Kyle Green
Autumn is a favorite season for many who appreciate the milder temperatures, the changing colors, the festivities, and, of course, pumpkin.
While a morning pumpkin spiced latte is a popular go-to seasonal beverage, sipping a pumpkin beer can be equally satisfying. It can be especially thirst-quenching on those warmer days. Like every coffee shop has its twist on the gourd-themed latte, there are countless pumpkin beer brands.
While it can be fun to sample a few, sometimes you discover more tricks than treats. Finding the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and gourd can be disappointing if you don’t know where to begin.
If you’re ready to skip the duds and chase the optimal fall tastes, we have a list of the best pumpkin beer brands.
While there’s no limit to the many pumpkin beer brands out there, we’re limiting our list to include not only the tastiest but also those available in the US.
From the best pumpkin ale for drinkers with a sweet tooth to those inclined to spices, we’ve got the best pumpkin beers you can enjoy this Autumn.
Two Roads RoadsMary’s Baby
We’re starting our best pumpkin beers list with a classic horror movie pun. The Two Roads August-released RoadsMary’s Baby is available in six-pack bottles, six-pack cans, and draft.
Aged in rum barrels and infused with deep flavor with notes of pumpkin, vanilla oak, spices, and rum. The smooth drinking ale has an ABV percentage of 6.8. Suppose you’re after a taste experience that emphasizes all sides, the sweet and the spice. In that case, RoadsMary’s Baby is an ideal middle-of-the-road option.
Check out the locator link to find a RoadsMary’s Baby sampling near you.
St. Arnold Pumpkinator
St. Arnold Pumpkinator boasts it uses enough pumpkins to bake 437 pumpkin pies, along with a healthy helping of molasses, brown sugar, and spices. Brewed with pale two-row, caramel, and black malts with Cascade and Liberty hops, the Imperial stout doesn’t hold back on the alcohol at 10.5% ABV.
If you’re still on the fence, you might want to know that it wowed judges in the 2017 Great American Beer Festival, taking home gold in the Pumpkin/Squash or Pumpkin Spice Beer category. It later won bronze in 2019.
Distributed in Texas, St. Arnold reserves the Pumpkinator until October 15. After that, it’s available in 22 oz bottles and drafts.
Cigar City Good Gourd
Cigar City Good Gourd calls their Imperial ale a liquid monument to the pumpkin. Evoking thoughts of pumpkin pie as you partake, it is brewed with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. The deep orange beer is a blend of buttery, roasted, sweetened, and spiced.
The 8.8% ABV pumpkin beer is only available on tap. Although Cigar City Good Gourd is distributed from Tampa, Florida, it is available in various states. Find the location nearest to you with their beer finder.
Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin
Shipyard proudly declares their Smashed Pumpkin a full-bodied beer with 9% ABV. Balancing spiciness with sweetness, this malt-style pumpkin beer has pumpkin and nutmeg as their stand-out flavors. It’s also a good pick if you prefer minimal carbonation.
While there is a jack-o-lantern face on the can, the design is more subtle than most pumpkin beers. As a bonus, the color is copper-orange, which is a nice touch.
If you’ve tried Shipyard Pumpkin Head, this isn’t the same drink. However, it’s arguably a much better version of its predecessor.
Want to know where Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin is available? Use Shipyard’s beer locator.
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Suppose you want to dip your toe into the realm of pumpkin beer, but you don’t want an overpowering gourd aroma. With the Dogfish Head Punkin, you can join in on the festive theming without diving into an uncontrollable pumpkin pie rampage. The smooth, full-bodied brown ale features pumpkin, brown sugar, and spice.
Originally debuting at Delaware’s 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Content, it claimed first prize before the brewery opened its doors. The 7% ABV beverage releases in early September and sells out fast, usually disappearing from shelves by Thanksgiving.
The pumpkin beer is available nationally. Use the Fish Finder to locate the Dogfish Head Punkin.
Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin
Lakefront uses a brandy barrel-aged ale to create its pumpkin beer. It’s the perfect pairing for cool nights sitting by a fire, warmed by the pumpkin spice and brandy. Lakefront Imperial Pumpkin has stand-out notes of oaky and vanilla combined with a mix of caramel malt and pumpkin pie spice.
If you’re looking for a higher ABV percentage, Lakefront doesn’t disappoint at 13.4%.
The Wisconsin brewery distributes to select markets beginning in August. To aid in your hunt for Lakefront, use their beer finder tool.
Elysian Punkuccino
Does the idea of an alcoholic PSL tickle your tastebuds? Well, look no further than the Elysian Punkuccino. Brewed with a Stumptown coffee toddy and an infusion of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg, this is the best pumpkin beer that provides a caffeine fix.
The creamy, medium-body Punkaccino includes pale, brown, biscuit, chocolate, and kiln-coffee malts. There’s also a touch of bitterness but evened out with a touch of sweetness.
The Punkuccino has 6% ABV, and 22 oz, 1/2 BBL kegs, and 1/6 BBL are available.
