Here we are. Over a week into October and it's finally starting to feel like fall. Sure the sun's shining, but I could see my breath when I took Lottie out this morning and it's a steady 68° in my house without the air running.

What better way to grace the triumphant return of the best season than by breaking the seal on Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month 2025? To christen the pumpkin season on the blog, we're doing up Wolf's Ridge's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak. Let's see how it's drinking.

Wolf's Ridge is a Columbus, OH brewpub founded by father and son duo, Alan and Bob Szuter, in 2013. Bob brought food to the table, while Alan brought the love of beer and the business acumen. Together, they've grown the brewery into an award-winning entity that you can regularly find on store shelves across Ohio, at least. Here's their "About" page if you want to know more.

Pumpkin Spice Daybreak is a variant of Wolf's Ridge's Daybreak (which I haven't tried). The seasonal 5% ABV cream ale features the coffee of its base beer bolstered with pumpkin spice (vanilla, "pie spices," and cinnamon). Pumpkin pie and coffee go together like chocolate and peanut butter, so I have high hopes for this!

My can's bouquet is floral coffee and cinnamon. A return waft grants me a sweet twinge of vanilla and some nutmeg, but that's about it. I won't lie, the floral coffee/cinnamon/pumpkin spice combo isn't as appealing to me as I'd hoped. I think the coffee is too blonde for the nose to hit properly. Miss Melba gave my can five whiffs, so this is tied for her favorite beer thus far. Again, I'm working on her.

Things are heading south with my first sip. PS Daybreak crashes into my palate with that mix of floral blonde coffee and cinnamon, which enhances the overpowering aroma with each swig. The vanilla pops up slightly before the coffee blackens and lingers in the finish with some nutmeg and clove, which is the best part of the beer.

The mouthfeel is more watery than I thought it'd be. There's a tad bit of bite but, really, this goes with the rest of what PS Daybreak has going on perfectly, but that's not necessarily a good thing.

This ale is like what October's been until now. It's October, so it's not all bad, but the heat's ruining the autumnal feeling. There are parts of it I enjoy (the Halloween decorations going up, the leaves beginning to turn), but I could do without the most part.

There are parts of Wolf's Ridge's Pumpkin Spice Daybreak I enjoy (the coffee and pie spice finish), but I could do without the most part. This is a beer I think you can safely skip. There are far better pumpkin beers on the market--go with one of them. It's a 5.5/10. If someone got this chocolate in my peanut butter, I'd be upset.