Southampton Publick House Pumpkin Beer Makes Top 5

Southampton Publick House’s brew ranked highly in Paste magazine’s new countdown of the best commercially available pumpkin beers.

Southampton Pumpkin Ale placed fifth, topping Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale and 22 others.

Paste beer critic Josh Jackson describes Southampton Pumpkin Ale as having a medium pumpkin flavor and medium level of spiciness. It has 5.5% alcohol by volume and it tastes like “somebody cares.”

“Neither the pumpkin or spice is overpowering, but it all blends together in a way that says, ‘keep drinking me; I’m only 5.5%!’ Jackson writes.

According to Paste, there are a lot of bad pumpkin beers on the market. “Thankfully a handful of breweries have taken the somewhat gimmicky style and created liquid works of art—the perfect blend of fall spices with a hint of pumpkin sweetness,” Jackson writes. “The secret is that pumpkin ales and lagers are really more about the spices—the gourd is usually just there for decoration.”

Ratebeer.com gives Southampton Pumpkin Ale a 92 out of 100 among pumpkin-style beers and 83 overall. In 2012, Boston.com‘s Gary Dzen said Southampton Pumpkin Ale is “exceptional.” “Spice hits you up front and also lingers throughout, preventing the pumpkin flavor from overpowering,” Dzen wrote. “The more you sip, the better this beer becomes.”

According to Publick House’s own website, “Southampton Pumpkin Ale is an unique amber-colored brew that has particular appeal during the autumn months and the holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving. We use a generous amount of pumpkin as well as traditional ‘pumpkin pie’ spices to give this unusual brew a definite seasonal character.”

Southampton Publick House, at 40 Bowden Square in Southampton Village, was founded in 1996. The brewpub and restaurant offers a number of year-round beers, like Southampton Double White and Montauk Light, and seasonal beers, like fall’s Southampton Pumpkin Ale.

Pumpkin Ale is currently available in stores by the six-pack, by 22-ounce bottles, and on tap at the Publick House at 40 Bowden Square in Southampton Village, founded in 1996.