Top 5 Pumpkin Beers of 2012

When it comes to pumpkin beer there's just an understanding between beer lovers on what makes it so great. Whether you like the spices of nutmeg and cinnamon that accompany the beer or just the pumpkin flavor itself, there is something that everyone can appreciate about the fine beverage.

This pumpkin beer season many brewing companies offered their latest version of the delectable flavored beer. Over the past couple of months tweaks were made to already great pumpkin beer and there were some newcomers into the mix as well.

Below you will find my list of the top 5 pumpkin beers this year had to offer.

5. Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale - Last year I thought Shipyard's pumpkin beer wasn't that great, but I gave it another chance this year. Pumpkinhead has a great aroma of spices and goes down easily. After enjoying my first bottle I bought a six-pack to share with some friends. It gets bonus points for its label of the Headless Horseman enjoying a beer.

4. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - I didn't even know Dogfish Head had a pumpkin beer until one of my close friends told me. As an avid Dogfish Head lover I had to give it a try. The pumpkin smell is welcoming and includes nutmeg as well as brown sugar. The taste is even better. Definitely a must have pumpkin beer.

3. Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale - Tom's favorite pumpkin beer of 2012. Captain Lawrence's offering has a hint of cinnamon smell and a smooth pumpkin pie flavor. Tom could drink this beer for days straight.

Photo credit: Campfire Brewing

 
2. Southern Tier Pumking - Pumking is the pumpkin beer that both Tom and I can agree is spectacular. We drink pumking whenever we get a chance even if it's available long after Pumpkin Beer Season. It's literally just like liquid pumpkin pie and tastes just as sweet. Every time we drink it we're fighting over who gets the remaining drops left in the bottle.

1. Harpoon's UFO Pumpkin - At the start of pumpkin beer season I did a post on Harpoon's UFO Pumpkin and why I felt it was so great. After trying countless other pumpkin beers this season I still feel the same. UFO Pumpkin is my favorite pumpkin beer two years running and I'm wondering if it can claim a third. 

Now those are my favorites of the year, but what about my least favorite pumpkin beer this year? That award goes to Horny Goat's Brewing Company's Horny Copia Pumpkin Ale.

As mediocre as getting a single green shell as a weapon in Mario Kart

Horny Copia is one of the blandest pumpkin beers I have ever tasted and has nothing going for it. It's like they put no effort into brewing this beer or making it taste good for that matter.

One last thing I wanted to discuss was my favorite hard pumpkin cider. That honor goes to Woodchuck Hard Pumpkin Cider, deliciously sweet and refreshing for two years now. I love this cider and it's a nice change of pace if I'm not in a beer mood, but still want something pumpkin flavored.

 The Lorax's go to drink of the Fall

There you have it; my list of Top 5 Pumpkin Beers of 2012. Do you agree with my list? What pumpkin beers do you love that I might have missed out on? Please let me know in my Facebook comments so I can try some new ones next year!