Blue Point Pumpkin Ale

Brewed By: Blue Point
Brewed In: Patchogue, NY
ABV: 6.0%
Type: Ale

What They Say: According to Linus there are 3 things never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin. Our Pumpkin Ale, on the other hand, has made quite a buzz from New Hampshire down to Florida. Every season has its pleasures. Harvest your own with our Pumpkin Ale and reap all that Autumn has to offer. Brewed with pumpkins from only the most sincere patches, this seasonal brew is golden orange, crisp and delicious, with an innocent hint of cinnamon and nutmeg that articulates our favorite season. Gather with friends and family and enjoy the change of seasons while savoring a pint of Pumpkin Ale. Just like the leaves, it’s gone after Thanksgiving.

Website: My last Blue Point review was Winter Ale in 2009. I took the opportunity to complain (again) about their website. It’s since been updated. It’s no longer a flash monstrosity with sounds and music, but instead an informative, useful website that’s easily navigable with a store that includes my second favorite tap handle of all time. Magic Hat Winter Howl is number one.

Why I Picked It: I was an early adopter of the Pumpkin Ale thing, going back to 2004 when I tried Shipyard’s PumpkinHead at the grandaddy of beer bars Sunset Grill & Tap in Boston. Since then, I’ve discovered brewers can’t do much to differentiate their Pumpkin Ale. They can either go for Shipyard’s version, which tastes like pumpkin pie, or they can go for Rogue’s version, which tastes like pumpkin bread. Either way, it’s going to taste like one of the two. I tried this because it’s Blue Point. No other reason.

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Presentation (5): They go with a burlap sack motif for the bottling and the six pack. I like it, it reminds me of fall like it should. I don’t quite understand the purpose of the circus elephant, though. 3

Originality (5): In the general case, I’d normally give this a three because that’s my average score for “we have to make one of these” beers. Blue Point entered the Pumpkin market very late though and, honestly, there’s nothing new to do. I’d rather see their Oktoberfest, which is an amazing addition to the Oktoberfest market, instead of this Pumpkin which, while good, does not break any new ground. 2

Body (10): A general copper body is indicative of the type and this is no different. Hardly any foam with mostly wet lacing. The consistency is good for the type, with a pleasant, thin mouthfeel with a solid amount of carbonation. While there’s nothing new here, the type is executed well. 8

Taste (10): Cinnamon and nutmeg in the nose and the intense scent of pumpkin. Given Blue Point’s Blueberry Ale, one would expect the pumpkin to be front and center here, and they’d be correct. Intense, pumpkin spicyness and aftertaste makes this a wonderful representation of the type. Blue Point goes for the “pie” variety and nails it, as usual. Obviously, this score only really helps if you like the flavors cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin. 10

Efficiency (10): This has a very high ABV for a Pumpkin Ale and it’s tasty enough so the alcohol is masked. Two of these were enough to start catching a slight buzz. The negative was the pricetag. At $13.99 (Manhattan) this was way too much for six beers. 4

Versatility (10): These are fun beers for groups because people do like trying varieties of beer. That said, it’s tempered by the number of people who don’t like Pumpkin. Also, there’s really no reason not to just take the cheapest pumpkin ale on the shelf as they pretty much all taste the same. 4

The Snob Sez: While I do still like the occasional pumpkin offering in the fall, I’ve reached market saturation point with them. Unless someone can make a version that’s something besides the current two, there’s really no ground to be broken.

Final Score: 31 of 50 (Good Beer)

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