I have three posts left (including today's) to see it off. I'll have my annual Vincent Price-esque post next time (no AI is used in its making!), followed by the Halloween post proper. But first, we have to get to the only ciders I'm doing up this month. Out of the four varieties in the Thriller Pack, these are the two I wanted to write about. Without further ado: Angry Orchard's Blood Orange and Headless Pumpkin.
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.
10/31/24: Abomination Brewing Company's Forbidden Pumpkin, a Halloween Post
7:32 PM
Now that I am once again within my home and that tiny soul has found some respite for the remainder of this night, I have turned to an elixir to bolster my spirits against the lurking horrors just without my walls. This potion is itself an Abomination of sorts, a Forbidden Pumpkin amidst the grinning gourds of All Hallows' Eve. Pray for me, dear reader, that this chill draft might put my mind in a state to forget the terror of the gossamer-thin veil.
We're creeping closer and closer to the big day--just a week out! Soon enough, the veil will thin and kids dressed up as nightmares will prowl the streets seeking candy. The good news is that we're not there. Yet. We still have some time to prep.
So, prep we shall! This evening's a chance to steel our nerves before All Hallows' Eve. I'm doing that with a special beer from Timber Ales: Fields of Fall, the strongest beer of the season. Take a moment to grab a break from carving pumpkins and hanging artificial spiderwebs to enjoy this peaceful moment with me before we're flung into the spookiest day of the year.
Ah, how I despise October's rolling temperatures. We here in my little pocket of Ohio are being flung from 30-something degrees to 70-some degrees (in Fahrenheit, as always), meaning I've been achy and sleepy. But, hey, I'll take cooler temps however I can get them this time of year!
I had originally planned on today's beer being the subject of my most recent post but figured it'd be better for a warmer day than one that was more brisk. Thus, my short shuffling around that I'm willing to bet most of you didn't notice. Regardless, let's get into the beer at hand: Streetside's Pumpkin Spice Latte Return of the Mac (I'll just call it PSL from here on out).
This evening's beer (a surprise! I was saving the for later but the sudden chill in the area bumped it up) was a gift from my dad. He and my mom came down to visit last month so they could spend some time with their favorite (i.e. only) grandkid.
While doing so, we all swung by a local bottleshop. I somehow (that's sarcastic, by the way. It doesn't come through great over text) convinced Dad to grab a couple of beers for himself. One of those was Hi-Wire's Pumpkin Spicewalla Latte 10W-40 (Pumpkin Spicewalla henceforth). Before he left, he broke the four-pack in half, taking two cans with him and leaving two with me. Thanks, Dad! Let's see how this stout drinks.
Here's one that I hadn't accounted for at the beginning of the month. Hell, I hadn't accounted for it three days ago. A quick search of the blog will show that Athletic's a frequent NA flyer around these parts. Yet, I've never had a crack at their pumpkin beer.
Why? Well, it's price-related. See, for whatever reason, the brewery only drops the ale online. That's fine, I get that. It's a niche beer in a niche market. But, the price is $14.99/sixer and shipping is $5. Suddenly, we're looking at $20 for a single sixer of the stuff. That's not a chance I'm willing to take.
But two days ago, I got an ad on Instagram from Athletic touting a 10% off code. That was the push I needed to finally try Dark & Gourdy. Now I'm sitting here with the beer, which says something about the brewery's shipping. Let's see how it is at $10.
Wait--the last time I did an Urban Artifact was in 2020? Seriously? Nearly four years ago? Wow. That's something. Well, let me make amends for that today.
Yes, here in October I'm doing an Urban Artifact beer. Because, believe it or not, the brewery's put out a pumpkin beer called Jack. Let's see how Jack's drinking on this fine, autumnal day.
So comes October, and so comes the blog's Halloween season. I have a slate of beers ready to go, all of which are new to me. I hope we're in for more treats than tricks. I love pumpkin beers but at times they can be a gamble.
Let's hope today's brew isn't a gamble. We have Abomination's Lil' Pumpky as our Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month starter. Let's roll the dice and keep our fingers crossed for treats (which, for this odd analogy, are sixes). Really, though, how could we go wrong with a name like Lil' Pumpky?
10/31/23: Southern Tier Brewing Company's Caramel Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale: A Halloween Post
5:28 PMLo!, the veil now grows thin, weakening to a mere patch of gossamer hanging loose in its haphazard suspension betwixt our world and that of those who no longer walk amongst us. Devilry is afoot on this dark and unholy eve, dear reader. I hope that your curtains are drawn tightly over your windows. I hope that you are well-kept against the terror this night brings. I hope that should some manner of ghastly or gruesome creature call upon your door, you are able to appease its infernal appetite with what you are best able to offer, dispelling it forevermore from your dwelling.
