Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

This beer arrived on Wegman's shelves to much hype and anticipation. So much so, in fact, that the PumpKing and I traded excitable text messages--like veritable school girls-- for much of an entire evening as we schemed about setting aside a night to spend with Dogfish Head's contribution to the great pumpkin scramble. When the appointed hour arrived, we were practically giddy, despite the fact that we dropped ten bucks for a four-pack. Some background, perhaps, is in order. Earlier in the year I fell head-over-heels, puppy-dog in love with Dogfish's springtime seasonal, Aprihop, a sweet take on their classic IPA formula. Granted, their summer peach beer left a bitter taste in our collective mouths, but both the Pumpking and I harbored fond memories of enjoying Punkin ale last autumn; like the Aprihop, it blended a really good pale ale (rather than say a wheat beer base) with pumpkin flavors and interesting spicing.

Memory can be a tricky, deceptive thing. Contradictory though this will no doubt seem, Dogfish Punkin managed to be simultaneously pleasing and disappointing. The beer itself is a tasty treat, to be sure, and quite an enjoyable drink (which also packs a strong alcoholic wallop at 7.0 ABV). Indeed, both the King and I remarked to the brisk night air that if we were merely seeking a great seasonal beer-- sharply hoppy with a discernible malty, brown-sugar aftertaste-- this would satisfy. Dogfish ranks right up there with Southern Tier's delicious Harvest Ale.

Alas, we are not in the business of reviewing fall beers for their own sake. Dogfish promised (sort of-- see below) to deliver a pumpkin beer, and falls short of that promise. The beer is, above all, a pale ale; the brewer's dedication to perfecting pumpkin flavors clearly places second to that priority, and it shows. As we tasted the brew, swirling the liquid in our glasses, enjoying a fragrant bouquet, and letting the beer linger over our taste buds, we strained and strained to detect a pumpkin taste, but to no avail.

All of which makes this a difficult beer to grade. By itself, it stands as a solid A-/B+; as a pumpkin beer, it leaves something to be desired. We are going to split the difference and award it a B-.


Coda: In fairness, on its website, Dogfish Heads retreats a little from the promise of serving up a full-bore pumpkin product. According to the brewery, their aim was to create "smooth hints of pumpkin." Fair enough, but hints alone fail to impress the Royal Pumpkin Review.