October is a fantastic month for beer drinking. The air is changing and chilling, so you may be reaching less for a cold Hefe with lemon and more for heavier ales and stouts. And it feels like it’s time for something new, maybe a transition beer tailored for the Fall. And true to this, every Fall we see the emergence of the Pumpkin Ale in all shapes and forms on shelves and on tap.
VOODOO RANGER ATOMIC PUMPKIN ALE
In preparation for Halloween, I sought to test a Pumpkin Ale. There are just so many. And, truth be told, I’m not a ‘beer and fruit’ or ‘beer and gourd’ kinda beer drinker, and perhaps some of you are not as well, but I was intrigued both by the can and by the flavors in Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin. It is brewed with Habanero, one of my favorite heats, in addition to a few other peppers, such as Aji and Del Arbol peppers to balance the Pumpkin and Cinnamon flavors. Atomic Pumpkin uses Pale, Munich, and Caramel 120 Malts and Nugget Hops.
New Belgium distributes in 50 states, so you are likely to be able to get New Belgium beer pretty easily. You might phone ahead to see if they are carrying Atomic Pumpkin.
I tested Atomic Pumpkin and the result was negative for >5ppm gluten/wheat content. See below: there is no line over the T, indicating a negative outcome. If you want to learn more about the kits, go to the Testing Kits page.
So I gave it a try. It was light, I could immediately taste the habanero flavor and it had a slight peppery finish, which also provided an interesting sensation with the carbonation. The Saigon Cinnamon aroma is present, but not overwhelming. I can’t say I could detect much pumpkin, which was fine with me. This is a fairly specialized flavored ale and would not recommend it with dinner, but would pair well with some warm cornbread appetizers.
If you would like to learn about other beer testing results, such as Fat Tire Ale, Guinness, and Bass Ale, go to the Beer Test Results table page.
And if you are curious about calories for other beers, check out the Beer AVB% to Calories calculator.
As always, Cheers!
Pumpkin Image by S. Hermann & F. Richter from Pixabay
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