Cider Pumpkin Waffles

Cider Pumpkin WafflesOh Fall, when all the ladies lose their minds over pumpkin and pumpkin spice everything.

Myself included, which is why I’m joking about it.  Along with pumpkin everything, I also look forward to apple cider season!

In the fall cider is a staple in my fridge and I use it for everything.

Since I’ve been on a waffle kick, I decided to experiment a bit and make some cider pumpkin waffles.

Yes I realize this has been done before, I’m not pretending like I just invented something new. I’m just sharing how I went about making these waffles and maybe that will get you to try something new!

Andrea’s Cider Pumpkin Waffles

  • 1 1/2C White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1tsp Baking Soda
  • 3TBSP Cane Sugar
  • 1tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp Ground Clove
  • 1/2tsp Allspice
  • 1 3/4C Apple Cider
  • 3tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3TBSP Pumpkin Puree
  • Melted Coconut Oil or Butter for the waffle iron

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, spices, and sugar.  Whisk until everything is combined.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the cider, eggs, extract, and pumpkin.  Whisk until everything is combined.

Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry, gently stirring.  Continue to stir until everything is combined well.  Set aside and let rest for at least 5 minutes.

Heat up the waffle iron.

When waffle iron is ready, brush with some oil or butter to prevent batter from sticking.  Pour 2/3 cup of batter into the center of the iron.  Close and let the waffles bake.  This takes about 3 minutes or until your waffle iron indicates that it’s ready.

Remove waffles and repeat with remaining batter.  Serve and enjoy!

Cider Pumpkin WafflesIf that amount of batter is too much (leaks out sides of waffle iron) or not enough, then you can adjust the amount you pour onto the waffle iron.

You can also use all-purpose flour if you like.  I just happen to like wheat a little more.

These waffles turned out fluffy with a crispy bite to them.  Leftovers freeze really well and you can reheat them in a toaster or toaster oven to make them even crispier!

Review: Elysian Brewing’s The Great Pumpkin

Elysian Brewing's The Great PumpkinIf you missed the first three reviews, you can find them here, here, and also over here.

Elysian Brewing is located in Seattle, Washington and they are known for being the kings of pumpkin beers.  They do so much with pumpkin and for someone like myself who adores pumpkin beers, I am all over it.

They are big supporters of collaborations among breweries and used to brew some of there beer here in Fort Collins at the New Belgium Facility.  They have since expanded to where they can brew all their beers in Seattle.

Today we are talking about their The Great Pumpkin, Imperial Pumpkin Ale! This brew is available in bomber size and only around in the fall.

Smell: 4/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The aroma on this beer is very strongly spiced.  Cinnamon is the most prominent and then you can start to pick up the spicy ginger and even a little honey for some sweetness.

Head: 2/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The head didn’t last too long but it was a bright egg white color providing a nice contrast to the beer.

Color: :5/5 pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Bright orange with some amber undertones.  The color is gorgeous and is perfect for a pumpkin ale.

Elysian's The Great PumpkinTaste:  5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

This beer will wake up your senses.  The strong spice on the nose follows through with the taste.  It’s not a tease, it’s a strong indicator of what kind of shenanigans you’re about to get into.

The spice is so strong that it’s almost a little spicy. It leaves your tongue a little tingly.

This style of beer is exactly what I’m looking for in a pumpkin ale.  I totally dug this beer and am looking forward to some more!

If you like strongly spiced pumpkin ales, this is the way to go.

That wraps up our Pumpkin Beer Tasting for 2013! It’s time to start researching and see what I can gather for next year’s tasting!

What pumpkin beers did you have this year that you loved?

 

Review: Dry Dock Imperial Pumpkin

Dry Dock Imperial PumpkinMissed the first two reviews? Check them out here and here!

This week we are taking a look at Dry Dock Brewing’s Imperial Pumpkin.

Dry Dock is a brewery located out of Aurora Colorado and they make a wide variety of beers.

One of my absolute favorite summer beers (though it is available all year round), is Dry Dock’s Apricot Blonde.  If you want a beer with strong apricot flavor that isn’t over powering or too sweet, this is it. Fantastic.

But today Fall is on the brain and we’re talking about their Imperial Pumpkin, so let’s get to it!

Smell: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Strong spice smell full of cinnamon and allspice.  A little clove in there as well.  The minute you smell this beer you know you are in for a fall inspired brew.

Head: 2/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The head is foamy white but on the smaller side.  Which is nice because when you really want to drink that beer, having to wait on the head to go down can be a bit of a distraction.

