Pumpkin Beer and Cigar Pairings
While we can easily thank Starbucks for the explosive global obsession with pumpkin flavors over the past two decades, pumpkin beer has actually been around since the late 1700s. George Washington brewed a version of it, which is mimicked by modern beer makers. Commercially brewed pumpkin beer originated in California in the 1980s. It’s little wonder demand for seasonal Halloween beer has risen considerably in light of the craft brew craze. Today, there are over 400 varieties of pumpkin beer. If you drank six different pumpkin beers every day, it would take about 67 days to sample all the pumpkin beer out there. We’re simplifying things a bit for lovers of cigars and pumpkin beer. Below are five great cigar and pumpkin beer pairings for ale aficionados who need to stock the man cave this fall.
1. Ashton Aged Maduro & Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Ashton Aged Maduro is handcrafted from a dark and gleaming Connecticut Broadleaf wrapper over well-aged Dominican binder and filler tobaccos blended by world-renowned cigar-maker Carlito Fuente. Tasting notes of molasses, cocoa, black pepper, and maple emerge in a luscious display that’s rich but not too strong. Dogfish Head Punkin Ale debuted in 1994 and has enamored craft beer fans with its tingling full-bodied spectrum of cinnamon, brown sugar, and pumpkin flavors. Its nutmeg aromas and medium amber hue make it go great with an Aged Maduro.
2. La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial & Allagash Ghoulschip
New for 2020 is La Aroma de Cuba Edicion Especial. The brand actually dates back to Cuba in the late 1800s and Edicion Especial was first released in 2008, but an updated edition hit the shelves at the beginning of this year. An oily Cuban-seed wrapper envelops a marvelous amalgam of vintage Nicaraguan long-fillers blended by Jose ‘Pepin’ Garcia. Notes of smoked almonds, leather, espresso, and wood harmonize in a medium to full-bodied profile. Fresh local pumpkins go into Allagash Ghoulschip along with molasses and raw pumpkin seeds. This excellent Halloween beer delivers a golden, dry, and tart finish in conjunction with apricot, vanilla, and caramel aromas. Allagash and La Aroma de Cuba combine in a savory and crisp way that begs you to kick back on the front porch and watch the leaves fall.
3. Flor de las Antillas & Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale
Maybe it’s the blend, maybe it’s the band. Flor de las Antillas has always maintained an autumnal vibe. The 96-rated cigar was the first blended by the Garcia family, makers of My Father Cigars, to score a ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ award from Cigar Aficionado. Its all-Nicaraguan blend is deserving with its medium-bodied profile of leather, cedar, cayenne, cinnamon, nuts, and cocoa. Rogue Pumpkin Patch Ale is a fitting beer for Flor de las Antillas thanks to flavors of orange peel, cinnamon, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg. The folks at Rogue grow their own pumpkins in Independence, Oregon, to bring you this deep seasonal ale.
4. San Cristobal Quintessence & Southern Tier Cold Press Coffee Pumking
A rich, reddish-brown Ecuador Habano wrapper covers an ample interior of extra-aged Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos blended by Pepin Garcia in San Cristobal Quintessence. Spicy and woody notes of molasses, fresh-ground coffee, cedar, and figs cross paths in a medium to full-bodied blend rated 95 points and ranked as Cigar Aficionado’s ‘#3 Cigar of the Year’ in 2021. Perky and creamy flavors of pumpkin, roasted coffee beans, pine, cloves, and graham cracker surface in Southern Tier Cold Press Coffee Pumking beer. Big and natural flavors meet head on in this pairing to leave layers of velvety and peppery texture on the palate.
5. Oliva Serie V Melanio & New Holland Ichabod
Former ‘#1 Cigar of the Year’ Oliva Serie V Melanio is a 96-rated gem drawn from an Ecuador Sumatra wrapper and a medium to full-bodied blend of premium Nicaraguan binder and filler tobaccos. Notes of wood, caramel, earth, and black pepper maneuver over the palate with appealing aroma. In New Holland Ichabod, accessible pumpkin flavors emerge with a touch of citrus in a malty profile of crackers, oranges, and baking spices with a refreshing finish. Plus, you can’t beat the name for the Halloween season. Smoke Oliva with Ichabod before the Headless Horseman is on your trail.
