Pumpkin Beer Challenge (?)

If you’ve been to an LCBO this Fall, you might have noticed the exactly 8000 different pumpkin spice ales available. Pumpkin is pretty good, so why not I guess.

Well, honestly, I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin spice beer. Not so much because it overpowers the beer (which it often does), but mainly I just find that without the right balance, it doesn’t taste that good. So perhaps not the best person to review.

However, in an effort to discern amongst the many options, I decided to pick up three OCB offerings to give them a try: Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale, Highballer Pumpkin Ale and Black Creek Pumpkin Ale.

Here’s some brief notes.

Black Creek Pumpkin Ale

Brewer: Black Creek Historic Brewery, Toronto

Price/Volume: $3.95/ 500 ml

Alcohol: 5.0%

Pretty nicely spiced and sweet, a little flat. Goes down easy if your into that sort of thing.

Highballer Pumpkin Ale

Brewer: Grand River Brewing, Cambridge Ontario

Price/Volume: $3.95/500 ml

Alcohol: 5.2%

More crisp with a pretty serious kick of pumpkin. A little hard to drink the full quantity for a pumpkin-hater like me.

Great Lakes Pumpkin Ale

Brewer: Great Lakes Brewing, Toronto

Price/Volume: $4.95/650 ml

Alcohol: 5.5%

The winner of the bunch. You get the pumpkin, but it comes through as a beer made to drink. Well done.

The season is nearing an end but there still seems to be plenty of interesting pumpkin beers showing up at LCBO’s, worth a shot if only for the novelty.

Note: The Southern Tier Pumpking is a  good option if you’re looking for a beer that tastes like liquid pumpkin pie.