Pumpkin spice latte season began at a well-known coffee chain in late August. Thanks to the phenomenon known as pumpkin creep — the earlier and earlier arrival of pumpkin-flavored beverages each year — pumpkin beer season starts earlier now too. But that’s not a bad thing: beers made with pumpkin, and more often pumpkin spice, are already on store shelves and will be hanging around through Thanksgiving or until they run out.

Like the saying, “everything old is new again,” pumpkin beer has a much longer history than many people realize. Modern versions of pumpkin beer were first brewed in the mid-1980s, but the style goes back to colonial America, out of necessity. When early colonists first arrived in New England, they discovered that barley didn’t grow very well, and they looked around for an alternative fermentable substitute. Some of the crops that Native Americans taught the settlers to grow were corn and pumpkins, which were grown together to more efficiently use farm space. Since beer was safer to drink than water, they couldn’t be too picky, so they started making beer with pumpkins, as well as other locally grown ingredients, like artichokes, parsnips, persimmons, spruce tips and molasses. How different those beers must have tasted compared to our modern lagers.

But as America expanded and other parts of the nation grew barley, the practice died out, especially once the Industrial Revolution made brewing on a large scale more efficient. It wasn’t until the rise of craft beers that pumpkin beers returned, although these were traditionally brewed with barley and hops, with pumpkin flavor added. The first modern version was brewed right here in the Bay Area, at one of America’s earliest brewpubs, Buffalo Bill’s, founded in Hayward by Bill Owens in 1983. It closed for a time during COVID, but was fortunately reopened recently by new owners who want to keep its legacy alive. Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale was first brewed around 1986. It’s still one of the bestselling pumpkin beers to this day, although it’s become so popular that they now contract the beer-making out to a production brewery to keep up with demand.

While colonial pumpkin beers used actual pumpkins, many modern ones do not, or at least don’t replace the barley with pumpkin. Many add pumpkins into the brewing process in one form or another, whether fresh cut-up pumpkins, pumpkin puree or some other concentrated form. In addition, many modern pumpkin beers also add various spices such as allspice, cloves, cinnamon, ginger or nutmeg, usually late in the boil to give the beer its seasonal aromatics, making it more like pumpkin pie beer. It’s the pumpkin spices that give many modern pumpkin beers their unique character, and most breweries use their own unique blends to complement the pumpkin flavor.

Longtime Hayward brewpub Buffalo Bill’s Cerveceria has been brought back after closing in 2022. Shown here are district manager Luis Angel Herrera and owner Alejandro Gamarra. (Courtesy Jay R. Brooks) 

Other good local pumpkin beers include Anderson Valley’s Fall Hornin’ Pumpkin Ale and 21st Amendment’s Pumpkin Haze IPA and Almanac’s Dark Pumpkin Sour. From outside our area, try Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale, New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin, and Rogue Ales and Spirits’ Pumpkin Patch Ale. Also worthwhile is Kern River’s Pumpkin Ale, Southern Tier’s Pumking, or either Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin Ale or Pumpkin Head. And Seattle’s Elysian Brewing has several varieties of pumpkin beers, including a variety pack in bottles or cans. The variety packs include their Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale, Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, and Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale. But check your local specialty beer store to see what they’re stocking this pumpkin beer season. Many brewpubs and breweries will also make a seasonal pumpkin ale for draft only, so this is also a good time to stop by your local brewery to see if it has any pumpkin beers on tap.

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Half Moon Bay’s Art & Pumpkin Festival

If you want to try a unique pumpkin beer, head to Half Moon Bay. From Oct. 18-19, the town will host its 53rd annual Art & Pumpkin Festival. The festival will include a special beer from Half Moon Bay Brewing’s award-winning brewer, James Costa. His Pumpkin Harvest Ale is a stronger version of their Amber Ale — at 6.8% ABV — with slightly reduced hops and added pumpkin and spices. This year’s edition is slightly different from the previous year. If you can’t make the fest, Half Moon Bay Brewery already has the pumpkin beer on tap.

Contact Jay R. Brooks at [email protected].

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