The Triangle

Issue date: 10/10/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs

The official beer review of The Triangle is back and ready to rock! Each week I'll be ranking different beers from my own personal scale-Suds-o-Meter. Rankings will take into account looks, tastes, smells, inebriation levels, and all that other stuff that makes beer so good (or so bad). Let's talk brewski.

Fall term is finally into full swing and the weather is changing-it's only a matter of time until autumn is officially upon us. With the changing foliage and cooling temperatures, there's no better time for a review of a seasonal favorite: the pumpkin ale. To start this column up, we'll begin with a comparison between a domestic and local microbrewery ale. Get pumped-it's a battle of the pumpkins.

Pumpkin ale, an American-style ale, is seasonal to the fall. Although it's obvious that they contain pumpkin flavors, these ales are brewed with the addition of very distinct tasting spices. Varieties are known to be made with nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar, ground ginger, cloves and all spice. Surprisingly, even with the wide diversity of spices present, pumpkin ales are mild tasting and are easy to enjoy.

The first variety we'll be looking at is the domestic. Harvest Moon, brewed by Blue Moon Brewing Company (Molson Coors), can be found all over the country, which makes it one of the better known pumpkins ales. Each variety and brand is different and it's always possible that this might not be as great as Blue Moon, an enjoyable imitation Höegaarden.

At first glance, it looks pretty good. The orange-gold opaque color is suggestive of the season, but I'd prefer if there was some head so the aromas could be sampled much easier. After shoving my face in the glass, the only distinct smell that I could get was the meat of pumpkin. After the first sip, I felt let down.

All I can say about the taste is that it was like a Coors dressed up in a sexy red dress. Definitely looks good, but once you get to the goods, all you find is a better than normal tasting Coors with an ambiguous and temporary burst of spices. Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad beer; it's just far from anything great. Two-and-a-half suds out of five.

Could the spices and pumpkin flavors I desire be in the micro? Punkin' Ale, brewed by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, is native to Delaware. The brownish orange ale fills the glass, which includes a frothy, pillow layer of head. But before I even tasted it, I knew this beer was the winner of this battle. Holy hops on a stick! Just after pouring it, the aromas fill the air, dance into my nostrils, and are interpreted in my brain as "ballin'!" The smells are complimented and create a very full flavor of a spice banquet. The taste is great as the beer is clearly bodied: pumpkin, good ale with some hops, and finally the "banquet" (nutmeg, brown sugar, and cinnamon each distinguishable) slide down into my stomach. Four suds out of five.

When it comes down to it, these beers were individually priced less than 50 cents apart. In other words, if you're going to drink this style, shell out the extra money and do it right. Until next week, stay responsible and enjoy those bubbles.

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