I knew I was going to enjoy the Dogfish Head Brewpub in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware as soon as I walked in. Maybe it was the way everything smelled of mahogany and rich, smoked food. Or, far more likely, maybe because my friend had informed me on the way over that they actually have a peanut butter infused vodka. Whatever the reason, I knew that this would be a perfect place for my first official pumpkin ale of October.
Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale: Described by Dogfish as "A full bodied Brown Ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. %7 ABV" While it's true that the ale does have hints of these flavors, you should have already guessed that "hints" would not be enough for this pumpkin-lover. I mean, come on. I dedicated an entire blog to this flavor. Don't get me wrong, Punkin' Ale has a nice, medium body and is easy to drink. However, I would have enjoyed a little more complexity. Some stronger notes of cinnamon and nutmeg could have given this ale the kick in the gourd it needed (That's right, prepare yourself for a lot more gourd related jokes over the next month. It only comes once a year!) I found myself enjoying Dogfish's Chicory Stout more than Punkin', and the Nutty Caucasian (think of a white Russian except with all the joy and splendor of coffee and most importantly...peanut butter) more than anything in the entire state of Delaware.
All in all, I'm gonna give it a B on the pumpkin ale scale. Drinkable, but nothing to throw a parade for.
Photo by Jeff Sorge
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