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Ep 132 - When rye barrels outshine bourbon and pumpkin learns new tricks

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Content provided by The Northwooods Beer Guy. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by The Northwooods Beer Guy or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

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Forget sugar-bomb pumpkin beers—this tasting tour is all about balance, craft, and a few bold surprises. We line up six fall pours that couldn’t be more different: a rare pumpkin lager, a chili-spiced ale that warms on the finish, a silky nitro pumpkin spice latte with coffee, and two barrel-aged heavyweights that turn seasonal flavor into slow-sipping art. The arc builds from approachable to audacious, and it’s capped by a rye barrel–aged Belgian-style quad with figs and molasses that drinks impossibly smooth for its strength.
We start by probing where spice belongs in a lager that keeps things subtle, then flip the script with New Belgium’s Atomic Pumpkin where cinnamon meets habanero heat in a clean, lingering finish. From there, we chase the perfect “pumpkin pie” profile and diagnose what a well-made ale might be missing when the allspice and clove don’t quite pop. Texture takes center stage with Left Hand’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro—the cascading pour, pillowy head, and smartly restrained coffee note create a café-meets-taproom moment that feels tailor-made for sweater weather.
Barrels change the conversation. Lexington Brewing’s Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale layers caramel, vanilla, and bourbon warmth without the burn, showing how oak can elevate rather than overwhelm. And then the showstopper: Three Sheeps’ Pumpkin Spice Veneration, a rye barrel–aged quad where molasses, fig, and pumpkin-spice glow meet Belgian depth and a gentle peppery edge from the rye. It’s complex, warming, and a clear beer-of-the-year contender.
Along the way, we touch on the surprising roots of pumpkin beer in early America and why modern brewers are revisiting the style with more finesse. Looking for the best pumpkin beers to try right now? We’ve got picks for newcomers, heat-seekers, nitro lovers, and barrel fans. If you enjoy thoughtful tastings, honest scores, and a little beer history with your pour, you’ll feel right at home. Subscribe, share this with a fall beer friend, and leave a quick review to tell us your go-to seasonal pick.

Thank you for listening to The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. If you have a question, comment or would like us to review your beer, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok.
If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request.
Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Ep 132 - When rye barrels outshine bourbon and pumpkin learns new tricks (00:00:00)

2. Fall Vibes And Pumpkin Game Plan (00:00:24)

3. Lakefront Pumpkin Lager Review (00:03:23)

4. Pumpkin Beer Origins In Early America (00:08:10)

5. Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin: Heat And Sweet (00:10:33)

6. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale: Close But Missing Spice (00:15:45)

7. PSL Nitro Arrives: Coffee, Spice, Smooth (00:21:06)

8. Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale: Bourbon Balance (00:28:20)

9. Three Sheeps Veneration: Rye Barrel Revelation (00:36:41)

10. Ranking The Lineup And Final Takes (00:45:35)

11. Sign-Off And How To Reach Us (00:50:42)

133 episodes

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iconShare
 
Manage episode 510259603 series 3462528
Content provided by The Northwooods Beer Guy. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by The Northwooods Beer Guy or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://podcastplayer.com/legal.

Send us a text

Forget sugar-bomb pumpkin beers—this tasting tour is all about balance, craft, and a few bold surprises. We line up six fall pours that couldn’t be more different: a rare pumpkin lager, a chili-spiced ale that warms on the finish, a silky nitro pumpkin spice latte with coffee, and two barrel-aged heavyweights that turn seasonal flavor into slow-sipping art. The arc builds from approachable to audacious, and it’s capped by a rye barrel–aged Belgian-style quad with figs and molasses that drinks impossibly smooth for its strength.
We start by probing where spice belongs in a lager that keeps things subtle, then flip the script with New Belgium’s Atomic Pumpkin where cinnamon meets habanero heat in a clean, lingering finish. From there, we chase the perfect “pumpkin pie” profile and diagnose what a well-made ale might be missing when the allspice and clove don’t quite pop. Texture takes center stage with Left Hand’s Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro—the cascading pour, pillowy head, and smartly restrained coffee note create a café-meets-taproom moment that feels tailor-made for sweater weather.
Barrels change the conversation. Lexington Brewing’s Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale layers caramel, vanilla, and bourbon warmth without the burn, showing how oak can elevate rather than overwhelm. And then the showstopper: Three Sheeps’ Pumpkin Spice Veneration, a rye barrel–aged quad where molasses, fig, and pumpkin-spice glow meet Belgian depth and a gentle peppery edge from the rye. It’s complex, warming, and a clear beer-of-the-year contender.
Along the way, we touch on the surprising roots of pumpkin beer in early America and why modern brewers are revisiting the style with more finesse. Looking for the best pumpkin beers to try right now? We’ve got picks for newcomers, heat-seekers, nitro lovers, and barrel fans. If you enjoy thoughtful tastings, honest scores, and a little beer history with your pour, you’ll feel right at home. Subscribe, share this with a fall beer friend, and leave a quick review to tell us your go-to seasonal pick.

Thank you for listening to The Northwoods Beer Guy Podcast. If you have a question, comment or would like us to review your beer, please feel free to contact us at [email protected].
You can also find us on Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Instagram and Tik Tok.
If you are on Untappd, look up NorthwoodsBeerGuy and send a friend request.
Subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or wherever you listen to podcasts, or you can click on our RSS feed as well.

  continue reading

Chapters

1. Ep 132 - When rye barrels outshine bourbon and pumpkin learns new tricks (00:00:00)

2. Fall Vibes And Pumpkin Game Plan (00:00:24)

3. Lakefront Pumpkin Lager Review (00:03:23)

4. Pumpkin Beer Origins In Early America (00:08:10)

5. Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin: Heat And Sweet (00:10:33)

6. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale: Close But Missing Spice (00:15:45)

7. PSL Nitro Arrives: Coffee, Spice, Smooth (00:21:06)

8. Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale: Bourbon Balance (00:28:20)

9. Three Sheeps Veneration: Rye Barrel Revelation (00:36:41)

10. Ranking The Lineup And Final Takes (00:45:35)

11. Sign-Off And How To Reach Us (00:50:42)

133 episodes

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