Highballer Pumpkin Ale - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge)

Highballer Pumpkin Ale - Grand River Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Cambridge) 5.2%

Full gold with an orange hue in a glass. A spice forward aroma: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and perhaps all-spice with a faint hint of pear, gourd and some toast, cereal and caramel.

Strongly nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves taste but with a distinctly pumpkin flavour as well. Sweet and quite heavily spiced although its flavouring, not including the malt flavours, can be broken down as 60% spices and 40% pumpkin. Highballer Pumpkin Ale has fairly low carbonation which makes for a smooth, watery mouthfeel even though there is a malty body with some toast and cereal notes.

Hogan's Goat - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill)

Hogan's Goat - Beau's All-Natural Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Vankleek Hill) 6.9%

A deep copper colour with a head of off white foam that faded to the edges of the glass fairly quickly. A typical bock aroma (think lager but a bit sweeter with a darker caramelization and a hint of higher alcohol) accompanied by hints of citrus (orange peel the label says), cloves and cinnamon that are prominent on one hand but subtle on the other if you compare Hogan's Bock to a spiced Autumn Ale for example. Or not, apparently autumn and its delectable Autumn Ales and Pumpkin beers are far enough in the past that I've confused juniper berries with the aforementioned spices. Ahem

The flavour is pleasantly malty and sweet with a continuation of the spices as described and a bitter finish. It is a tasty spiced bock, I'm not quite sure why this particular Beau's ale is as expensive as it is (juniper berries cost more in the real world than Skyrim I guess) but the beer is quite tasty. I'd have bought more but at more than $7 it's not too expensive I'm too cheap.

Winter Ale - Great Lakes Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Winter Ale - Great Lakes Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 6.2%

A dark and very red colour in a glass with a medium head of white foam. An aroma of cinnamon and perhaps cloves [note: nope] with a touch of roasted malt: not all that dissimilar from a pumpkin ale, although without any gourd tones kicking around, of course.

Lots of cinnamon (lots) and sticky, roasted malt in the flavour. The finish is fairly bitter and that is where some hops but especially the citrus (orange peel) comes out. It isn't the sort of sweet citrus that you get in a Belgian Wheat or with some hoppy west coast IPAs but the tangy, sour jolt of real orange peel. There are some red fruity, nearly sherry-like tones in the aftertaste. The spicy mix, which I originally (and mistakenly) thought included cloves (thinking of that other fabulous Christmas beverage, mulled cider) reveals the ginger in Great Lakes Brewery's Winter Ale as the beer warms.

This is a fine spiced beer but it doesn't quite suit the season to my taste. I cut my teeth, so to speak, as a beer geek/blogger/critic on Norwegian Yule Beers (see here, here and here) and therefore winter beers hold a special place in my heart. I just don't find molasses-less ginger and orange peel really speak to me as a far as the proper flavours of a beer for winter. Additionally, the lowish alcohol content and the only moderately malty body (one that is overshadowed by the spices anyway) don't really qualify this as a "true winter warmer" as the label asks you to believe. But do not misunderstand me: it may not fit my idea of a winter beer or a Winter Warmer but this is a tasty spiced beer, maybe just better suited to autumn.

Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale (USA - Oregon - Newport) 6.0%

Chatoe Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale (USA - Oregon - Newport) 6.0%

A slightly cloudy, deep copper colour like a lucky (though not shiny) penny. Cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg, the classic aroma of pumpkin pie, along with touches of the earthy aroma of the gourd itself.

The flavour is more or less identical to my description of the aroma though there is a bit of a roasty and sweet malt flavour which complements the spices nicely. There is some sediment at the bottom and, if it finds its way into your glass, it adds not just some yeast flavours (banana and an intensification of the cloves) but also suggestions of the orange peel Rogue used so it's worth adding.

Pumpkin Ale - Great Lakes Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Pumpkin Ale - Great Lakes Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.5%

A slightly cloudy, orange and gold colour in a glass. Great Lakes Brewery's Pumpkin Ale features a pumpkin aroma with cinnamon, all-spice and nutmeg but this aroma features with more gourd than spice.

The aforementioned spices are prominent in the flavour but, like in the aroma, a strong, earthy, gourd taste of pumpkin really is the main player in this tasty pumpkin ale. It also features a fairly bitter finish.

Pumpkin Ale 2013 - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Pumpkin Ale 2013 - Black Creek Historic Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

A dark amber but appropriately orange also with a thin head. The aroma is very strongly pumpkin and spices: ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and maybe a hint of cloves. An extremely appetizing aroma and, even though it has a hefty spiced character, distinctly pumpkin.

The taste is pumpkin and the same yummy spices from the aroma with a little dry hops. The finish is very roasty and sweet with lingering pumpkin and spices. So, basically, there are flavours of pumpkin and spices throughout but they are most strongly in the aroma. After I got over the step down in intensity from the initial aroma to the taste I found Black Creek's Pumpkin Ale to be most delightful and very refreshing on this unseasonably hot day at the end of August.

Grande Réserve 17 (2012) - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec - Chambly)

Grande Réserve 17 (2012) - Unibroue (Canada - Quebec - Chambly) 10.0%

A cloudy reddish brown colour in a glass with a smallish but resilient head. The aroma is loaded with oak along with some spice, cinnamon and nutmeg and herbal characteristics typical of Unibroue's brand of Belgian style ales.

