Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale

With only two weekends remaining in October, I had to continue my new brew quest with a seasonal beer.  October is a great month, football season is in full swing, baseball playoffs, Halloween and of course a slue of seasonal beers.  Oktoberfest brews dominate the season, but pumpkin beers hold their own.  I have already tried a pumpkin ale this season and loved it, even placing it in my top 10.  So I figure I have one more weekend remaining in October after this one, I can push my Oktoberfest brew to next weekend and go with another hopefully tasty pumpkin ale.

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, termed on the bottle as America's Original Pumpkin Ale, has caught my eye the last few times I have gone to my local store.  Pumpkin beers date back to colonial times here in America.  The colonists were an adventurous bunch that loved their beers.  Some of America's greatest history is rooted over a few brews at the town tavern.  The reason for pumpkin beers is simple, pumpkins are native to America and they were readily available, so our four fathers said: why not drink it? Today's pumpkin ales use mostly pumpkin flavors and spices in their brewing process, it's very rare to find a beer that uses actual pumpkin.  I do have to say, like many things, our founding fathers were onto something good, if done correctly.

I cracked the bottle and instantly smelled Pumpkin and spices.  As I poured the beer into my glass the scent grew even more.  The beer is a dark amber in color and to be honest smells like you could light it as a delightful candle when you have company over.  The smell should have warned me, but I thought maybe this is a good thing.  As I took my first sip I couldn't believe how overwhelming the taste of pumpkin and spices were.  They just over take the beer and your taste buds, but not in a good way.  I instantly had the thought of being a child that just said a curse word to my mother and she stuck a bar of pumpkin soap in my mouth as punishment, that is what this beer tastes like. 

Questions:  Does this beer crack the top ten?  An emphatic NO would be in order here.  I'm not even sure I would purchase this beer again let alone place it among my favorites.  Was it worth the price?  Again, no to this questions as well.  I paid $9.99 for the six pack and as I muscled down my first one I became angry knowing I still had five more in my fridge.  If I could I would take these back for a refund.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, with any flavored beer the brewer must be careful to not overdo it.  It's like a chef that adds to much garlic to a dish.  Garlic is a great thing when used properly and in the right scale to the dish, same thing with pumpkin ales.  Too much of a good thing is not the way to go.  If interested check out www.buffalobillsbrewey.com, they may have something else to offer, but I would not recommend this brew.  My final rating: 1 out of 5.  I'll be tasting pumpkin until Thanksgiving after this beer.

Until the next brew!