Wolf's Ridge Brewing - Pumpkin Spice Daybreak Cream Ale

NINE DAYS into October and not ONE pumpkin beer review!? How could I have let this happen? It's way past time to right this wrong!

Every October, I like to pick up a few six packs of whatever seasonal pumpkin beer is on the local grocer's shelves, bring them home and sample them, and then write a detailed review, based on my highly scientific Drunken Jackos Rating Scale. So let's get to it!

First up is Wolf's Ridge Brewing's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak Cream Ale. This is another small brewery out of Columbus, Ohio, so I'm not sure how far out this one is available.

I initially grabbed this six-pack due to it being a Cream Ale, something new and unique to the usual pumpkin beer market. And on first pour I was a bit surprised by the light golden hue capped off by a classic, thick cream ale head, with only a slight earthy, vegetal note.

On first taste, there was a very creamy and smooth texture with the same nutty, vegetal flavor with a strong dry, vanilla coffee flavor that lingered across the tongue after.

Unfortunately, that coffee aftertaste covered any pumpkin or sweet cinnamon flavor described on the can, and overall felt more like I was drinking a milk stout. 

I really don't think this one hits the October pumpkin target, but the silver lining is that I am going to sit on these for a month or two. I think this will make an excellent beer for Thanksgiving and into early winter.

And because of that, Wolf's Ridge Brewing's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak Cream Ale gets 2 out of 5 Drunken Jackos. This one is still recommended, even if only after the Halloween season!

Tröegs Brewing - Master Of Pumpkins Ale

FIFTEEN DAYS into October and not ONE pumpkin beer review!? How could I have let this happen? It's way past time to right this wrong!

Every October, I like to pick up a few six packs of whatever seasonal pumpkin beer is on the local grocer's shelves, bring them home and sample them, and then write a highly-scientific and accurate review, based on my highly scientific Drunken Jackos Rating Scale. So let's get to it!

First up is Troegs Brewing's Master of Pumpkins. I actually reviewed this 7.5% ABV limited seasonal pumpkin ale a couple of times in years past, but it's a treat to find on the shelf and has always ranked pretty high, so I immediately grabbed a 4-pack for the fridge.

Upon cracking the 16-ounce "tallboy" can open, the beer poured a nice rich copper hue with an earthy, nutty, and slight cinnamon-sweet note, all capped with a firm, foamy head.

On first taste, there was a slightly malty, dry, roasted nut spice flavor. But it was smooth and balanced, not at all overpowering.

As I continued to drink this beer, the flavors opened up a bit, releasing the dry maltiness and leaving a smoother, toasted nut flavor. 

It definitely sits on the opposite side of the pumpkin ale spectrum to the cinnamon-sweet, pumpkin pie-flavored ales. There's no real sweetness here, but it does have a really great earthy flavor (all those Pennsylvania pumpkins!), making this a perfect beer to drink on a chilly October night.

And because this beer really nails that "from the earth" nut flavor and remains very drinkable throughout, Troegs' Master of Pumpkins gets 4 out of 5 Drunken Jackos. This one is highly recommended!

  

Tröegs Brewing - Master Of Pumpkins Ale

Here we are at the last week of October, and I haven't done one single pumpkin beer review on the dreaded Drunken Jackos scale yet. Three full weeks gone by!

Truth be told, I have been battling a lingering head cold for the past couple of weeks, so an accurate review wouldn't have been possible. And I don't want to cheat any brewery out of a fair and accurate review! So after an unfortunate delay, it's finally time to dive in...

First up is Troegs Brewing's Master of Pumpkins. Now I actually reviewed this limited seasonal pumpkin ale back in 2019, but it's a treat to find on the shelf, so I immediately grabbed a 4-pack for the fridge.

This year's beer came in a 4-pack of 16-ounce cans, as opposed to the corked big bottle from a few years prior. Upon cracking it open, the beer poured a nice rich copper hue with an earthy, nutty, and slight cinnamon-sweet note, all capped with a firm, foamy head.

On first taste, there was a slightly malty, dry, roasted nut spice flavor. But it was smooth and balanced, not at all overpowering.

As I continued to drink this beer, the flavors opened up a bit, releasing the dry maltiness and leaving a smoother, toasted nut flavor. 

