10 Must Try Pumpkin Beers – East Vs. West

Happy Halloween! It’s one of our favorite holidays here at Brewpublic. And while the kiddies are out going door to door in search of candy, we’re on the hunt for some treats of our own – craft beer. As we’ve stated in the past, autumn is arguably the best for season beers. Fresh hop brews, Oktoberfest-style lagers like Märzens, and perhaps the most signature style of all fall brews – the pumpkin beer.

A few years back, pumpkin beers appeared to be limited to heartily spiced amber ales and were as gimmicky as most fruit beers in the early years of the craft beer revolution. Nowadays, thanks largely to Elysian Brewing’s Great Pumpkin Fest in Seattle, WA, pumpkin beers have transcended to greater heights. There’s even a subcategory in hybrid/mixed styles (field beer or pumpkin beer) used to judge the style by the Brewers Association. This year’s festival marked its eighth return with 68 ales and lagers offered from across the country. We at Brewpublic teamed up with Rogue and the Green Dragon Pub in Portland, OR to throw our second annual KillerPumpkinFest, the second largest of its kind, featured 32 mostly West Coast and Cascadian pumpkin offerings.

As a toast to one of our favorite holidays, Brewpublic has teamed up our brother blog 2 Beer Guys in Massachusetts to bring you each of our top 10 pumpkin beers of 2012. Here’s a look at this East vs. West list of must try pumpkin beers.

Top 10 East Coast Pumpkin Beers by 2 Beer Guys

10. Cisco Pumple Drumpkin
9. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin
8.  Wachusett Pumpkan
7. Post Road Pumpkin Ale
6.Shipyard Pumpkinhead and Smashed Pumpkin
5. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
4. Southern Tier Pumpking
3. Allagash Ghoulship
2. Cambridge Brewing Company Great Pumpkin
1.Cape Ann – Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout

Honorable East Coast Mentions:
Cigar City Good Gourd, DC Brau / Epic Fermentation Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter, Harpoon Pumpkin UFO, Heavy Seas Great Pumpkin Ale, Hopping Frog Double Pumpkin, Jack’s Abby Pumpkin Crop Lager, Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela, Long Trail Pumpkin Ale, Long Trail Imperial Pumpkin, New Holand Ichabod Ale, Redhook Pumpkin Porter, Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale, Samuel Adams Fat Jack Double Pumpkin, Saranac Pumpkin Ale, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Terrapin Pumpkinfest, Wachusett Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Wolaver’s Organic Pumpkin Ale
Harpoon Pumpkin Cider, Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider

Top 10 West Coast Pumpkin Beers by Brewpublic

10. Laurelwood Stingy Jack
9. Silver Moon Twister Gourd
8.  Fort George Drunken Pumpkin
7.  Elysian Great Pumpkin Ale
6.  Pike Harlot’s Harvest
5.  Walking Man Sass-Squash
4.  Oakshire Big Black Jack Chocolate Pumpkin Imperial Porter
3. Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale
2. Rogue Chatoe Pumpkin Ale
1. Cascade Pumpkin Smash Rum Barrel-aged Sour Ale

Honorable East Coast Mentions:
Elysian Hansel & Gretel Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner, Beer Valley Jackalope, Ninkasi/Elysian Hop Squash IPA, Puyallup River Gourdy, Buckman Botanical Pumpkin Kolsch, Elysian Dark O’ Moon Pumpkin Imperial Stout, Two Beers Pumpkin Spice Ale, 10 Barrel Bobby’s Pumpkin Lager, Rock Bottom (Portland) Headless Horseman, Elysian Mr. Yuk Sour Pumpkin Ale, Stone, The Bruery, and Jolly Pumpkin La Citrueille Celeste de Citracado, Midnight Sun Trickster Pumpkin Belgian Stout, Kern River Brewing Pumpkin Ale, Elysian Steamy Hollow California Common, Hair of the Dog Greg, Fremont Pumpkin B-Bomb, Elliot Bay Kill Bill 3, Russian River Pumpkin Sour,Portland U-Brew Caramelized Vanilla Pumpkin Stout, Ace Pumpkin Cider, Pumpkin Schmunkin

Do you have some favorite Pumpkin beers from your region? Leave a comment and share your pumpkin picks with us! Cheers!