I propose a game. She closes her eyes and thinks of Halloween. What three words come to mind? Perhaps costume, party and fear. Or skull, zombie and blood. But surely one of the words you have thought of is pumpkin.
And the fact is that the pumpkin is directly related to this festival, since the end of October and the beginning of November is when the harvest of this plant began. In the old days, for the festival of Samhain (the Celtic origin of Hallowen) candles were placed inside the pumpkins (and turnips… but that's another story) so that the dead would find their way back to their homes.
But maybe you don't see very clearly the relationship of this story with beer. Well, it's simple: today I want to talk to you about pumpkin beer, the Pumpkin Ale. This is a perfect beer for Halloween, and although it seems like a marketing invention for these dates, this style of beer has been around for centuries. I'll tell you a little more:
How it all began
The pumpkin belongs to the curcubitaceae family and its name in English (pumpkin) derives from the Greek word “pepon”, which means something like a large melon. In Old English it was spelled “pumpion” or “pompion”, a term that dates to around 1550. The oldest known recipe for a "pompion ale" dates from 220 years later and it contained pumpkin as the only fermentable source, no cereal appeared unlike today. So many said that at that time a “pumpkin wine” was made rather than a pumpkin beer.
That is to say, in these first Pumpkin Ale the malt was completely replaced by the pulp of the pumpkin, and there is evidence that they also used spices such as cinnamon, cloves or ginger to season them, spices that were already used in the colonial times for the manufacture of other alcoholic beverages and confectionery.
In addition to being seen as a satiating drink, pumpkin beer was also considered a health tonic highly recommended by doctors. It was one of the most popular components in a kind of cocktail that mixed rum, brown sugar and this type of beer. Despite becoming a staple throughout the 18th century, its popularity began to wane in the early 19th century with increased access to quality malts and the use of pumpkin in brewing became rustic and unremarkable. modern
The first commercially brewed Pumpkin Ale came from Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, California in the 1980s, the recipe is based on brewing studies conducted by George Washington.
The BJCP classifies Pumpkin Ale as a “seasonal fall beer” and further defines them as “beers suggestive of cool weather and the fall harvest season , and may include pumpkin and associated spices.”
What does a Pumkin Ale taste like?
Current Pumpkin Ale are sweet in character and reminiscent of pumpkin bread.However, now the pumpkin is not used in these beers as a substitute for malt, but rather accompanies the usual beer ingredients, along with a handful of spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger or vanilla, so they are aromatic, sweet and complex
- What pumpkin beers look like will largely depend on the base style chosen to make the pumpkin beer, as Pumpkin Ale is not an official style of beer. It is generally brewed with malty beers, such as Red and Amber Ale, although there are examples of Imperial Stout brewed inspired by the base concept of pumpkin beers.
- Pumpkin aromas stand out clearly, as we are talking about the main ingredient. Spices and other ingredients often complement the aromatic profile, notes of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger are common.
- The body of these beers and their mouthfeel will vary, depending on the underlying beer style and its balance with the ingredients used. Their flavor is structured around the sweetness of malt and pumpkin, which will be present in a medium-high way, although the pumpkin should always be above the whole, without altering the general harmony.
In Spain we also have pumpkin beers that come out mainly on these dates. One of them, among the many that are made, is the Pumpkin Ale from beers La Sagra, in Toledo, a beer with a dense and velvety body, intense aroma, sweet and fruity, It is made with water, 100% barley malt, pumpkin, hops, cinnamon sticks, cloves and yeast. Does it really catch your attention? You can buy it here to enjoy these terrifying days with a good (and original) craft beer. Beer or treat!
