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Three Upcoming Pumpkin Beer Festivals for Some Autumn Action

October 4, 2012 at 5:06 PM | by | Comment (1)

October has finally arrived and that means the seasonal beer festivals have taken a shift towards darker colors and spicier flavors. Sure there are plenty of lagers, ales, and stouts to be had this season, but they’re even better with the addition of everyone’s favorite October food—the pumpkin. Here’s three festivals with plenty of beer and plenty of pumpkin to get you in the mood for fall:

Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin Beer Festival – Philadelphia

We hope you don’t have plans this weekend, because you’re going to need to cancel them and rebook yourself in attendance at the annual Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin Beer Festival. It’s year number four for the festival, and things are scheduled to do their thing between 9am and 2am beginning this Saturday, October 6. All will kick off at The Institute in Philadelphia with a pumpkin brunch, and after that over 50 different seasonal beers and ciders will make their debut.

It’s just days before the event, but they’re still adding different beers and brews to the menu. We’ve spotted options like Stegmaier Pumpkin Ale, Hoppin Frog Double Pumpkin Ale, and Flying Dog’s The Fear Pumpkin Imperial Ale. Beers tickets will set you back $6, but it’s pretty much for a whole beer. We’re not saying you should overdo it or anything, but they’re promising a fresh pumpkin pie for the first 20 folks to down six beers.

Great Pumpkin Beer Festival – Seattle

If there’s just one festival to attend this month it has to be the Great Pumpkin Beer Festival organized by the folks over at Elysian Brewing Company. October 19 and October 20 brings one session on Friday and two on Saturday. Tickets will set you back $25, and that earns you access to six drink tickets and a tasting glass.

In total there will be over 60 different pumpkin beers to sample and sip, and 13 of them are coming straight from the festival organizers. Mulligatawny Moon Curry Pumpkin Ale, Puck's Pumpkin Porter, and The Gourdfather Pumpkin Barleywine are just some of the option from which to choose; however, the highlight is the tapping of a 200-pound pumpkin that’s been filled with still-fermenting beer. There’s even plans for some pumpkin carving, and of course they’re welcoming gourd and squash inspired costumes.

Great Pumpkin Festival - Cambridge

Over on the other side of the country, the Cambridge Brewing Company in Massachusetts has scheduled the fifth edition of their pumpkin beer festival. The seasonal suds start flowing at this year’s Great Pumpkin Festival on October 27, and it’s pretty much an all-day affair running from 1pm to 12:30am. Details are still limited at this point; however, we do know It’ll cost you $10 to access all the orange fun at the brewery’s location at 1 Kendall Square. After that it’s up to you to pony up for food and beverage tickets.

The brewery is promising more than 40 different seasonal beers from around the country, and it goes without saying that many of them will have a little pumpkin in there as a starring ingredient. Organizers have teamed up to develop a special pumpkin inspired tasting menu, so be sure to save a little room for something other than beer. Offerings from breweries like Elysian, Iron Hill, Dogfish Head, and Allagash can all be expected, and even costumes are strongly encouraged. Just be sure to watch your choice of Halloween mask, as we wouldn’t want anything impeding your ability to sip and sample.

[Photos: monohex and Flynn Wynn]

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ale's

wow these sound fantastic, I love my ales...specially dark. One of my fave's is "march of the penguins" by the Williams Brewery and also "Dark Island" by Orkney Brewery....2 very nice ales ;)

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