It definitely sits on the opposite side of the pumpkin ale spectrum to the cinnamon-sweet, pumpkin pie-flavored ales. There's no real sweetness here, but it does have a really great earthy flavor, making this a perfect beer to drink on a chilly October night.

And because this beer really nails that "from the earth" nutflavor and remains very drinkable throughout, Troegs' Master of Pumpkins gets 4 out of 5 Drunken Jackos.

I highly recommend this one, especially as we head into the waning days of Autumn. It might not be easy to find on your local store shelf, but getting some would be a welcome October treat.

  

Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery

I'm sitting at the Cemetery tonight with Weather Warning alarms going off on my phone and the town's tornado siren blaring loudly.

If this is where it ends for me, I would die a happy haunter going down with a Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery in my hand...

Leave it up to our neighbors to the north to come up with something so crazy, yet so, so good! This Imperial monster rolls in at a whopping 10% ABV, but don't let that deter you!

The beer pours a nice hazy, rich copper color with a firm, thick head. And the first scent upon pouring is incredible. A wonderful, fragrant combination of a Cinnamon Red Hot candy and an earthy cinnamon stick. And somehow, it gets even better from there.

This is easily one of the most complex pumpkin beers I've ever tried. The smooth, almost creamy beer starts off with a nice sweet pumpkin flavor that somehow rolls into a graham cracker/almost cocoa-like middle, before finishing off with a slightly dry, nutty aftertaste. After the slight nutty flavor subsides, you're left with a wonderful kiss of sweetness to finish off an absolutely delicious pumpkin ale.

And I don't even need to go into the amazing can art. Just be sure to admire it while enjoying what is contained inside.

At this point, it is fairly obvious that Paranormal Imperial Pumpkin Ale from Flying Monkeys Craft Brewery gets a perfect 5-out-of-5 on the Drunken Jackos rating scale. So much flavor in one can and not one note of it is off. This really is one of the best pumpkin ales I have ever tried.

Paranormal Is Weird. But I want more!

If you can find this Canadian masterpiece, PLEASE do yourself a favor and bring it home. You won't regret it!!

The weather warnings have now stopped, the sirens have gone silent, and I'm still alive. So that means I'm headed back out to the local grocery store to see if I can find one more 4-pack of Paranormal...

Enjoy!

  

Season Of The Pumpkin Ales

Each year, the much-anticipated pumpkin beers seem to start appearing on our local grocery store shelves a bit earlier. This year, it was mid-August...

As a self-confessed beer afficionado (snob), I have a rigid rule about my pumpkin beers in that I absolutely will not begin drinking any before September 1. The delicious pumpkin, cinnamon and spice flavors just don't taste right until you sip them on a cool evening, evoking thoughts of the crispness of the approaching Fall season.

So as soon as the calendar switched to September, I could hold out no longer and made my way to the waiting store shelves full of new and classic pumpkin beers. I perused the ever-growing selection to choose from, making mental notes on which beers have yet to face our annual "Drunken Jackos Rating Scale," a HIGHLY scientific pumpkin beer review and ranking system.

I've had many a pumpkin beer face the Drunken Jackos Rating Scale throughout the years, but one of my all-time favorites continues to be Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale. So it was the obvious choice to initiate this year's pumpkin beer season. Upon it's original review, Punkin Ale received an outstanding "4.5 out of 5 Drunken Jackos," and upon first taste now I believe it still holds up. A truly delicious way to start the season!

Be sure to check back soon, as I already have a fridge full of new pumpkin beers lined up, ready to face the dreaded Drunken Jackos Rating Scale. And as we count down the days until All Hallow's Eve, I'll be popping the caps and giving reviews from a beer-snob-slash-Halloween-fiend's point of view. Cheers, my fellow pumpkin heads!

  

Haunted Overload, 2016

This past weekend, Mrs. Highbury and I snuck away for a mid-October weekend trip to Salem, Massachusetts (more on that coming soon!). We couldn't think of a better place to go to celebrate all things Halloween. And while we were in the planning stages for the trip, a strange thought popped into my head: how far was it from Salem to Lee, New Hampshire?

A quick check on Google Maps revealed that it was only an hour's drive. BINGO. We're going!!

