Engaging 2010 autumnal treat amasses brown-sugared cinnamon-spiced pumpkin pie incisiveness above crystal-malted vanilla-extracted nutmeg-allspice tingle. Muscat grape and sun-dried fig illusions coerce white-wined cider-sharp souring that may be off-putting to less creative drinkers. Fuzzy carbolic fizz washes away some flavoring. 2012 version: dryer gourd astringency suffocates musty pumpkin pie spicing, sweet-spiced berry fruiting, lickety-split lemon souring and beckoning sourdough yeastiness.

Splendid sharp-hopped mulling spices bring autumnal seasoning to smashingly rich, creamy, full-bodied dessert beer (arguably as indispensable as Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale used to be). Ripened pumpkin theme envelops large cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice-gingerbread contingent and tertiary banana-bruised apple-candied black cherry tang. Syrupy medicinal thickness outlasts vegetal gourd sway at expansive pumpkin-spiced finish. 2012 version gained pumpkin pureed sweetness as lilting bourbon and red cherry nuances added further dimension. 2016 version contrasted brown-sugared pumpkin spicing with sharper lemondrop tartness (and earthen gourd remnant).

Rich amber-hazed autumn seasonal with cookie dough-like yeast sinew and honey-roasted mocha malting receives sharp hop-spiced gourd acridity, revealing cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and gingerbread resonance adjacent to pumpkin pie crusting. Rigid phenol finish depletes tertiary sugared fig, almond, chestnut, and pecan illusions. Engaging dessert fodder. On tap at Biggie’s – 2016, sweeter gingerbread-spiced pumpkin pie template perseveres as spritzy lemon snip crackles.

Enjoyable sipping ale is part of Pugsley’s ’09 Signature Series. Heady 9% alcohol autumnal may lack expected pumpkin pie spicing, but lusciously creamy vanilla malting and hop-tingled cinnamon-spiced ginger-allspice-cardamom sweetness seep into warm gin-soaked boozing with gusto. Abrupt bruised lemon bittering counters advertised pumpkin-nutmeg influence, creating honeyed lemon illusion.

Well-balanced gourd-spiced autumn ale (known to French Canadians as Citrouille Ale) brings darker spicing and creamier resolve to the usual pumpkin-pied seasonal. Myriad pumpkin tannins enrich cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spicing to molasses-sapped rye wheat spine. Earthen vegetal flutter wards off tinny void that suffocates lesser pumpkin ales. Aggressive enough for dark ale thirsts yet not too intimidating for dabblers.

Wondrous orange-hazed Imperial Pumpkin Ale (with lusty 8% alcohol) maintains rich pumpkin-spiced theme above brisk citric backdrop and lively hop-spiced continuance. Brown-sugared cinnamon-baked nutmeg-clove-allspice-daubed sweetness receives honeyed maple sapping and candied apple lacquering as full-on gourd-squash essence reaches crisp-watered gin-soaked easement. Perfect autumnal offering also blends tertiary cider notes into pumpkin-pied crust.

Another fine ale and interesting label (an evil gourd) from stalwart brewer, ’05. Dense pumpkin sweetness dominates heady 8% alcohol rush, sugary malt lacquered stickiness, and vegetal bottom of mildly creamy seasonal. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom spices tingle lingering pumpkin pie resonation as rippling red cherry, berry, and apricot offing enhances pleasant brandied aftertaste.

Up-front pumpkin pie essence thwarted by diacetyl nature, as soapy vanilla malts and weak spiced hops beget fey metallic finish. Narrow clove-allspice-cinnamon-nutmeg passage and muted banana quip too unassuming for watery light-bodied fizzle.

Lamentable limited ’06 release finds astringent Fuggle-hopped bittering and woody alcohol burn overwhelming expectant autumnal pumpkin theme of clear coppery dry body. Spicy pumpkin pie gloss fades considerably as moldy cooked vegetable funk weakens peppered clove and herbal tea illusions obscuring brown sugared cinnamon-nutmeg-ginger whir. Biscuit-y wheat backbone and squash-like finish need better profundity.

Honeyed pumpkin-spiced ale lifts orange-fruited cinnamon-allspice-ginger confluence above red apple whim, sour lemony backslide and earthy vegetal whimper. Fleeting maple passage consumes late-coming herbal eucalyptus-tealeaf blossom.

Dry lemon-hopped souring disguises peppery pumpkin-spiced ambiance of ‘certified organic’ vegetable beer. Peculiar spoiled lemon frontage overwhelms sweet sugar-spiced cinnamon-nutmeg remnant and earthen fennel-carrot digression to metallic raw-grained finish.

Deep amber autumnal ale boasts vine-ripened pumpkin essence and traditional crystal malt sweetness. Musty pumpkin pie-crusted acridity lingers through buttery midst as cinnamon and nutmeg spice up callow dry-hopped metallic bittering. 2012 re-tasting: Sugared pumpkin sweetness and cinnamon-nutmeg-gingerbread spicing enhanced and invigorated for better results.