Dry Dock Imperial PumpkinColor: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

This beer has a nice dark amber color with hints of orange.  If beer can provide an atmosphere of warm and inviting than this one does just that.  Looking at it, makes you think of warm blankets and chilly evenings.

With the head being white and the beer being darker, it provides a lovely contrast.

Taste: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Bang on. I love pumpkin beers that are aggressive with their spice.  I don’t want a “hint of cinnamon”.  I want that cinnamon to smack me in the face.

This beer does exactly that!  The spice starts with the nose and stays with you through the entire sip.  It doesn’t dissipate at all or leave you feeling a little disappointed on the finish.  The spice is there with you through it all.  Amazing!

Plus you get the flavor of roasted pumpkin in there as well, a winning combo!

If you see this beer out and you like highly spiced pumpkin ales, give this a try!

 

Review: Uinta Punk’n Harvest Ale

Uinta Punk'nCheck out the first Pumpkin Beer review of 2013 here.

Uinta (which is awkward to say) makes a pumpkin ale called Punk’n Harvest Ale.  Uinta Brewing is out of Salt Lake City, Utah and they make various styles of beers.  Everything from easy sessionables to the more potent and big beers.

I was very anxious to try their pumpkin ale and see what they were bringing to the table.

Smell: 3/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Has a great spicy aroma.  Not over powering but enough to let you know this is a beer for the fall season.

Head: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The head is a glorious off white color and very creamy.  It sticks around for a long time as well.  I ended up having to spoon some off so that I could get to the beer.

Color: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

As you can see, this is a gorgeous beer.  Creamy white head and perfect orange color.  Very pretty to look at.

Uinta Punk'n

Taste: 1/5 :pumpkin:

Sadly, looks aren’t everything and most of us like a little more substance.  I had really high hopes for this beer because it was so pretty and because it smelled awesome.  But the aroma in this situation isn’t an indicator of taste.  The spice flavor sits very dry on the tongue at first.  Almost like toasted cinnamon that you licked off a plate.  You know what it is, but it’s kinda weird.  The spice leaves quickly after that and the beer has a bit of a watery mouthfeel to it.  Considering the great head on this beer I definitely thought it would be a little more complex and have a bit more umph to it.

Checking Untappd, it seems I had this beer last year as well and thought the same thing.  So that does mean that Uinta is being consistent with their brews! Sadly that also means that I don’t dig it.

This beer does come in a regular 12oz size bottle so if you see it out, I say still give it a shot.  It might be right up your alley and it’s always nice to try new beers.

But for us, this one won’t be making a return visit.

Check back next week to see what new pumpkin beer we’ll be talking about! :pumpkin:

 

Review: Epic Brewing’s Fermentation without Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter

Epic Brewing's Fermentation Without Representation Imperial Pumpkin PorterLast year I took a break and didn’t review any pumpkin beers at all.  We just moved and were still getting settled.

I also didn’t see many out and the ones we did find were duds.  Because of all of that I couldn’t muster up the energy to write about them.

This year I’m back with some new beers to talk about!

To get an idea of how this works, check out the previous reviews.

2011 Pumpkin Beer Reviews

And yes those beers are in a shaker glasses. GASP!  You’ll live. Trust.

First up this year, we are taking a look at Epic Brewing’s Fermentation without Representation Imperial Pumpkin Porter.

Say that five times fast.

Epic is a brewery that started in Utah and opened a second brewery in Denver this year.  They focus on creating strong brews and work to experiment with different flavors.  This pumpkin porter is part of their Exponential Series, which is a series of beers designed for those who are looking to expand their palates and try something different (Much like New Belgium’s Lips of Faith series).

This porter comes in the larger American Style bomber size and has an ABV of 9%.

Epic Brewing's Fermentation without Representation Imperial Pumpkin PorterSmell: 3/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

This definitely had an interesting aroma to it.  You get the roasted malt along with a hint of cinnamon at the end.  It is not a super spicy smelling beer which makes sense given it’s style. So no worries that it’s going to knock you over the head with pumpkin spices.  It’s subtle, just enough to let you know that maybe something else is going on with the porter.

Color: N/A

It’s a porter so it’s going to be super dark.  We can’t really judge the color on this style.

Head: 4/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Lovely off white head that isn’t too full.  It sticks around for a bit and does provide some nice lacing on the glass.

Taste: 4/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The taste was really surprising.  I admit I went into this with some skepticism because of past experiences.  Scott and I have tried some pumpkin porters and stouts and so far none of them have been that great.

