I have to admit, I am not a big fan of Pumpkin beers. There’s not a lot of good ones. Shipyard had a good one and so did Smuttynose. But overall, I’m not into it. Most of the time it tastes fake or overly spiced. But Wormtown Brewery has seemed to find a balance I enjoy. Less spice, more gourd. I tend to like the ales that taste like fresh pumpkin more than full on pumpkin pie. You know, like the Pilgrims made it…or maybe it was the people the Pilgrims kicked out of Plymouth Plantation for making the Devil’s brew. That’s what you get with Fresh Patch. A fresher pumpkin taste with little sweetness and spice. The spices that come through in the nose are cinnamon and a bit of clove. It also has a healthy dose of malt and gourd. The first sip hits you with allspice and ginger with a hint of vanilla. More spicy ginger and malt on the finish with this light bodied seasonal. It’s easy to drink and since it’s not overly sweet I don’t get sick of it after a couple. I also found it to be a great accompaniment a fried bologna sandwich with spicy mustard and purple onion. It’s a real breath killer.
The Sonic Pairing: The obvious choice would be “It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown Soundtrack”. Then I thought that would be corny. Then I thought screw it. I love that album. It’s got the familiar standards of “Linus And Lucy” and “The Charlie Brown Theme”. But the Halloween focused tracks are actually creepy. With it’s evil laughter and ghoulish howling laid over a West Coast Jazz style jam it sounds like something you would hear in a 70’s cocktail lounge…if it was full of zombies and Freddy Kruger was the bartender. “Fanfare/Breathless/Trick Or Treat” has a haunting flute solo with sounds of Snoopy hiding from the Red Baron during battle and sounds of running footsteps and soft thunder. Pianist, Vince Guaraldi is a master at capturing a mood. No one would put a rock in his trick or treat bag.
