Lewis & Clark Brewing Company in Helena, Montana
A lot of people around town have been talking about the Pumpkin Ale from the Lewis and Clark Brewing Company, and one can only listen to talk so much before he has to go try it for himself. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin beer, or most flavored beers for that matter, but the Pumpkin Ale was pretty good, although I don’t know that I would drink more than a pint or so of it.
It was hard to gauge the color of the beer since I had my taste at the Brewhouse, which was dark, with the only light coming from some neon red signs. I wanted to go to the actual tap room, but they don’t open until 4 pm. so be warned if you are looking for an early pint. Anyway, the Pumpkin Ale was a pumpkin amber color with a little bit of orange to it (maybe the lights). It smelled pretty much like you would expect a pumpkin ale to smell: like pumpkin pie, sweet and spicy, with lots of pumpkin. It was a smooth beer that left the tongue feeling sort of prickly. Up front it tasted like pumpkin spice with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and finished with a balanced hoppy bitterness. It had a more spicy than sweet pumpkin flavor that lingered for a few seconds. Overall it was not as sweet as a lot of pumpkin beers I have tried, which is a plus in my book.
Would I order this beer again? Maybe, but as it cannot be purchased at the store, I would be more likely to have one of their different beers from the tap, perhaps the Neighborhood or Mad Max IPA. That being said, if pumpkin ale is your kind of beer, this one is definitely worth a try. Even if you are not a huge pumpkin fan, I would recommend trying an 8 oz, but more than that might be too much.
Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon
Overall, the 2009 Jubelale was not as good as I remember the 2007 to be, but that has also been a while. I will likely purchase a six pack of this later, but I’m not sure its a beer to go crazy about. Perhaps a few in the weeks around Christmas and New Years when I plan on sitting in front of the fireplace and watching the snow fall. Perhaps I’ll even take a suggestion from the guys at Deschutes and try pairing this with some Jubelale and Hoisin braised short ribs as a Christmas Eve dinner. Or for the more casual diner, they also recommend trying it with spaghetti and meatballs.