Elysian is one of those pumpkin beer brands that doesn’t limit itself to one. If coffee and sweetness isn’t your ideal treat, try the Great Pumpkin, the world’s first Imperial pumpkin ale. The 8.4% ABV beer has roasted pumpkin seeds, allspice, clove, nutmeg, and extra pumpkin notes.
You can buy Elysian beer online.
Samuel Adams Sweater Weather Variety Pack
One way to find the best pumpkin beers is to sample a variety, which is true for other fall drink combos. For this limited release variety pack, there are four beers with Autumn-themed flavor profiles.
Jack-O is their pumpkin ale, with a refreshing balance of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other crisp notes. Outside the variety pack, you can find Jack-O as a six-pack with 12 oz bottles, twelve-pack with 12 oz bottles, and draft.
Other festive beers in the Sweater Weather Variety Pack include OctoberFest (roasted sweetness), Festbier (malty with biscuit and honey), and Boston Lager (smooth with spicy hops). The ABV percentage ranges from Jack-O at the low end with 4.4% and OctoberFest with 5.3% at the high end.
You can find locations where this variety pack is available here.
Allagash Ghoulschip
Brewed from locally grated pumpkins, raw pumpkin seeds, and molasses, the Allagash Ghoulschip ferments for three years in oak barrels. It’s a tart, light golden beer with hints of mild acidity and caramelized malt.
Suppose you’re trying to lean away from the pumpkin pie sweetness. In that case, you can try something entirely different with the slightly sour but profoundly pumpkin-tasting beverage.
Allagash Ghoulschip is only available from the brewery, but you can find all Allagash availability here.
Southern Tier Pumking
The Southern Tier Pumking claims its crown as a powerful Imperial pumpkin ale. The aroma lingers with pumpkin pie, buttery crust, roasted pecans, and spices. The taste fuses moderate bitterness with sweet malt, using vanilla, allspice, nutmeg, clove, and pie crust.
The 8.6% ABV pumpkin beer comes around August to October, available in four-pack 12 oz bottles, 500 ml bottles, and draft. It also has off-shoot versions, Pumking Nitro and Cold Brew Coffee Pumking Nitro.
Find Southern Tier Pumking here.
Pum-Queen Bonesaw Brewing
The Pum-Queen from Bonesaw Brewing Co uses Madagascar vanilla and pumpkin pie spices to create a smooth cream ale. It’s sweet, it’s spicy, and it’s smooth. With festive skeletal can art and a 4.7% ABV, the Pump-Queen is sure to get drinkers in the Halloween party spirit.
Use the Bonesaw Brewing can finder here.
Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale
While the choice of Best pumpkin ale can be subjective, Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale wins extra points as one of the most enduring pumpkins beers. Infused with everything you’d expect from a classic autumnal beer, Blue Moon has celebrated Oktoberfest with this winning brew since 1995.
The smooth malt amber ale features a hint of bitterness mostly masked with the sweet and spicy mix of toasted pumpkin, cinnamon, baked pie crust, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, and raisin. There are minimal hops with 5.7% ABV.
Blue Moon recently renamed their beverage Harvest Pumpkin Wheat. Blue Moon sells their pumpkin beer across the US, Canada, and Europe in six-pack 12 oz bottles.
Samuel Adams 20 Pounds of Pumpkin
Samuel Adams 20 Pounds of Pumpkin is a hearty pumpkin beer that provides a wide range of sweet and spicy. Notable flavor hints are roasted malts, nutmeg, ginger, clove, and pumpkin spices. The name pays homage to the 20 pounds used in every barrel.
You might have noticed this isn’t the first Samuel Adams on our list, and including it is a bit of a trick since Jack-O replaced 20 Pounds of Pumpkin. However, the taste profile is slightly different, with more emphasis on spice than sweetness. It’s also with 5.7% ABV.
While Samual Adams has replaced it with a shiny new version, you can still find 20 Pounds of Pumpkin from select online markets.
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is another pumpkin beer for those on the fence about the overuse of the gourd. Thanks to spices like ginger, cinnamon, and clove, the flavor begins spicy but quickly melts into a slice of pumpkin pie in a bottle. Brewed with pounds of fresh pumpkin, brewer’s wort, and sugar, the Schlafly is a well-balanced, medium-bodied beer.
The ABV percentage also hits the medium of our list at 8%.
The pumpkin ale is available in 14 states, so narrow down your search with the Schlafly beer finder.
Final Thoughts
It can be tricky to narrow it down when there are some genuinely fantastic pumpkin creations. Still, we hope our list of the best pumpkin beers ticked off all your must-haves for your Halloween spirits.
Whether it’s a chilly, spooky Halloween night or a warm Thanksgiving feast, there’s a pumpkin beer to satisfy all. So which one will you enjoy this Autumn? If you’re expanding your autumn drink selection to flavors beyond the season’s favorite gourd, then consider giving our list of seven Thanksgiving cocktails a look or our favorite pumpkin cocktails.