This is different.  It’s still a heavy beer with a big mouthfeel but it’s also very smooth and there isn’t much of a bitter finish.  There is a hint of toasted cinnamon and then it finishes with the slightest pumpkin taste.  Enough to make you realize that this isn’t a typical porter.

The pumpkin and spice are not over powering in any way and admittedly I prefer a much more aggressive spice, which is why this didn’t get a 5 from me.

I think if this had a little bit of vanilla and stronger cinnamon it would be knockout.  However this is one of the best pumpkin porters we have tried and I would definitely have it again.

If you like porters and are looking for something a little different, give this a try and see what you think.

Ever had a pumpkin porter or stout?  What is your favorite?

 

 

2011 Pumpkin Beer Review Roundup

The pumpkin beer reviews for 2011 have been completed! We tested a great variety of brews this fall and even found a new favorite!

First up was a crowd favorite, Pumpking by Southern Tier. Sadly not a FE favorite at all.

Next was Shipyard Brewing’s Smashed Pumpkin, and won this year’s favorite!

Followed that up with Heavy Seas The Greater Pumpkin, a lovely barrel aged ale.

Last up was Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela, which sadly didn’t rate very high.

We ended the pumpkin ale season with a tasting at our favorite bar, Hal and Al’s.

This was a great season for tasting new pumpkin brews!

Were you able to get any pumpkin ales this season? Did you find a new favorite? 

Up next?  Perhaps some winter ale tastings!

If you’re into ales as much as we are, feel free to follow me on Untappd!

 

2011 Hal and Al’s Pumpkin Beer Tasting

The last time we talked about Hal and Al’s I mentioned that we went for their pumpkin beer tasting.  Can you imagine how excited I was for that event!

When we were in last, I was informed that they were going to be hosting a pumpkin beer tasting the following week which would include pumpkin beers and ciders.

I may or may not have almost toppled over a parton and bartender as I eagerly inquired more about the event, embarrassing both my friend John and Scott.

Okay, not really, they both know me well enough to not get embarrassed by my antics any more.

I immedately marked the event on our calendar and off we went to the pumpkin beer tasting!

We were serious about this tasting.  I busted out the camera and my handy notebook featuring Snoopy with a pumpkin on green paper.

This was an intense tasting as well, there were 9 samples to get through.

Let me repeat, 9 samples!

Signing up for the tasting meant that we also got a sample of the pumpkin soup!  It was creamy and savory with a hint of heat on the backend that increased the more you ate.

After that it was time to dive in!

Bottoms up!

 

In order the 9 beers we had were:

  1. Shock Top: Good smell and color.  It had decent pumpkin and spice tasting along with being a very light ale. It almost evaporated off your tongue at the finish.
  2. Ichabod: Icky! Read our previous review. Still hold the same opinion.
  3. Blue Moon: It tastes just like a regular beer to us.  Nothing really of note.
  4. Woodchuck Pumpkin Cider: I’m lukewarm on ciders so I didn’t care for this.  Scott likes ciders a lot so he enjoyed this one.  This is a very limited edition cider and can be hard to find. We’ve previously purchased it at The Anderson’s but you need to get it quick because it sells fast.
  5. Brooklyn Post Road: I couldn’t even finish this beer.  It was so light that to me it tasted like water.  I love Brooklyn Brewery so I was disappointed in their version of pumpkin beer.
  6. Harpoon UFO: This was an unfiltered wheat pumpkin beer and we both really enjoyed this beer.  It has a pretty strong cinnamon flavor to it that gets more intense at the finish.  However the pumpkin flavor isn’t that strong.
  7. Rivertown: I thought this beer had more of a cinnamon flavor than the Harpoon but Scott didn’t agree.  He said Harpoon has much more cinnamon to it.  It was alright but nothing we’d purchase again.
  8. Pumpking: Read our previous review. Thoughts still the same.  Scott and I ended up switching, I gave him my Pumpking and took his Rivertown.
  9. Your pick! #9 was a bonus and you could pick your favorite of the bunch.  We each got Harpoon’s UFO.

We had a great evening full of chit chat and pumpkin beer.  Hal and Al’s is the perfect place to chill and relax from your busy day or week.

We also got the best glasses at the end of this tasting!

A pint glass with a pumpkin on it?!  OH YES!  This is a huge part of the reason that I came to this tasting because I caught a glimpse of this glass on their facebook page.

That wraps up the pumpkin beer tasting for 2011!  Now it’s time to plan for next year!

