Whenever I slice into a pumpkin and scoop out its stringy, gooey innards, this is what I don’t think: “This gunk would make a great beer!”
Regrettably, at least in my opinion, this is pumpkin beer season. As a service to fans of this style, I swallowed my misgivings and harvested pumpkin beer recommendations from a trio of beer pros.
Corey Rapp, regional chef for Karl Strauss: La Parcela from Michigan’s aptly-named Jolly Pumpkin Brewery.
“That one delivers every year. It has the most pumpkin flavor to it — roasted pumpkin, and the yeast profile really plays off that pumpkin. It’s not overly-spiced like so many are and it goes excellent with food.”
Steve Gonzalez, senior manager of brewing and innovation, small batch, at Stone Brewing: Pumpkinator from Houston’s Saint Arnold.
A potent imperial pumpkin stout (11.2 percent alcohol by volume), Pumpkinator is spiced like a pumpkin pie.
Ryan Brooks, brewmaster and founder of South Norte: Punk’in Drublic, an imperial pumpkin ale Brooks made when he was with Coronado Brewing.
Don’t look for it — this beer’s been discontinued.
“The beer was actually pretty good. We focused on the actual flavor of pumpkins, rather than the spices.”
If it was good, why isn’t Coronado, or South Norte, or anyone, still making it?
“We used real pumpkin purée in the mash and also in the boil. It’s filthy, disgusting, a real big job to clean up, a pain in the butt.”
A “Flawless” start
Celebrity beers have a checkered history — remember Ronaldinho the Beer of Champions? Kid Rock’s Badass Beer? Marky Ramone’s Natural Brown Ale?
Didn’t think so. Why would we? None of these celebrities have a culinary background.
Unlike, say, chef Lauren Lawless.
“You don’t see many chefs with their own beer,” said Lawless, who last month worked with Vista’s WestBrew to make Flawless Blonde Ale. This mild beer is designed to pair with ramen, fish, tacos, fish tacos and almost anything else you might eat.
“I wanted a beer that’s not watery, not too bland,” the chef said. “This has got taste.”
Lawless, a part-time resident of Crest, is just 34 but she’s already lived a full life. She has appeared on a smorgasbord of TV cooking shows, including “Chopped,” Sushi Masters,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Supermarket Stakeout,” emerging from that last program as “Supermarket Stakeout Champion.”
Her autobiographical cookbook, “Flawless Cuisine: Inspiring the World One Plate at a Time,” came out last month and she’s developing a clothing line and a chain of serve-yourself ramen restaurants.
And then there’s her childhood. As a girl, she witnessed her mother fatally shoot her father. Raised by her grandmother in Pacific Beach, she found refuge and a sense of control in the kitchen.
A beer fan from an admittedly too young an age — “My mom was an alcoholic” — Lawless only recently turned to brewing. She already has a second beer in mind, a sour ale laced with cucumber and Tajín.
This chef’s recipe? “It can’t be too sour. It has to be the right sour.”
The next round
Today: The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s Beer & Cider Fest occupies the west side of the grandstand, noon to 4 p.m. A $15 wristband entitles the bearer to five 5-ounce pours.
Tuesday: In honor of Giving Tuesday, 10 percent of all sales at two Novo Brazil locations will be donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of San Diego. Generously partake at Novo Brazil, 535 Florence St., Imperial Beach, and Novo Brazil Otay Ranch, 2015 Birch Road, Suite 1017, Chula Vista.
Dec. 3: Holiday Vibes Market at AleSmith will feature more than 50 vendors offering seasonal gifts. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the brewery, 9990 AleSmith Court, San Diego.
Quick Sips, Weekend in the Bay Area Edition
Beer: Nowhere Land
From: Fieldwork Brewing, Berkeley
ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5.8 percent
Style: West Coast Pale Ale
Drink or dump: Drink. This well-structured pale ale starts with orange and melon notes before a trio of hops – Citra, Mosaic and Blanc – blossom with bitterness in the finish.
Beer: Fleishhacker Stout
From: Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant, San Francisco
ABV: 5.3 percent
Style: Dry Stout
Drink or dump: Dump. A thin brew with an off-putting sour finish, Fleishhacker has some — but not enough — flavors of coffee and baker’s chocolate.
Beer: Saison Vraiment
From: Armistice Brewing, Richmond, CA
ABV: 6.2 percent
Style: Belgian-style Saison
Drink or dump: Drink. Between the yeasty aroma and its dry, earthy finish, Vraiment tantalizes with hints of oranges, white wine and pepper.
Rowe is a freelance writer.