It’s decorative gourd season, motherf@^#%*$. That means it’s also time for beer that includes the more edible varieties—pumpkin ales are everywhere.

After three years of tasting every pumpkin beer we could get our hands on—28 that are still commercially available—we’ve learned that there are a lot of bad pumpkin beers out there. Thankfully a handful of breweries have taken the somewhat gimmicky style and created liquid works of art—the perfect blend of fall spices with a hint of pumpkin sweetness. The secret is that pumpkin ales and lagers are really more about the spices—the gourd is usually just there for decoration.

Here, ranked from worst to best, is our Guide to Pumpkin Beer. Let us know which ones we need to add to next year’s tasting in the comments section below.

Note: We’ve updated our guide with seven more beers, including commenter-favorite Schlafly (which was delicious!). See the expanded list below:





City: Milwaukee

ABV: 5.7%

Tastes like: A Pier One scented candle

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: The Halloween frat party

The verdict:: This is everything wrong with pumpkin ales. It tastes more like whoever dreamed up the Bud Light Lime Lime-a-Rita imagines pumpkin beer should taste like.







City: St. Louis

ABV: 5.2%

Tastes like: Budweiser made it.

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: Putting out the fire of your jack-o-lantern

The verdict:: Q: What do American macrobrews and making love in a canoe have in common? A: They’re both f—-ing close to water.







City: Lakewood, N.Y.

ABV: 8.6%

Tastes like: Candy Corn

Pumpkin flavor: Very high

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Handing out to adult trick-or-treaters

The verdict:: This is one of the most divisive beers we’ve come across. Though one of our judges thought this was the best of the bunch, several named it the worst. I guess it depends on whether you like beer that tastes like a bag of candy corn was simply melted into the batch. Even the mouthfeel is a little like drinking a candle. As one of our tasters put it: “You never go full pumpkin.”







City: Boonville, Calif.

ABV: 6%

Tastes like: Pumpkin juice

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: When you’re so thirsty you don’t care what your beer tastes like.

The verdict:: The only real flavor coming through is the pumpkin sweetness, but even that doesn’t hit you very hard in this bland entry from a promising brewery.







City: Portland, Maine

ABV: 5.1%

Tastes like: Cinnamon

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Very high

Perfect for: Making gingerbread men

The verdict:: The lightest colored beer of the bunch has an overpowering cinnamon flavor that overshadows other notes like pumpkin…and beer.







City: Golden, Colo.

ABV: 5.7%

Tastes like: Lemon-ale

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: Fall…in Florida.

The verdict:: Blue Moon’s attempt at a pumpkin ale tastes a lot like you’d expect. Call it a citrus-y pumpkin wheat.







City: Nantucket, Mass.

ABV: 6.88%

Tastes like: A thin spiced beer

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: A bachelor’s version of potpourri

The verdict:: Hops meet spice with very little body or complexity.







City: Portland, Maine

ABV: 9%

Tastes like: Someone spiked the pumpkin ale

Pumpkin flavor: Very high

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: Late-night Halloween pranks

The verdict:: The booziest of the bunch unfortunately wasn’t one of the best. Like Southern Tier, the idea here seems to be Maximum Pumpkin Overdrive and only works if you love pumpkins even more than you love beer.







City: Brooklyn

ABV: 5%

Tastes like: Light pumpkin ale

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Listening to The Fall.

The verdict:: Brewed at one of our favorite breweries, Brooklyn, this one nonetheless left a lot to be desired with several judges complaining of wateriness and one saying “it tastes like pumpkin stem.”







City: Milwaukee, Wis.

ABV: 6%

Tastes like: Drinking Bud out of a hollowed out pumpkin

Pumpkin flavor: Very High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: People who love redundancy

The verdict:: This “lager beer” definitely doesn’t skimp on the pumpkin but that didn’t turn out to be a great thing.







City: Patchogue, N.Y.

ABV: 6%

Tastes like: A solid beer

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: An unseasonably early snowfall.