Hal and Al’s Columbus Bar

My absolute favorite bar in Columbus, is by far, Hal and Al’s. My friend John is responsible for introducing me to this fabulous place.

He kept saying to me, “Andrea, they have a great beer selection and I really think you would enjoy their stouts.”

These are the kinds of friends you need to have in your life.  The ones that seriously look out for you and have your back.

John, totally has my back when it comes to beer.

So I finally made it down to Hal and Al’s and fell in love right away.  They have an amazing beer selection.  I’m not exaggerating here, the menu is three pages long and has the beers listed by type.  Meaning the beers are listed as, Lagers, Ales, IPAs, Stouts, Porters and so on.

And there’s usually some stuff they have either in bottles or on tap that isn’t listed on the menu.

Heck yes!

The atmosphere is exactly what I’m looking for in a bar.  There’s plenty of seating in a wide open space. The bathrooms are clean and updated.  It’s quite, no super loud music and no super loud people.

There’s food! Hal and Al’s just happens to serve all vegan bar food.  Now I know some might not care for it, but I happen to like it a lot.  Keep in mind, it is bar food, but the offerings are enjoyable.  My favorite being the burrito and the sweet potato fries.

Plus free popcorn just to munch on if you feel like it.

The decor is totally up my alley.

How can you not like a bar that has a pic of Jambi up?  Meka leka hi, meka hiney ho!

There’s also one of Tom Selleck because of course, why not?!  They also have a lot of retro pictures up that advertises things like bar hours, drink suggestions, and weekly specials.

Bonus is that they also do tastings of beers on Tuesdays.

There will be a theme to the tastings, like a sampling of stouts or IPAs for example.

They handle the tastings in the most efficient way.  You sign up at the bar and then you’ll get 4oz (guessing, but I’m pretty sure it’s 4oz) tasting cups, each numbered 1 through however many are being tasted for that event.  The first cup gets filled up and you’re told what it is.  You go sit down and when you’re ready for #2, you bring up your #2 cup to the bar and they fill it up for you. Rinse, repeat.

This is great because it lets you taste at your own pace and you’re not sitting there with a bunch of samples of beer getting warm while you work your way through them.

Genius!

The best part is at the end, when you’ve finished the tasting you get a pint glass to take home.  Oh yeah!

Considering how much beer you’re getting to sample and that you get a glass at the end, the tastings are completely priced well.

If you’re in the mood for a pint, definitely check out Hal and Al’s! I think you’ll be pleased with the selection that you find there.

Stay tuned! The last tasting we did at Hal and Al’s was a pumpkin beer tasting! :pumpkin:

Hal and Al’s
1297 Parsons Ave Columbus, Ohio 43206
614-375-4812

Stay tuned! The last tasting we did at Hal and Al’s was a pumpkin beer tasting! :pumpkin:

Review: Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela

It’s the last pumpkin beer review for 2011!  It’s been a month already and we are on our fourth pumpkin beer for October! Let’s get to it!

We had a hiccup with one of the pumpkin ales that we bought.  It was skunky.

Ugh.

A skunky beer is never a good experience.  So we were kind of scrambling to find a replacement beer.  The thing with pumpkin beers, they don’t last long.  When you see them in the store, you gotta jump on those quick because once they are gone, they’re gone.

Only so many of them get made and sometimes they are in limited release.

We stumbled across this Jolly Pumpkin , La Parcela No. 1 Pumpkin Ale and picked it up.

I have had Jolly Pumpkin’s La Roja which is a sour beer.  It’s lovely for a very hot and humid summer day which means it’s great beer for an Ohio summer.

I decided to go with their Pumpkin Ale because if the brewery has pumpkin in the name, they should know what they’re doing, right?

Smell: 2/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Scott said if you breathed in deep enough you could pick up the spice in this beer.  I think he “thinks” he could smell something.  I got nothing.  This beer is aged in oak barrels and I definitely picked up that note but I didn’t get any pumpkin or any spices in this beer.  It’s also supposed to have some cacao in it to deepen the flavor and smell a bit.

Seriously I got nothing.

It gets a 2/5 because Scott said he smelled some spice.

Head: 4/5 :pumpkin:  :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

This beer had a great head on it that developed perfectly as the beer was poured.  It stuck around for a little while as well which was nice to see.  It was more white than an off white, but still great nonetheless.

Color: 5/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

The color on this beer was exceptional.  It had a smooth and deep rich orange color. Very fall-esque!  It was also perfectly cloudy and dense.  Exactly what I like to see in a beer, especially a pumpkin ale.  I couldn’t get over how fabulous the beer looked.  I kept turning the glass over and over just to stare at the color.

