Pumpkin Ale Pumpkin Pie

Confession: I’ve never been a fan of the taste of beer. As I mentioned before, my stepdad has become an avid home-brewer, so I know there are many ways to change the flavor of a beer. He can vary the amount and type of hops used or the particular starch involved, among other things. Still, no beer that has ever passed between my lips has impressed me.

If (not necessarily when) I come across a beer I do like, I suspect it will have another flavor masking that of the beer. For example, Schlafly has a seasonal pumpkin ale that blends spices like cinnamon and cloves with full-bodied sweetness for a beer that tastes like pumpkin pie. Like the colonists of yore, Schlafly uses pumpkin as the fermenting medium instead of malted barley, and the result is a rather popular brew.

Using pumpkin pie ale in a pumpkin pie might seem redundant, but for someone who really enjoys the spices of the fall season, it doesn’t get much better. The risk in adding beer to a traditional pumpkin pie recipe is that it will alter the filling consistency. By replacing some of the heavy cream with the aforementioned pumpkin ale, you can add beer flavor without adding extra moisture.

The result here is a pumpkin pie with a balanced malty flavor and an aroma that should be bottled and sold. It has all the creamy texture of a classic pumpkin pie, but there’s a little something more inside making it unique and particularly flavorful. Bottoms Forks up!