What might you offer to this vision upon your step? Well, sweet treats may just suffice. Yet, if this monster prowls low as some horrid feline, something of greater heft and richness may be needed to make it leave you be. Would, perchance, a bottle of Southern Tier's Caramel Pumking would banish the beast? Perhaps, fellow cowerer in the dark. Perhaps.
10/27/23: Ellicottville Brewing Company's Whiskey Barrel Aged Craft Ale with Coffee and Pumpkin
6:32 PMI've had two Ellicottville beers on the blog, and neither have made an impression on me that goes above "meh." Four years ago it was Pumpkinville Latte, which I gave a 7.5/10. I tried their Blueberry Maple Pancake five months later--that one ended up with a 7.0/10.
Why, then, did I grab today's can when I saw it at my local bottleshop? I have two reasons: 1) I'm easily swayed by anything with the Headless Horseman on it and 2) I'm always allured by barrel aging.
Here in our just-east-of-Cincinnati home, our pumpkins will soon be carved and our toddler's fast asleep. Now's the perfect time to find out if Ellicottville's Whiskey Barrel Aged Craft Ale with Coffee and Pumpkin (a collaboration with Iron Smoke Distillery) is scary good or frighteningly mediocre.
Our second beer for the month is the final of two pumpkin-themed ales I picked up post-Halloween last year. You can tell this is last year's can because it has the old label art (which I prefer--the new one isn't as fantasy-driven, going from the check-in pictures on the ale's Untappd page).
I don't care that most of last week was in the 80-degree range. It's October. It's finally, finally October. And, here in week two of the month, a chill is beginning to settle upon the region. What's the weather going to be in a few days? Who cares? It's cool now. The nights are dark and lengthening. Let's dive into pumpkin season.
The first beer of Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month 2023 is something I picked up after '22's pumpkin beer season. I saw an eight-pack of it on my local bottleshop's shelves and couldn't resist the impulse purchase. I drank the first seven in pretty quick succession but have held onto the the final can for today. I'll let you know what I remember about the ale: It's light and I like it.
The beer's from Lone Pine (makers of my favorite Independence Day beer not brewed for Independence Day). Grab yourself a drink and find a blanket for the cold. This evening, we're drinking Pumpkin Party.
Southern Tier Brewing Company's no stranger around the blog (although my last post about one of their offerings was a little over two years ago).
Southern Tier's Pumpking's no stranger to me. I've had it before. I've had a rum barrel variant of it. I've had a pre-aged variant (I can't find trace of this online, but it was just Pumking STBC held onto for something like three years before releasing it for purchase and consumption). It's a beer I know pretty well, and a beer that (anecdotally) many of my friends adore.
Today, I'm righting a small wrong. Today, I'm finally giving Pumking a full John Likes Beer treatment.
Do you remember, a day over a year ago, when I drank Shipyard's Pumpkinhead? That was a beer that was a long time coming; one I'd seen on pumpkin beer-adorned shelves forever but just never got around to trying. It was pretty good! It was lightly spiced and wheaty, what I think would be a great introduction to pumpkin ales for those new to the style. By this, I mean it's not the best the style has to offer, but a great way to ease into everything the style does right.
Now, I promise there's a reason I'm reminding you of this. See, this year I managed to find a single can of Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin. How's it compare to it's less-ABV brother? Only one way to find out!
We’ve finally, at long last, come to Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month’s first (and, quite possibly, only) porter. For those who are fresh to the blog, or those of you who need a reminder: Porter is my favorite style of beer.
I love the roasted malt that’s not as powerful as you’d find in a stout. I love that they’re primarily associated with autumn. I love how crisp, cool, and (generally-) mildly boozy they are. When you throw pumpkin into the mix? Yes, please.
This is one that I hadn’t anticipated when I originally started collecting the beers that would form this year’s Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month. But, Halloween is a season that’s full of surprises.
So, when Michelle and I found ourselves in Aldi at the tail-end of September and I saw a sixer of State of Brewing’s Pumpkin Ale for $8, I couldn’t help myself.
The Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month train keeps a-rolling with our second pumpkin beer of the season: Off Color's Pumpkin Beer for Cafés.
You remember when I discussed the brewery's Waddle last month? I mentioned how it was a limited drop that didn't reach Ohio and how, luckily, my folks were able to grab some for me when it hit shelves in Michigan? Well, wouldn't you know the exact same thing happened with this pumpkin ale? Since it hit the market right around the time Waddle did, my parents were able to snag some of this for me, too. This one's for you, Mom and Dad.
It's finally that mystical time of year, when the fabric of the veil begins to wane and the nights grow all the cooler, darker, and longer. I've spent the better part of today at my favorite Oktoberfest celebration but I'm always ready to revel in the murkier parts of the the Halloween season.
As such, we have the blog's first pumpkin ale of the season: North High's Farm Hand. How is it? Let's find out.
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