Pumpkin Beers Abound in Albuquerque

With Halloween just a few days away, it is appropriate that our locals are showcasing their Pumpkin beers on tap. Il Vicino has the Punk'n (not to be confused with the Uinta beer of the same name). Marble just tapped their Pumpkin Ale on Monday night. La Cumbre has Witch's Tit, a Pumpkin Ale that at 7.5% borders on imperial status. Chama River has their popular annual release Pumpkin Drublic, the darkest of the local Pumpkin releases. Turtle Mountain will be tapping theirs soon. And today, Il Vicino will be tapping a cask of their Pumpkin style beer using sugar pumpkins and chiles. That one won't last long!
As far as national releases, I have bemoaned the lack of the quality of the distributed Pumpkin beers in Albuquerque. However, we are getting Shipyard's Smashed Pumpkin for the first time. This is a 9% Imperial Pumpkin Ale that retails for $6.99, seen at both Jubilation and Quarters liquor stores. If a 9% beer is a little much for a weeknight beer, the Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is a solid choice.
If you plan to get a local Pumpkin beer, don't procrastinate- these beers are all made in limited batches and will be gone before you know it.