Our favorite varieties were present to include Shipyard Pumpkin Head, Saranac Pumpkin Ale, Horse Heads Pumpkin Ale, Southern Tier Pumpking, and Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin Cider. Of course we knew we would vote for our own personal favorites, so we needed an unbiased way of voting. So 3 CATs and 2 DOGS got together one rainy Saturday and put the pumpkin to the test utilizing a numbered system!
I winner is : Horse Heads Pumpkin Ale, 2nd place went to: Southern Tier Pumpking, and 3rd place went to Saranac Pumpkin Ale, sadly Shipyard PumpkinHead although wonderful, didn't make the top 3, ranking 5th, below Woodchuck Private Reserve Pumpkin Cider. Please note, it was unanimous how the beers were ranked and also please note that the raters admitted that they enjoyed each of the selections.
The results were exactly in the same order Beer Advocate listed them, although none of the raters had researched the beers prior to tasting. Of the 5 selections, there was an obvious winner, although the top 3 were tasted again to determine the winner.
Bottom line: if you are in a store or bar and see anyone of these 5 selections, smile.
