Alaskan Pumpkin Porter 2014 – A First Sampling

Fall is starting to creep into the air (and on to the beer-shelves) here at the mybeerbuzz headquarters, so I can only imagine that Fall is arriving very quickly at Alaskan Brewing.  With that in mind, I was really excited to see a box of samples arriving from Alaskan that I knew had to be a fall beer….and sure enough it was.

Alaskan Pumpkin Porter began life in 2013 as a limited release Pilot Series beer and it gained so much attention that Alaskan decided to bring it back as the fall rotating seasonal release for 2014 (now in 12oz bottles.)  This beer uses 11-pounds of pumpkins per barrel as well as traditional holiday spices (brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves) and the unique flavors of alder-smoked malt made famous by Alaskan Smoked Porter.  Pumpkin Porter also has Magnum & Goldings hops on board as well as a blend of 6 malts, so we couldn’t wait to try it.

This beer pours a deep rich dark brown color and the first aroma you’ll notice is a subtle roasty, spicy and punkin-y nose.  The taste has a mix of pumpkin and cocoa up front for a really pleasant sweetness, that is then balanced at the end by a spicy and silky almost earthy flavor.  The mouthfeel is medium and in fine porter tradition, the beer is creamy and lower carbonation.  After a few more sips, some of the spices became more prominent to me, but the balance remained very nice and while it was a really nice beer on this warmer summer eve, I suspect it will feel even better on a cooler crisp fall evening.  Pumpkin Porter marches in at 7% ABV and a slightly sweet 25 IBU so you’ll find it very drinkable.

As an added bonus, we happened to have some home-made smoked light cheddar and smoked gouda cheese and the pairing was fabulous.  Try out this cheese pairing!…and be sure to get your hands on some Alaskan Pumpkin Porter as it hits the 17-states Alaskan distributes to in mid-Aug.  Pumpkin Porter will be packaged in 12oz bottles (in sixers and cases) and please be sure to let me know how you like it in your Fall backyard.
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