Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat

I generally prefer my brews to be darker in color and stronger in taste. I'd choose a stout over an ale any day. But as I am the self-proclaimed Halloween Queen, how could my autumn be complete without pushing my pumpkin intake to the max? Pumpkin ales are therefore unavoidable. So here I am, on my quest to taste as many of them as I can!

You'll have to bear with me as I fine tune my tasting-and-telling-about-it skills. Here I go!

Copyright: Jenn D./The Halloween Spot

Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat
"Belgium style wheat ale brewed with pumpkin and spices"

Brewer: Anheuser-Busch | St. Louis, MO

Style: Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 5.20%


When it comes to Shock Top, the only previous run-ins I've had with the brand have been at the ball park. (The Phillies homebase, Citizens Bank Park, carries the beer.)

After cracking open the bottle, I took a few strong sniffs of the beverage. It was a light scent, very fresh with hints of orange citrus and a blend of spices underneath.

I poured the ale into a glass to see the color: vibrantly amber! Not completely transparent, the Pumpkin Wheat was like an opaque field of grains during an autumn sunset... Okay I'm done.

What little head there was disappeared almost immediately, so I jumped into the tasting. First sip didn't impress, but as I continued to drink the ale, the flavors developed across my taste buds and I liked it more and more! My plan to ditch half the bottle to be healthier ultimately failed.

At it's core, the Shock Top Pumpkin Ale remains close to its wheat beer roots. It's the nice, light spices in the beer that really sets it apart.

I gave it 2/5 pumpkins on scent and 3/5 pumpkins on flavor. I'm going to be a hard judge through and through on this ride! The pumpkins will denote how pumpkin-y the brew actually comes off. Overall, though, this was a very enjoyable drink. I wouldn't go and by a case (simply because it's generally not my thang,) but I wouldn't pass on an offer either.

What is wheat beer?
According to my quick search, many wheat beers are actually witbiers. (Other wheat beers include wiessbiers, hefeweizens, lambics and goses.) According to BeerAdvocate, a witbier is:

A Belgian Style ale that's very pale and cloudy in appearance due to it being unfiltered and the high level of wheat, and sometimes oats, that's used in the mash. Always spiced, generally with coriander, orange peel and other oddball spices or herbs in the back ground. The crispness and slight twang comes from the wheat and the lively level of carbonation. This is one style that many brewers in the US have taken a liking to and have done a very good job of staying to style. Sometimes served with a lemon, but if you truly want to enjoy the untainted subtleties of this style you'll ask for yours without one. Often referred to as "white beers" (witbieren) due to the cloudiness / yeast in suspension.

Mmm....

Like Pumpkin Ales? Let me know what you think!