The verdict:: Last year we were unimpressed by Bluepoint’s pumpkin beer, but it faired a little better this year—either the beer or our tastebuds must have improved.







City: Akron, Ohio

ABV: 8.4%

Tastes like: Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Very high

Perfect for: Spiking the eggnog

The verdict:: The nutmeg hits you before you even take a sip. The spices almost hide the flavor of the pumpkin. Not the best balanced, but undeniably flavorful. It’s the first beer I’ve tasted that begged for a scoop of Cool Whip on top.







City: Salt Lake City

ABV: 4%

Tastes like: Something out of Harry Potter

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Serving at The Three Broomsticks

The verdict:: Very strange flavor that split the jury, with some praising the unique spices and one proclaiming, “I’d only drink this Punk’N if I was more Drunk’N.”







City: Boston

ABV: 5.9%

Tastes like: It just came out of the oven

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: Making sure First Contact is a friendly affair.

The verdict:: This unfiltered ale smells like pumpkin bread with mild but tasty pumpkin and spice notes.







City: Idaho Springs, Colo.

ABV: 5%

Tastes like: Pumpkin pie flambe

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: A late-night campfire

The verdict:: In addition to pumpkin and spices, molasses gives Tommyknocker an almost smoky malt flavor







City: Itterbeek, Belgium

ABV: 4%

Tastes like: Veggie lambic

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: Celebrating The King’s Feast in Belgium (Nov. 15)

The verdict:: This is a lambic without the fruity sweetness. “Sour” and “vegetables” don’t necessarily go together well, though. We prefer the rest of Timmermans line-up to this one.







City: Halethrope, Md.

ABV: 8%

Tastes like: An IPA

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Watching some Charlie Brown

The verdict:: Heavy Seas took the best name for a pumpkin ale, but it’s a PINO (pumpkin in name only). That’s not to say that it’s not still yummy. The hoppiest beer of the bunch, The Great Pumpkin is a little soapy on the head but with hints of spice that still make for a tasty fall beer.







City: Montreal

ABV: 5%

Tastes like: Pumpkin cider

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Remembrance Day

The verdict:: The McAuslan is unique in that the pumpkin flavor is at the front without the beer becoming too syrupy sweet. A cider-like effervescence gives it a lightness that balances the spice.







City: Athens, Ga.

ABV: 6.1%

Tastes like: Octoberfest, Southern-style

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Carving a masterpiece in your jack-o-lantern

The verdict:: A flavorful beer with more hops and even malts peeking through the always-present pumpkin notes—all the more surprising since this is technically a pumpkin lager, not an ale. Creative stuff.







City: Dexter, Mich.

ABV: 5.9%

Tastes like: Pumpkin Sour

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: People who only drink sours.

The verdict:: Jolly Pumpkin must have felt some pressure to brew a pumpkin beer—it’s in the name for crying out loud. But be warned that this is full-on sour—and the combination of pumpkin and sour takes a little getting used to.







City: Portsmouth, N.H.

ABV: 5%

Tastes like: A PPA (pumpkin pale ale)

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: People who want to get in the spirit of the season but frankly would rather just drink an IPA.

The verdict:: This is no hop bomb, but the floral notes still overpower the pumpkin and spice flavors.







City: Hayward, Calif.

ABV: 5.2%

Tastes like: Beer!

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: Halloween in May.

The verdict:: This is a year-round pumpkin beer, ‘cause that’s how they roll out in California. The pumpkin is mild, but the beer is very drinkable.







City: Fort Collins, Colo.

ABV: 6%

Tastes like: Cranberry sauce

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Low

Perfect for: A non-traditional Thanksgiving meal

The verdict:: Made with cranberry juice and lemongrass in addition to the usual pumpkin and fall spices, Pumpkick has a pleasant tartness not found elsewhere on this list. It’s a more accessible version of last year’s Kick from New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series.







City: Holland, Mich.

ABV: 4.8%

Tastes like: All the right spices

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: Getting ready for the haunted house

The verdict:: Nutmeg and cinnamon are the basis for this spicy, complex, but smooth pumpkin ale that’s surprisingly flavorful for its low ABV.







