Spring Break
Fall features sweet and spicy pumpkin brews
Mike Partel
Issue date: 10/30/09 Section: Arts & Entertainment
Fall has arrived in Philadelphia and with it has come an influx of luminescent gourds, sliced up in all sorts of manners ranging from goofy to ghastly and from inane to inventive. The jack-o'-lantern and its main ingredient, the pumpkin, are quite popular during October and November. Pumpkins, however, are not only for decoration-they also make excellent breads, butters, pies and, of course, beer! This week, I wanted to compare two variations of pumpkin beer. One offering is New Holland Brewing's Ichabod and the other is from the local Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale.
Both of these breweries have been previously covered in this column. New Holland Brewing Co-of Michigan, if you remember-was founded by two college friends who were just really into homebrewing. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, as discussed quite a while ago, is owned by Sam Calagione, a rather eccentric, extreme brewer located in Milton, Del.
The pumpkin ale is a sub-style of the spice/herb/vegetable ale grouping that encompasses any base style beer with a significant flavor and/or aroma component due to spices, herbs or vegetables. These beers are some of the oldest brewed, as hundreds of years ago, hops were not used for flavoring or preservation. Before their introduction, local plants and spices were incorporated to give the fermented malt additional characteristics for longer life, unusual flavors, or efficient use of spare ingredients from daily life. Perhaps as a festive beverage in days gone by, pumpkin was added, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices. Recently, this type of vegetable beer has become exceedingly popular and can only be found this time of year.
Due to the irregularity of the style, it would be best to use the same glass for both beers to ensure a standard comparison point. I grabbed two shakers, popped the caps and poured them both. For clarity's sake, I will explore one beer at a time.
Ichabod, named after the hero of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," pours a pale orange with a tight carbonation. It seems to produce a reasonably sized white head that dissipates quite slowly. The beer itself is surprisingly clear. From the mouth of the glass, I note cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. A small amount of pumpkin follows closely behind. After the head has reduced, I took a sip and noticed a very restrained palate. The spices were pulled back and the pumpkin was oddly negligible. I felt as though the beer itself was thin and watered down. From the nose, I fully expected a stronger assault from the cinnamon and nutmeg, at least. Nonetheless, it went down smoothly and would probably be better with a pie to go alongside it.
Both of these breweries have been previously covered in this column. New Holland Brewing Co-of Michigan, if you remember-was founded by two college friends who were just really into homebrewing. Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, as discussed quite a while ago, is owned by Sam Calagione, a rather eccentric, extreme brewer located in Milton, Del.
The pumpkin ale is a sub-style of the spice/herb/vegetable ale grouping that encompasses any base style beer with a significant flavor and/or aroma component due to spices, herbs or vegetables. These beers are some of the oldest brewed, as hundreds of years ago, hops were not used for flavoring or preservation. Before their introduction, local plants and spices were incorporated to give the fermented malt additional characteristics for longer life, unusual flavors, or efficient use of spare ingredients from daily life. Perhaps as a festive beverage in days gone by, pumpkin was added, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg and other spices. Recently, this type of vegetable beer has become exceedingly popular and can only be found this time of year.
Due to the irregularity of the style, it would be best to use the same glass for both beers to ensure a standard comparison point. I grabbed two shakers, popped the caps and poured them both. For clarity's sake, I will explore one beer at a time.
Ichabod, named after the hero of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," pours a pale orange with a tight carbonation. It seems to produce a reasonably sized white head that dissipates quite slowly. The beer itself is surprisingly clear. From the mouth of the glass, I note cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. A small amount of pumpkin follows closely behind. After the head has reduced, I took a sip and noticed a very restrained palate. The spices were pulled back and the pumpkin was oddly negligible. I felt as though the beer itself was thin and watered down. From the nose, I fully expected a stronger assault from the cinnamon and nutmeg, at least. Nonetheless, it went down smoothly and would probably be better with a pie to go alongside it.
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