I was about to make the journey that would enable me to cross off the absolute number one on my haunt bucket list... Haunted Overload.

After spending the morning roaming the streets (and cemeteries) of Salem, we hopped into our rental car and headed north. Lee was just over an hour away and the trip felt like three hours, due to my haunt-induced giddiness. I had seen the photos and videos, watched The Great Halloween Fright Fight, and listened to owner Eric Lowther intently when he was on an episode of Haunters Hangout. I was ready.

When we arrived at the DeMeritt Hill Apple Farm, I sprang from the car with camera in hand. Of course, photography was prohibited past the cue line, but I snapped what I could...

It was all there. The giant timber skulls, the giant jack-o-lanterns, the giant train, the giant house, the giant pumpkin figures and the brand new giant circus tent. I could barely contain my excitement as we made our way through the haunt. Without a doubt, this was the greatest haunted attraction that I had ever been through (for the haunt bucket list record, I had been through the original House of Shock in New Orleans, so Netherworld, The Dent Schoolhouse and the 13th Gate now top my list). The warm and calm weather even made the fog settle ominously throughout the entire haunt, giving it an added sense of unsettling creepiness. It was perfect. Every scene was richly staged with absolutely gorgeous lighting. The atmosphere for each scene was off the charts. It was unlike other haunts, which relied on actor-based scares. I could have walked that haunt for hours...

After finishing the haunt, I was completely blown away. It really was a feast for the eyes and had such a different feel from other haunts that I had been to. Everything was built on such an immense scale and the attention to detail was incredible. As someone who is a home haunter, I really appreciated the care that was given to every inch of this haunt.

As we walked back to the car, Mrs. Highbury and I only half-joked about getting back in line and going through it again. It really was that good. I don't want to give away too much more, because I want everyone to go experience this haunt for themselves. Haunted Overload deservedly sat at number one on my haunt bucket list, and after grabbing an Overload t-shirt and a surprisingly delicious, homemade Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Covered Twinkie, I was the happiest man in Lee...

Haunted Overload 2016 Time Lapse Trailer from Artifact Images on Vimeo.

Red Hook - Out Of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter

Up next to face the dreaded Drunken Jackos pumpkin beer rating scale is Red Hook Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter. I'm always looking for pumpkin beers that break out of the usual color and flavor, and this pumpkin porter caught my attention straight away...

The first thing that caught my attention was Red Hook's cool "squatty bottle." 12 standard ounces in a compact size. Nice. The next thing was the thick, rich, dark beer that poured from it. In looking as this opaque brown beer, you immediately knew it was a porter (a nice change of pace from the standard copper colored pumpkin beers). 

Upon pouring, the beer had only a slight note of sweet maple that was also present in the taste. There was only the slightest hint of any spice or pumpkin flavor, but it ended with a nice dry, malty, chocolate coffee porter aftertaste. 

Overall, it was more reminiscent of a straight porter, but the maple flavor added a nice seasonal twist. And because of that, Red Hook's Out of Your Gourd Pumpkin Porter receives 3 out of 5 Drunken Jackos!

  

DuClaw Brewing - 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager

The pumpkin beers are out in force and it's time to once again rate a few in my highly scientific Drunken Jackos rating scale. Every Halloween season, I grab any new pumpkin beer that hasn't been rated in previous seasons, pop the cap and see how it stacks up.

DuClaw Brewing's 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager is the first pumpkin lager I have ever tasted, and I was excited to try it out. I was interested to see how much pumpkin could be blended into a lager style beer...

Upon first pour, I was surprised at the beer's dark copper color. It only had the slightest note of pumpkin, but had a nice spice fragrance. That spiciness was also present in the taste, finishing with a slight malty dryness of nutmeg. While the sweet pumpkin flavor wasn't really noticeable, the great mix of spices made up for it nicely. And even with that, the lager style beer kept it light enough and very drinkable, especially on those busy nights in the garage, hammering away at this year's props.

Because of the lager-styled lightness and drinkability coupled with the complex spice flavors, DuClaw Brewing's 31 Pumpkin Spiced Lager earns 3.5 out of 5 Drunken Jackos.

On a side note, I would really like to sample their 62 Imperial Pumpkin Ale in the near future, because twice as much of a good thing couldn't possibly be bad, right?