Give thanks for Pumpkinhead Ale

Beer Fever with Weaver: Cure for post-summer beer blues

Magic Hat Circus Boy - ($7.95 for a six-pack at Uncle Tom's Market) As the summer months fade and all eyes turn towards fall, most jovial beer drinkers can only sigh as their beloved summer ales begin to leave the shelves and empty out of taps everywhere. I suffered this exact fate just Tuesday night at Sea Dog, when the bartender could offer me only a Red Ale rather than my usual Summer Wheat. Instead of fits of rage and bouts of profanity, I offered him a simple smile and a $5 bill.

Beer Fever with Weaver: No wizardry in Magic Hole I.P.A.

Kennebec River Brewery Magic Hole I.P.A: $7.99 for a six-pack at Hannaford. As I scoured rack after mouthwatering rack for this week's beer of choice, an enticing label caught my eye. Most of the time, an interesting logo, bottle, or packaging is all it takes to pique my interest. Hell, I'll try anything once. When the label happens to feature a fearless rafting group heading into a huge swell beneath a snow-capped mountain and a grinning sun with arms pointing at a mug of heady amber ale, well, I'm as good as sold. Couple the label with the location of the beer's manufacturer?Kennebec River Brewery?and you've got yourself the potential for a great new local beer. Now, if only the beer tasted as good as its packaging looked...

Beer Fever with Weaver

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

Alex Weaver

Columnist

September 15, 2006

Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale:

$7.99 for a six-pack at Hannaford

Last Thanksgiving, I had the unique pleasure of visiting my girlfriend in Prague, where we were treated to an incredible traditional Thanksgiving spread complete with an enormous turkey and all the fixings. Surprisingly enough, however, it was not the food that made this Thanksgiving so distinctive and unforgettable?it was the beer.

You see, we were not squeezed into a family member's living room, waiting patiently in the buffet line as infant cousins were enticed with flying vegetables and voracious uncles helped themselves to half the turkey. Instead, we were seated comfortably in the basement of a Czech brewery.

Here the turkey was as plentiful as the beer. Let me remind you, we were in a brewery. Oh, and I forgot to mention: Czech beer is by far the most incredible tasting (not to mention the cheapest) beer I have ever tasted in my life.

Perhaps it was because my taste buds were performing a euphoric synchronized swimming routine in my mouth, or maybe it was because my waiter was intent on offering me two of every beer on the menu (and I was intent on obliging), but whatever the case, the beer I drank that day fit perfectly with the meal and flooded my senses with everything autumn, familial, and delicious.

I tell you this not to practice my travel guide spiel, but instead to provide some words of comfort. Like me, you may have a long buffet line in your Thanksgiving future, but you can go armed with a delicious seasonal ale. Once again, I have found a beer that meshes perfectly with the drop in temperature, the costume-clad masquerading, and the turning of leaves. Friends, I give you a spice/herb/vegetable elixir that goes by the name of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale.

To clarify, ale is a category of alcoholic beverage brewed from a combination of hops and barley malt where the yeast rises to the top of the fermentation tank rather than falling to the bottom, as with beer. Ale is typically stronger and more bitter than beer.

The first thing to notice about Pumpkinhead is the killer label. Instead of a lame logo or a picture of some dude, Pumpkinhead is embossed with the image of the headless horseman riding his stallion with a pumpkin sitting atop his shoulders and a full beer in his upraised hand (I tried this on my bike. Not easy). Awesome, I know. Now pick your jaw up off the floor and let's move on to the taste.

Unlike most other pumpkin ales, most notably that of Sea Dog's, which begin bitter and ease you into a watery pumpkin flavor, Shipyard Pumpkinhead boasts a clean, smooth pumpkin taste right away and finishes off with an aftertaste of cinnamon and nutmeg. It is full in body, taste, and aroma.

Again, my trusty beer tasters all seemed to agree. Sweet and sensitive roommate Ted Upton noted that his first dainty sip reminded him of "fall spices." Other roommate Eric Gutierrez, who consistently lets his stomach do the talking, added, "It makes me want a huge turkey dinner," and it tastes like "leftover pumpkin pie."

Interestingly enough, however, two of Pumpkinhead's best qualities?full body and flavor?also provide the source for my only complaint: Pumpkinhead is not only quite filling, but the taste also becomes somewhat overwhelming after your second or third go.

Now I don't expect that most Bowdoin students are rushing out for some Shipyard to get the party started. Still others, like my proctor group prodigy Lauren Huber explained to me over a drink last night: "I like my pumpkin pie in triangle form."

In the end, Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale boasts a delicious aroma and a superb taste. So grab a sixer and watch the leaves turn with a loved one. Sip on some over Thanksgiving dinner. Hell, hand them out to the kids at Halloween for all I care (just kidding). But bear in mind that old eye-rolling adage of middle school DARE programs everywhere: Only drink (Pumpkinhead) in moderation.

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