These Craft Breweries Use Whole Pumpkin Pies To Make Beers That Taste Like Fall
Every fall, American craft brewers get more and more creative with the pumpkin flavors — and, now, adding whole pumpkin pies into the mash seems to be a rising trend. Over in North Carolina, the Wilmington Brewing Company, brews its Pretty Pumpkin Ale with 100, whole pumpkin pies sourced from a local bakery. The beer is "a malty, smooth ale with a subtle pumpkin flavor" as the brewery described on Instagram. Served on tap at the brewery, you get to enjoy the ale with a sweet, fall-inspired upgrade: a sugar-cinnamon rim.
The Manhattan Brewing Company is another craft brewer that uses whole pumpkin pies from a fellow, Manhattan-based bakery to make what it calls the Pumpkin Batch — a pumpkin ale laced with pumpkin spice flavor. Just a few hours north of the Manhattan Brewing Company is Upstate Brewing Company FLX in Upstate, New York. There, brewers throw whole pumpkin pies, pumpkin puree, and a blend of freshly ground pumpkin pie spices into the mash of its Pumpkin Pie Ale. It's one of the brewery's favorite seasonal brews.
Beer and pumpkin pie lovers in the Midwest can also rejoice knowing that Indiana's Guardian Brewing Company offers pumpkin pie beer as well. Only, Guardian Brewing Company uses whole pumpkin chess pies in its mash, which are said to be denser and sweeter than classic pumpkin pies. Dubbed the Wicked Pumpkin Pie Ale with Cocoa Nibs, its pumpkin pie beer is described as smooth and velvety, with a pleasant pumpkin finish.
Fall is when you can try many different types of pumpkin beers, some made with the fruit, others made with the whole pie
While not every craft brewery goes as far as adding whole pumpkin pies to the mash, many recreate the classic dessert by using everything from whole pumpkins to pumpkin purée, and warming spices in their brews. Over in Seattle, Washington — the home of unapologetically Asian craft beers – Lucky Envelope Brewing offers its Pumpkin Em🎃ji Cream Stout on tap. To make this stout, the brewery combines the classic chocolate and coffee flavors of a stout with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spices. As a play on the infamous fall coffee drink, the pumpkin spice latte, it adds lactose and flaked oats for creaminess.
Also on the West Coast, Bravery Brewing in Lancaster, California, serves its Pumpkin Apple Pie – a type of beer known as a Belgian-style Dubbel. Only, Bravery Brewery brews this style with real pumpkin, apple cider, and classic fall spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger — a combination perfect for fall. For those who can't make it to a craft brewery that offers pumpkin and pumpkin pie flavored beers, fret not. Tasting Table's taste tester tried and rank 20 popular pumpkin beers for you to by in store and try at home.