America's Original Pumpkin Ale

America's Original Pumpkin Ale is made by Buffalo Bill's Brewery, a California Brewery which bottles at the Pyramid Brewing Company from Seattle. Pyramid has always been good to me, so I gave it a shot.

Pumpkin Ale is probably the most divisive style among my good beer-drinking friends. Most people either can't wait for October or just flat-out oppose all pumpkin beers. I love pumpkin flavor, and I've been hooked on the style since my first Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale.

America's Original Pumpkin Ale delivers everything I look for in a pumpkin ale. It starts smooth, honestly a bit unassuming. Right away, though, the pumpkin flavor blends subtly with the natural ale flavor. Nothing about it seems forced or overwhelming, or lazy and watery, the two ways pumpkin ales tend to very wrong (I'll admit, bad pumpkin ales are among the most undrinkable beers around).

Overall, I still prefer heavier pumpkin ales, such as Dogfish Head's Punk'n and, my personal favorite, Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale. But for a version that's less like biting into an alcohol infused pumpkin pie and more like an easy-drinking ale with pumpkin hints, Buffalo Bill's is very solid.

Beer: America's Original Pumpkin Ale
Brewery: Buffalo Bill's Brewery
Location: Hayward, California
Rating: 8.4