Pumpkin Beer Taste Test 2012: The bottom of the barrel

M and I do not consider ourselves beer connoisseurs by any stretch of the imagination, though some may say we could be categorized as beer snobs. We challenged ourselves to hunt down and try as many pumpkin beers as we could this fall. We've rated every beer we've tried (according to this guide on ratebeer.com) and we are presenting this guide for you.

Please keep in mind that this is in no way comprehensive, and your tastes may vary from ours. Even if we rate a certain brewer's pumpkin beer poorly, that doesn't mean that you will dislike it also.  By all means, we encourage you to try any and all of these and let us know what you think!

We're going to present our ratings to you from "worst" to best. Let's get started!

Our bottom two: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale and Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat.

Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Large, foamy head on pour, slight lacing, very light orange, hazy, not very appealing.
M's appearance rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 2/5

Aroma: Opened in the glass can't smell anything, aroma barely there.
M's aroma rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 0/10

Palate: Watery, very carbonated, foamy.
M's palate rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 1/5 

Flavor: Watery, sour, bitter, no spice, metallic aftertaste.
M's flavor rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 1/10

M's overall rating:  6/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 4/30 F

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Shocktop Pumpkin Wheat

Appearance: No head on pour, no lacing, orangey-amber color.
M's appearance rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 2/5

Aroma: Crystal thinks it smells cinnamon-y sweet, but faint. M says it smells bad, almost smells like apple cider.
M's aroma rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 2/10

Palate: Lightly carbonated.
M's palate rating: 1/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5

Flavor: Crystal thinks it tastes orangey with a slight pumpkin taste. M thinks it tastes like dishwater and apple skin.
M's flavor rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 0/10

M's overall rating:  5/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 7/30 F

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager Beer and Shipyard Pumpkinhead.

Lakefront Pumpkin Lager Beer

Appearance: Head dissipates to soapy water look. Very light orange amber color.
M's appearance rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 3/5

Aroma: M thinks in the glass the aroma is very faint. Crystal thinks there is a very faint pumpkin aroma.
M's aroma rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 0/10

Palate: Light up front, very carbonated.
M's palate rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5

Flavor: Pumpkin, slightly sour, dry finish but likable.
M's flavor rating: 1/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 2/10

M's overall rating:  6/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 8/30 F

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Shipyard Pumpkinhead

Appearance: Head dissipates quickly, no lacing. Light amber color, not appealing.
M's appearance rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 2/5

Aroma: Crystal thinks it smells pumpkin-y with no spice. M thinks there is a hint of spice but it has a more soapy smell
M's aroma rating: 2/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 0/10

Palate: Lightly carbonated.
M's palate rating: 2/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 2/5

Flavor: Crystal thinks it tastes watery, no spice, slight pumpkin, barely any flavor. M thinks it tastes very watery, no flavor, tastes like soapy water.
M's flavor rating: 3/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 2/10

M's overall rating:  9/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 6/30 F

Shipyard Pumpkinhead was easily our favorite pumpkin beer two years ago. 

We can't tell if our taste has changed, or if they changed their recipe for the worst, 

but it now resides in our bottom 5.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale and Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale.

Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Decent head, dissipates quickly, orange amber color.
M's appearance rating: 3/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: M thinks it smells like spicy pumpkin and 'something funny,' sweet spicy pumpkin pie. Crystal thinks it smells sour, 'like dirty socks.'
M's aroma rating: 3/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 0/10

Palate: Thin and watery, lighty carbonated.
M's palate rating: 1/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5 

Flavor: M thinks it tastes like soapy water. Crystal thinks it has a savory flavor, almost like rosemary.
M's flavor rating: 2/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 0/10

M's overall rating:  9/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 7/30 F

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Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Looks awesome: thick head on pour, dark mahogany color, no lacing.
M's appearance rating: 5/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: Crystal thinks it has no aroma, when you take a deep whiff it has a chemical smell. M thinks it smells like chemicals, not spicy or pumpkiny.
M's aroma rating: 2/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 0/10

Palate: Smooth, lightly carbonated.
M's palate rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5

Flavor: Crystal thinks it tastes like it smells - flavorless with a strange chemical taste. M thinks it tastes like a burnt marshmallow with a bitter finish.
M's flavor rating: 2/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 0/10

M's overall rating:  13/30 F  |  Crystal's overall rating: 7/30 F

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There you have our bottom six. Check back this week as we make our way up to the cream of the crop!