The taste is again very oaky with an alcohol content you can feel. Sweet and spiced with fruit, raisin and herbal flavours, some light hops. Really spectacular and distinct. At various points in drinking the beer it reminded me alternatively of a white wine, a red wine, brandy or cognac. This is a phenomenal beer and a 'must try', there is so much to this beer that I think each person might take away something different.

Blanche Neige - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome)

Blanche Neige - Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! (Canada - Quebec - St Jerome) 8.3%

A surprisingly clear gold colour in a glass, there is some sediment in the bottom of the bottle but not much in solution. The aroma is a delectable, and strong, cinnamon and cloves combination that reminds me of late Autumn, early Winter nights.

The taste is very strongly, and still deliciously, cinnamon with the tasty spice of cloves joining the chorus of flavours. The malt body is pleasant and lends a perfect amount of balance with a creamy quality I associate with wheat in beers. There is a bit of an alcohol mouthfeel a mild chest warming sensation; not much considering it's 8.3%.

Dieu du Ciel!'s Blanche Neige has a bitter finish that fades into a sweet and spicy aftertaste. It is a very in teresting twist of a Wit Beer: spicy, potent and highly delicious.

Big Rock Winter Spice Ale (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

Big Rock Winter Spice Ale (Canada - Alberta - Calgary) 6.0%

A clear burnt amber in a glass, not much of a head. An aroma of spices such as cloves, nutmeg, with cinnamon a touch of oak. A definite alcohol warming with those same spices in the taste, cloves, nutmeg, strongish cinnamon, as well as ginger with a red fruit, slightly appley touch that makes the whole thing seem like a perfect beer substitute for mulled cider, the more traditional spiced Christmas drink. Obviously, Big Rock's Winter Spice Ale has no where near that much apple flavour. A spiced, smoky and lightly bitter aftertaste with some dried red fruit tones. Fairly sweet as well as all the rest. Quite a nice spiced winter ale as long as you know what to expect: the strong spice flavours can be a shock if you aren't anticipating them.

Bah Humbug - Christmas Cheer! Wychwood Brewery (England)

Bah Humbug - Christmas Cheer! Wychwood Brewery (England) 5.0%

A quite reddish brown colour in a glass with a decent head and light lacing. A lightly cinnamon and malt aroma; a smell of glaze with some dried red fruits (cranberries). Hints of gingerbread and hops.

What a neat taste! Strongly cinnamon with cloves but with pronounced malt flavours of a red, like roast and glaze, and also sugary sweet crystal malt. The finish leaves your mouth feeling quite dry. The mix of flavours from this fine Christmas Ale puts me in a distinctly Christmas mood. Bah Humbug Christmas Cheer! from Wychwood Brewery would make a fun (and tasty) stocking stuffer for the beer geeks on your Christmas list.

St-Ambroise Citroulle: The Great Pumpkin Ale - McAuslan Brewing (Canada - Montreal)

St-Ambroise Citroulle: The Great Pumpkin Ale - McAuslan Brewing (Canada - Quebec - Montreal) 5.0%

Strong raw pumpkin aroma with some pumpkin pie crust tones and spices like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. Plenty of the aforementioned spices in the taste along with a noticable cloves tone that I didn't notice as much in the aroma; quite sweet (brown sugar) with some raw pumpkin and pumpkin pie flavours. Quite a dark brown in a glass with an orange hue.

Pumpkin is a funny kind of flavour because for many people the only way they eat pumpkin is in pumpkin pie. As a result, lots of these pumpkin beers, including this one, are spiced like pumpkin pie however there are some nice flavours to be had from the flesh of the gourd itself. McAuslan's St-Ambroise Citroulle The Great Pumpkin Ale does a good job of balancing the two: genuine pumpkin flavour and the familiar and comforting spices of pumpkin pie. Propeller's Pumpkin Ale is more heavy on the pumpkin side while Mill Street's Nightmare on Mill Street is more on the spiced pie side of the spectrum.

Although this helpful tip probably comes a week or more too late, the next time you are carving a pumpkin it is interesting to try a little taste of the raw flesh of the pumpkin. It is an interesting flavour, quite mild and delicate, but trying it raw and on its own may also give you a better idea of which flavours are coming from which ingredients for the next time you try a pumpkin ale.

Rickard's Cardigan Autumn Spiced Lager (Canada)

Rickard's Cardigan Autumn Spiced Lager (Canada) 5.5%

First off, the name, label and even the bottle cap are awesomely hilarious. And it's fitting (har, har. Get it? It's a sweater!) too: the spice mix really does make this comfort food in the form of beer.

An orange hued gold in a glass. The aroma is of cinnamon, all-spice and cloves with just a touch of malt in there also. Some of the underlying sweetness is likely due to the added brown sugar but I didn't get any more sweetness than could be credited to the malt.

The taste is very spicy with lots of cinnamon, nutmeg, some brown sugar and cloves. A bitter finish reminds me that this is in fact a beer as well as a collection of flavours reminiscent of pumpkin pie and that reminds me of everything nice about Autumn. And it's a beer that I enjoy very much at that; I can feel the leaves turning with every sip. You absolutely must serve Rickard's Cardigan Autumn Spiced Lager quite a bit warmer than typical refrigerator temperature otherwise the spices are understated and the bitterness comes out much too clearly.

The food pairings suggested on the box are quite apt and I think they would work quite well: braised ribs, sweet potato fries or turkey. Overall a nicely spiced lager perfect for this time of year, so unless you hate pumpkin pie or flavoured beers in general you should give Rickard's Cardigan Autumn Spiced Lager a try.