Taste: 1/5 :pumpkin:

Unfortunately, this beer fell flat.  With the color and given that it was aged in oak barrels, I expected this beer to have some heft and some kick to it.

Nothing.

It was extremely light tasting and almost evaporated on your tongue.  It was very similar in style to a cider and if you like ciders, perhaps you’ll like this style of pumpkin ale.

I still didn’t pick up any spices or pumpkin flavor at all while drinking it.  It also reminded me of their sour beer as this had a bit of a sour finish to it.

I was not a fan.  I didn’t have much of the glass and in the end neither Scott nor I could finish this beer.

Summary:

My fault, I set myself up and had high expectations for this beer.  With it being created by a brewing company called The Jolly Pumpkin and with it being aged in oak barrels, I thought this beer would knock my socks off.  Sadly it did not.  It’s drinkable but not a beer I would seek out or purchase again.

However if you like ciders and really enjoy sour style beers, give this beer a chance because it might be right up your alley.

Jolly Pumpkin, La Parcela

Review: Heavy Seas The Greater Pumpkin

This week we are taking a look at Heavy Seas, The Greater Pumpkin. This is in the Mutiny Fleet series of ales.

I have to admit that I did a little happy dance when we spotted this beer because it’s got two of my very favorite things combined into one brew:

  • Pumpkin Ale
  • Bourbon Barrel Aged

Oh my pumpkins!

I was excited and a bit nervous to try this beer so I was putting it off and putting it off, tasting others first. Excited because barrel aged pumpkin! Nervous because what if I didn’t like it? Yikes!

Finally I put my foot down and said that we needed to taste this beer.

Smell: 3/5  :pumpkin: :pumpkin:  :pumpkin:

The smell is more concentrated in the bottle.  You get hints of spices in the background letting you know that you are about to drink a pumpkin inspired beer.  The spices are not overwhelming and are toned down a bit from the bourbon in the background.

The bourbon smell is prominent. Once you’ve had a bourbon aged beer, you can pick up that hint of sweetness at the end very quickly.  The smell alone had me ready to take a sip! The bourbon in this beer brought out a more caramel and vanilla smell that was just right. Not super sweet and you didn’t feel like it was going to be a heavy beer.

Head: 4/5 :pumpkin:  :pumpkin:  :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

When I first poured this beer, the head was minimal at best.  I originally scored this at 2/5.  However when I went back for the second pour (this was a 1pt. 6oz bottle, so roughly two glasses of beer), the head was exactly what I wanted to see.

It was thick with an off-white, very creamy color to it.  It paired nicely with the color of the brew itself.  It also lasted a decent amount of time, so the rating changed! We went from 2/5 to 4/5.

Color: 5/5 :pumpkin:  :pumpkin:  :pumpkin:  :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

Perfection! This was a great orange color that was deliciously cloudy. I loved the way this beer looked and told Scott that it was probably my favorite so far.

Taste: 4/5 :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin: :pumpkin:

I went back and forth on this for quite some time because I actually really enjoyed this beer a great deal.  I finally decided that 4/5 would be a fair rating.

The pumpkin flavor isn’t quite as intense as I would like to see in a pumpkin ale.  The spices are also very subtle but they do linger for a while post sip.  That’s a good thing, I want to know that I’m drinking pumpkin and fall brews.

The spices don’t hit you at the front but more at the finish.  That’s okay, but I would like to see a little more cinnamon on the nose.

The bourbon aspect of this beer though is amazing.  This beer is extremely smooth drinking and not harsh in any way.  That is the first thing Scott mentioned when he had some was that it was one of the smoothest pumpkin beers we’ve ever had.

And he’s right!

It’s delightfully crisp as well, the bourbon doesn’t weight this beer down at all.

Summary:

Would I get this beer again? Most definitely! Not only would I get it again, but I would knock you over trying to get there first.

I have no shame in my game.

While it’s not a super pumpkin-y brew, it’s got great spice to it and the smoothness can’t be beat.  It’s one of the more creative pumpkin beers we’ve had and the bourbon barrel aging takes it up to a whole other level.

It’s not overly sweet and it’s not overly spicy.  It’s a great sipping beer and would be perfect for both pumpkin beer lovers and those just starting out with them.

The website lists it in super limited release, so if you see some, grab it!

We bought ours at The Anderson’s in Dublin, off Sawmill on Bent Tree BLVD.

Heavy Seas The Greater Pumpkin, check it out!