Robin Shepard
Brewmaster Rich Becker has made a pumpkin beer in way that offers all the spices of pumpkin pie but as an accent in the aroma and finish.
For those who enjoy them, they say they are "gourd" to the last drop! Sorry about that, but 'tis the season for pumpkin beers. Good ones are few and far between for my taste. More often than not you find something akin to liquid pumpkin. It's actually not an easy beer to make, if the brewer is intent on something that offers pumpkin as an accent rather than as gourd in a glass. One that hits the mark, though, is the limited edition Pumpkin Ale from J.T. Whitney's, which was just tapped last weekend.
The Consensus: The 2008 version of this beer has been rated online, but there are comments on previous years' versions on Beer Advocate and