Union Jack Pub's Pumpkin Beer Fest and Why 'Death by Pumpkin' is More Than Just a Weird Way to Die

28 Oct Union Jack Pub’s Pumpkin Beer Fest and Why ‘Death by Pumpkin’ is More Than Just a Weird Way to Die

Posted at 18:40h in Musings, Uncategorized by Justin Knepp 0 Comments

By Nate Lowe of Indiana On Tap

Pumpkin is kind of a big deal these days. They put it in everything. Coffee, pancakes, pie. I even saw pumpkin salsa at the grocery store the other day. But, for me, the best part of the pumpkin craze is pumpkin beer. For the longest time, most pumpkin beers all tasted the same, but that’s not the case anymore. Brewers are finally taking the pumpkin beer to a whole new level. IPAs, stouts, ciders, porters, even sours have been ‘pumpkin-ed.’ This is good news for the craft beer community.

On Saturday, October 25th, Union Jack Pub held its 2nd Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest behind their restaurant/bar in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis). Union Jack has long been a staple for the soccer scarved, pizza craved, beer lover, but now they have added a new weapon to their already impressive arsenal. Bringing together 40 different styles of pumpkin beer, live music, food, and perfect weather, all pitched in to form one of the better beer festival experiences I have had in Indy.

Pulling together a who’s who of pumpkin brewers from far and near that included local Indiana favorites such as Flat 12, Bier Brewery, Indiana City, Scarlet Lane, Tow Yard, Mashcraft, Carson, and Tin Man, as well as far flung favorites like Shipyard, Epic, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium, Southern Tier, and Schlafly just to name a few. All in all it was the largest collection of pumpkin beers I have seen yet. I was in heaven from the start.

My only concern coming into the festival was the potential for shoulder to shoulder crowds due to what I thought would be a lack of space, but Union Jack managed to find a way to make you feel like you weren’t standing in a large crowd of fellow drinkers. The scattered hay bails dotted with pumpkins and fall-colored flowers provided an autumnal flair that would make even Brown County proud–and the sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures provided the ambiance. But I’m really here to talk about the beer, and oh what beer it was.

Union Jack Pub did a great job of creating amble space for their 2nd Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest.

I started off my pumpkin parade with Carson’s Jackie O’ Lantern Rum Barrel Aged pumpkin ale, and it did not disappoint. I have long believed that the key to aging a good pumpkin ale is to age it in rum barrels. The rum seems to lend itself perfectly to the spiciness that accompanies most pumpkin ales, and the higher ABV is a welcome change of pace in what is normally a 5%ish style. From that point, I moved my way to the beer I was most excited for. Scarlet Lane’s Dorian Stout has been a staple in my life ever since I found out that my hometown of McCordsville, IN was getting it’s very own brewery. Dorian was an easy choice for local beer of the year for me, and when I found out that they made a pumpkin version, I was sold immediately.

The pumpkin version of Dorian has a very similar flavor profile to it’s coconut cousin, but there is a subtle hint of Jack O Lantern-y goodness that adds to Dorian’s already unique taste. This is the first of my three recommendations from the festival. If you can find it, get it. Then after working my way through some of the more unique fare, such as Ace’s Pumpkin Cider, Flat 12’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Flat Jack (which was surprisingly tasty), and Jolly Pumpkin’s La Parcela Sour (which tasted like pumpkin about as much as spaghetti does), I finally made it to my next recommendation: Bier Brewery’s Pumpkin Ale.

This beer is exactly what I am looking for in a pumpkin beer. Its flavor profile has the perfect amount of spicy golden goodness that my tongue desires. When you think of going to the store and buying your Schlafly Pumpkin Ale or your Shipyard Pumpkinhead, heed my words…go to Bier and pick up a growler of this stuff. It is a direct flavor competitor with the two gourd-giants listed before, and I must say, it holds up very nicely. As an honest to goodness Pumpkinhead fan, I can tell you that I will only buy a bottle of Shipyard’s big seller if I can’t get my hands on some Bier Pumpkin Ale. It is worth the drive, and while you are there, be on the lookout for their Pumpkin Porter. It is quite the specimen itself.

After taking in some more tasty local fare such as Tow Yard’s Peter Peter Pumpkin Pleaser and Mashcraft’s Elvira Pumpkin Ale, I moseyed my way over to see what one of my favorite, and (in this humble reporters opinion) underrated, breweries was up to. The guys at Indiana City don’t seem to get as much press from the craft beer world as some of their neighbors, but in my experience, their special releases have been on point, and that goes double for my overall winner of the day: Death By Pumpkin. A darker beer with a slightly sweet vanilla finish and just the right dose of our friend Mr. Pumpkin, it provided a perfect blend of what you want from a pumpkin beer and what you haven’t tasted in a pumpkin beer before. It satisfied the pumpkin purist in me, and stoked my creative beer adventurer side at the same time. I don’t know how much of it they have, but I will just say that I spent the last three tickets I had on this beer. Get in your car now and go, they may just have some left.

So, after tasting a few more nationwide staples such as Southern Tier’s Warlock and New Holland’s Ichabod (still the best pumpkin beer name out there), and having several lovely chats with some of Indiana’s finest beer brewing big-shots, I decided to purchase a shirt and catch a cab. This festival absolutely delivered on its promises, with over 40 discipline-specific brews, a perfect fall day, and a friendly atmosphere, Union Jack’s 2nd Annual Pumpkin Beer Fest already has me itching for 2015’s 3rd installment!

Residing in Indianapolis, Nate is a Content Contributor for Indiana On Tap as well as the Founding Member of the Indiana On Tap Tasting Society. You can contact him at natemlowe@yahoo.com.