JOE SIXPACK'S BEER TIPS
Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale
Southern Tier Brewing – Lakewood, N.Y.
Style: Pumpkin beer
Serving temperature: 41˚F
Alcohol content: 9% abv
Snuggled into the furthest southwestern corner of New York state in lush Chautauqua County, Southern Tier Brewing took a tentative baby step when it fired up its brew kettles for the first time in 2004. Maybe it was doubt over its potential marketplace, or perhaps a nod to the light, crisp wines that are produced in this grape region. Whatever, its first two flagship brands were a pilsner and a mild ale.
They were, the brewery openly acknowledges, “a flop.”
Southern Tier dumped the light stuff and began focusing on distinctive ales with an edge: an imperial pale ale, a heavy-duty hefeweizen, a crème brulee-flavored stout. And a knee-buckling imperial pumpkin ale that drops into your glass like a jack-o-lantern on steroids.
-Joe Sixpack
Serving temperature: 41˚F
Alcohol content: 9% abv
Snuggled into the furthest southwestern corner of New York state in lush Chautauqua County, Southern Tier Brewing took a tentative baby step when it fired up its brew kettles for the first time in 2004. Maybe it was doubt over its potential marketplace, or perhaps a nod to the light, crisp wines that are produced in this grape region. Whatever, its first two flagship brands were a pilsner and a mild ale.
They were, the brewery openly acknowledges, “a flop.”
Southern Tier dumped the light stuff and began focusing on distinctive ales with an edge: an imperial pale ale, a heavy-duty hefeweizen, a crème brulee-flavored stout. And a knee-buckling imperial pumpkin ale that drops into your glass like a jack-o-lantern on steroids.
Like most varieties these days, Pumking gets much of its flavor not from the pumpkin itself (for the fleshy squash is fairly characterless) but from the spices that might go into traditional pumpkin pie.
Flip off the cap, and big spicy aromas – cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, baked pie crust – rise and suggest it’s time for dessert. It would be the ideal final course to a traditional holiday dinner at Grandma’s house… if Grandma is the type of broad who’s known for stealing an occasional swig from her pantry’s bottle of 70 proof vanilla extract.-Joe Sixpack
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