City: Seattle, Wash.

ABV: 8.1%

Tastes like: Low-sugar pumpkin pie

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: When you really want to taste the pumpkin

The verdict:: Elysian manages a massively pumpkin-y beer without the puckery sweetness of some of its fellow bombers. There’s a big bite and the front end that doesn’t let you forget you’re drinking beer.







City: Boston

ABV: 5.7%

Tastes like: Fall

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Any day between Sept. 21 and Dec. 21.

The verdict:: They may be just a few barrels shy of mass-produced but Sam Adams often beats the craft brewers at their own game. This was one of the best balanced beers of the bunch—darker, maltier and full-bodied.







City: Southampton, N.Y.

ABV: 5.5%

Tastes like: Somebody cares

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Gearing yourself up for the onslaught of Trick-or-Treaters.

The verdict:: Neither the pumpkin or spice is overpowering, but it all blends together in a way that says, “keep drinking me; I’m only 5.5%!”







City: Seattle, Wash.

ABV: 5.9%

Tastes like: Gingerbread

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: When you don’t want milk with your cookies

The verdict:: Ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg make this a dessert of a beer while citrus hops bring it all into balance. Just a well-crafted beer.







City: Baltimore, Md.

ABV: 9%

Tastes like: Your dad’s liquor cabinet

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Alternating with shots

The verdict:: We may not have been swayed by The Great Pumpkin, but the Greater Pumpkin just isn’t messing around. This is a boozy beer, aged in bourbon barrels, balancing the pumpkin and spice with a whiskey kick.







City: Newport, Ore.

ABV: 5.6%

Tastes like: Fresh pumpkin rind

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Harvest day

The verdict:: Very pumpkin-forward without the cloying sweetness that other very pumpkin-y beers have. Rogue grows its own pumpkins and the beer is surprisingly light and fresh.







City: Boston

ABV: 8.5%

Tastes like: An imperial stout in costume

Pumpkin flavor: Low

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: A cold fall night on the porch. Cigars optional.

The verdict:: This great, big beer is malty sweet as opposed to fruity sweet with just a hint of pumpkin and spices to qualify as a pumpkin beer. A definite outlier from the style, but so very delicious.







City: Maplewood, Mo.

ABV: 8%

Tastes like: Pumpkin beer!

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Any Halloween party

The verdict:: This is center-of-the-bullseye pumpkin ale weighing in at a hefty 8%. The Missouri brewery’s secret weapon seems to be the butternut squash. So tasty and so refreshing.







City: Tampa, Fla.

ABV: 8.5%

Tastes like: A strong, malty beer with pumpkin and spice to match.

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: Medium

Perfect for: Impressing your beer-geek friends who think pumpkin beers are novelties.

The verdict:: While the beers with the most pumpkin flavor tended to turn off our panelists with a cloying sweetness, Cigar City treats the pumpkin as a vegetable, finding sweetness from the ever-present malts in beer. The result is a very pumpkin-and-spice-forward beer that doesn’t taste like candy or pumpkin pie. It tastes first and foremost like a big, complex malty beer with strong enough of a backbone to carry the pumpkin and fall spice flavors. This is pumpkin beer done right.







City: Rehoboth Beach, Del.

ABV: 7%

Tastes like: Your spice rack

Pumpkin flavor: Medium

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: A better football-watching party than your neighbors

The verdict:: The pumpkin is subtle, but Punkin still tastes like fall thanks to all spice, cinnamon, nutmeg and a hint of brown sugar. It’s a well-balanced, delicious beer—just what we expect from one of our favorite American breweries.







City:Easton, Penn.

ABV: 8%

Tastes like: Pumpkin Bread

Pumpkin flavor: High

Spiciness: High

Perfect for: Every day in October

The verdict:: This is what a pumpkin beer should be. It tastes unmistakably pumpkin-y while still very much tasting like beer. The label lists cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves, but no single spice throws it off balance. This is what a pumpkin beer should aspire to be.

