Pumpkin Beer: The Holiday Crowd Pleaser

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2008 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Mark Pasquinelli

The holidays will soon be here, and we’ll be meeting with friends and family (why do we always list those entities separately?) to celebrate. It will also be a time to sing a chorus of Auld Lang Syne and reminisce about the passing of yet another year, while looking forward to the coming one. These holiday celebrations deserve something special, a libation that will leave your guests abuzz. In my house, that means pumpkin beer.

My recipe for this delicious holiday treat has been the winner of our annual PA Alers Pumpkin Beer Tasting— pitting both homebrew and commercial versions against each other—for two years running. It also garnered a Best of Show award at an AHA/BJCP competition. With just a little bit of time and effort…