Taste is subjective, especially when it comes to pumpkin beer.听What you like depends on three main factors, says , a behavioral food expert. First is genetics, she says. But after that, taste preferences often come down to cultural factors, like a person鈥檚听socioeconomic status, location, and education. Emotional factors can also affect preferences. Those rolls your grandma always made at Christmas may not be remarkable, but because you鈥檝e听tethered them to happy emotions, you always reach for a second helping. For some, a beer derived from the humble orange gourd is another way to appreciate听the fall season.听
It鈥檚 OK听if you don鈥檛 like pumpkin beer. Really!听But it鈥檚 not cool to tell everyone how much you hate it. Keep it to yourself. Or听better yet, try one of these鈥攜ou might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.听
Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin,听New Belgium Brewing
I think this is the I鈥檝e ever had. I know that鈥檚 a bold statement, but I鈥檓 ready to stand by it. If听at first sip听you think it鈥檚 too sweet, hang with it. The habanero peppers hit you right in the back of the throat, just as the Munich and pale malt remind you that this is a beer, not a latte. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice bring the festive mood.听
Pumpkinator,听Saint Arnold Brewing Company
If you want your pumpkin beer to count as a meal, this is for you. Pumpkinator is听a听dark, caramelly, imperial stout that鈥檚 laced with sweet pumpkin and just a few handfuls of hops to keep things from going too desserty. Pumpkin beer is only as good as the base that brewers add the pumpkin into, and Saint Arnold gets its听 谤颈驳丑迟.听
Pumpkin Ale,听Schlafly
You shouldn鈥檛 mess with perfection, and this tried-and-true pumpkin ale is perfect. Is it super showy, with tons of weird ingredients mixed in at听the end? Nope. And really, that鈥檚 its beauty. Maybe it鈥檚 the fact that Schlafly鈥檚 brewers actually ferment the pumpkin听with the beer, or maybe it鈥檚 just that the brewers exercise restraint in adding听sweetness and spices. Whatever it is, Schlafly鈥檚 is the beer to convert your friends who swear they don鈥檛 like these seasonal offerings.听 听
骋丑辞耻濒蝉肠丑颈辫,听础濒濒补驳补蝉丑
Want both a pumpkin beer and a sour? 听has you covered. Aged in oak barrels for up to three years, the final brew released each fall is a mix of one-, two-, and three-year-old beer. If you鈥檙e tired of selections that听use the descriptor 鈥減umpkin pie in a glass,鈥 try this.听You鈥檒l get lots of tartness鈥攖hink white wine and apricot鈥攁nd some spice, but the pumpkin is really only present in a touch of earthiness at the finish.听
Nitro Fall Seasonal Pumpkin Spice Latte,听Breckenridge Brewery
Hey, if you love pumpkin-spice lattes, we鈥檙e听not here to judge you. We are here, however, to hand you one of these: a lovely, nitro-infused with all the toffee, coffee, vanilla, and cinnamon notes you鈥檇 expect in your favorite latte, now jammed into an alcoholic beverage. You鈥檙e welcome.听
UFO Pumpkin,听Harpoon Brewing
This 听brewed with pumpkin is the antidote to those summer days that linger past their welcome, when you feel like fall should be here, but you鈥檙e sweating through your flannel.听This beer is yeasty, just a touch earthy from the added pumpkin, and pretty darn refreshing.听听