I’ve already mention my love for fummer (see a few entries below), but my true love is autumn and everything that comes with it. Mainly football and Sam Adams Octoberfest, but the cool weather, changing leaves, and festive decorations all play a part too.

So, you can understand why I jump at the chance to experience anything that has to do with this season. When a friend mentioned a brewery that he frequents because of their seasonal Pumpkin brew, my eyes lit up. “When are we going??!!” I asked eagerly.

Although Heartland Brewery has five locations in the city, my friend’s favorite is the one in Union Square. So, that’s where I met him to experience my first “Smiling Pumpkin Ale” (obviously their official name for it, not mine). He threw me for a twist though: Instead of ordering a plain old pumpkin ale, he ordered us Jack O’Lanterns: A pumpkin ale with a shot of cider in it.

Since I’m so used to Sam’s Octoberfest in the autumn (which is a slightly heavier, darker beer), I figured pumpkin ale would be along the same lines. Errr I was wrong! It was much sweeter than I thought it would be, although the cider probably added to that. You could taste the spices in it, like cinnamon, but in no way was it overpowering.

According to the website, the beer is made with honey-roasted pumpkins and simmered with ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Yumm…boy did those go down easy. Heartland Brewery offers an amazing assortment of beer – I can’t wait to go back and try Farmer Jon’s Oatmeal Stout(right up my alley, as the website claims it’s a substitute for Guinness).

The details in this place are great – every beer has a comical logo to accompany it, which means your beer will show up with a coordinating glass and coaster:

Make sure you check out their website. The beer listing is phenomenal – they tell you the color, flavor, ingredients, a comparable beer, what meal you should enjoy it with, and more.

Posted by cher on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 4:55 am.