nothing new, say historians. Because they could not afford to import goods from Europe, American colonists made the first batch of beer using pumpkins, molasses, bran, and maize malt. As soon as actual beer was created in the US, it mostly vanished into history. Craft brewers have loved it as a go-to seasonal beer since the 1980s.
Serving
Don't confine these to the bottle because pumpkin beers often have an alluring orange or amber colour from the adjuncts. They deserve a glass since they are stunning beers to look at. Bulb-shaped beer glasses will capture and intensify the warming aromas of the beer and enhance the drinking experience. Pour the beer into the glass at a 45-degree angle, then tilt it back up as it fills to achieve the ideal ratio of foamy head to beer.
Pumpkin beer should be served according to specific style recommendations. Any of the pumpkin ales, for instance, tastes best when served in stemmed tulip glasses at cellar temps (50 to 55 F). In a nonic pint glass, any pumpkin ale will taste wonderful, especially dark stouts and porters. Pour pumpkin lagers and shandies into steins or pint glasses after they have chilled.