For the lover of all-things-pumpkin, we've taste tested and approved The Great Pumpkin Beer Bread Recipe, designed to incorporate your favorite pumpkin beer. We tried the recipe with a traditional ale with spices, but would also highly recommend a pumpkin porter or stout if one is available, as the darker beers provide an extra layer of roasty richness.
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we like Trader Joe's Bourbon Vanilla Extract)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
15 oz canned pumpkin (for more bready, less dense/chewy bread use 1/2 a can)
2 large eggs
12 oz bottle of pumpkin ale
(For a list of some of our favorites, check out The Great Pumpkin Beer Challenge article).
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch loaf pan.
2. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl.
3. In a second bowl, with electric beaters, combine the butter, sugar and oil on high speed in the bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined.
4. In a third bowl, combine pumpkin puree, beer, vanilla and spices. Slowly add the pumpkin mixture to the butter and sugar mixture until smoothly incorporated.
5. Continuing to mix on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture in three parts, until combined.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely.
Having a strong passion for design, evaluating branding and packaging design is always present in the way I look at new offerings in the craft beer market. The 24 beer Great Pumpkin Beer Challenge we conducted in October was no exception.
Many of the breweries take similar approaches to their pumpkin beer, using Halloween related illustrations on their labels. Some like Midnight Sun Brewing have a bit more fun bringing a stylized personality to their beers like T.R.E.A.T. and Trickster, but overall many pumpkin beers take a familiar and expected approach making it hard to stand out on shelf.
There was one package in particular that was such a stand out in the crowd from both a craftsmanship and differentiation perspective that we were compelled to find out more about their approach. That winner was San Francisco based Almanac Beer Company's Heirloom Pumpkin Barleywine, part of their Farm To Barrel series.
We were fortunate to have a great conversation with Almanac Beer Company's CEO and designer extraordinaire, Damian Fagan. His background previous to Almanac was as a graphics and branding designer in the food and beverage industry for about 15 years.
"I've been home brewing since 1992 and finally managed to marry two of my passions, beer and design a few years ago when we launched Almanac. We put as much thought and heart into the appearance of our beers as we do the beer itself."
The general theme of Almanac's branding is bringing together old world traditions with new world inspirations, which is how they make their beers; starting with classic, traditional beer styles and bringing their own 21st century, Northern California sensibility to them.
"I love the classic, traditional feel that woodcut engravings evoke and combining them with bright colors and contemporary typography for an unusual juxtaposition."
The Farm To Barrel lineup also references mid to late 19th century spirits packaging, where much of the labels are covered in ornate detail, which to Damian always lent a sense of sophistication to the presentation.
"As the name implies, the Farm To Barrel beers are all aged in oak barrels for many months, so we wanted the appearance to reflect the time and care it took to create the beer."
For more information on Almanac Beer's offerings and where to find them on shelf be sure to visit www.almanacbeer.com
As lovers of all things pumpkin, we've teamed up with CHAOS Brew Club's Ken Getty to put together a pumpkin beer tasting of epic proportions. We've compiled 24 beers and will be drinking through the good, the bad and the extra gourdy over the next 3 weeks to determine the ultimate Great Pumpkin Beer winner.
We'll be posting the results of each tier over the next few Thursdays, with the final winner announced on Halloween Day.
The tiers are ranked as follows:
Tier 3 - New Jack O'Lantern City, Limited Distribution
Tier 2 - Patch Madness, Regional Breweries
Tier 1 - Pumpkin O.G.'s, the crew that's been doing pumpkin beers before Pumpkin Spice Latte had its own hashtag
Which are your favorites vying for the win? Any you'd add or remove? Let us know your thoughts and stay tuned for the results!
