See this story at BrooklynDaily.com.
By Noah Hurowitz
Brooklyn Daily
Orange you curious who makes the best pumpkin beer in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn Brewery’s Post Road Ale has long been the best — and only — gourd-infused fall seasonal brew in the borough. But this year, Coney Island Brewing Company has launched a competitor to the pump-king crown — Freaktoberfest Big Ol’ Pumpkin Ale.
The new beer is a collaboration between the People’s Playground-themed brewery and beloved local cafe chain and coffee roastery Cafe Grumpy. The brewers there were hoping to give the pumpkin-crazy masses an autumn brew, but decided to add the coffee twist to stand out from the six-pack, said a spokesperson.
“There was a desire to have a pumpkin beer, but we wanted to do something a little different than all the seasonals,” said Coney Island Brewing’s Sarah Feeley.
But how does it stack up against the stalwart suds from Brooklyn Brewery? The Brooklyn Paper staffers held a highly scientific blind tasting to find out. Let’s go to the tape!
The verdict
Our tasting panel found Post Road unremarkable and not very pumpkin-forward, but easily drinkable. The majority of tasters found the combination of pumpkin and coffee in the Freaktoberfest a little too freaky for their tastes. However, it definitely had the strongest pumpkin flavoring of the two, so if you are looking to consume pumpkin pie in a liquid, alcoholic form this fall, this is the one to go with.Post Road Pumpkin AleVs.Freaktoberfest Big Ol’ Pumpkin AleBrooklyn BreweryBreweryConey Island Brewing Company5 percentAlcohol by volume6.2 percent1999Brewed since2014Pumpkin puree, nutmeg, wheat, Willamette and American Fuggle hops.Ingredients includepumpkin puree, allspice, nutmeg, cinammon, espresso beans, Tettnag hops.Utica, New YorkBrewed inClifton Park, New York24International Bittering Units20Classic — lone pumpkin on a black background.Label designCreepy — menacing Steeplechase Funny Face over Coney background.AmberColorHazy, dark amberFaint hops, slight hint of pumpkinTasting notesCandy corn-covered espresso beans, pumpkin pie, malty chocolate 4Pumpkin flavor strength (out of 10)2