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Pumpkin spice lattes are a nice pick-me-up, but sometimes you want your autumnal drinks to pack more of a punch. Pumpkin-infused beers are the perfect libations for welcoming sweater weather, and a bounty of breweries around the Front Range are pouring ’em this month. Here’s where to find some of our favorites.
1. Pumpkin Ale from Upslope Brewing Company
With two locations just a short trek from the Rockies, Boulder’s Upslope Brewing Company is the ideal spot for a post-leaf-peeping ale. The pumpkin-patch-to-table beer is made with organic baby bear pumpkins (often used to make pumpkin pie), so it’s essentially like drinking a boozy dessert. 1898 S. Flatiron Ct., Boulder; 1501 Lee Hill Dr., Boulder
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2. Pumpkin Spice Yeti from Great Divide Brewing Company
Great Divide and Pablo’s Coffee are two-decades-old Denver beverage staples. And when they collaborate, you get flavorful results such as the roasty and sweet Pumpkin Spice Yeti. The beer has been a Great Divide best-seller since its release in 2020, but if you’re craving something a little lighter, there’s also a malty Pumpkin Ale on the brewery’s seasonal rotation. 2201 Arapahoe St.; 1812 35th St.; 215 Wilcox St., Castle Rock (also look for the Denver International Airport location)
3. Pumpkin Peeps from Twisted Pine Brewing Co.
Warm spices, vanilla, and marshmallows play together in Pumpkin Peeps, a malty, Halloween-meets-Easter mix by Twisted Pine Brewing Co. And it’s not the only gourd-infused beer on the menu: Order a follow-up glass (or pitcher) of Mr. Brown, an American brown ale fermented with pumpkin spice. For extra sweetness, top your drink with whipped cream. 3201 Walnut St., Boulder
4. Fluffy Pumpkin from Odyssey Beerwerks
With Fluffy Pumpkin, Arvada’s Odyssey Beerwerks puts the cozy, toasty atmosphere of fall bonfires into a porter. First brewed as a small batch in 2013, the beer was so popular that, after quickly selling out of a full 15-barrel batch the following year, it’s been part of Odyssey’s seasonal rotation since 2015. Like Twisted Pine’s Pumpkin Peeps, this beer has a pumpkin and marshmallow base, but with added hints of chocolate and graham cracker. It’s available on tap and in 12-ounce cans, so pick up a six pack, start the fire, and enjoy sipping as you roast your s’mores. 5535 W. 56th Ave. Ste. 107, Arvada.
5. Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin from New Belgium Brewing Company
New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger is known for its in-your-face brews, and its seasonal Atomic Pumpkin is no exception. As “the punk rock brother of the pumpkin spice latte,” this bold pumpkin ale has a kick of habanero chili peppers and cinnamon mixed in. It’s just the beer to keep you warm on a cool autumn day. 500 Linden St., Fort Collins.
6. Wrung From the Earth from Fiction Beer Company
Fiction Beer Company brings together two crafts: Brews and books. Each beer is a nod to a work of literature—check out A Beer of Very Little Brain, a honey wheat lager named after A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh, or Off Script, a pilsner with inspiration taken from Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
For an autumnal libation, order a draft of Wrung From the Earth. Inspired by The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, this pumpkin beer is made from 200 pounds of repurposed whole wheat bread. Added pumpkin puree and spices including cinnamon, clove, ginger, and nutmeg make its fall flavor irresistible, and $1 from each beer sold is donated to the Food Bank of the Rockies. 7101 E. Colfax Ave.
7. Spooky Hollow from Copper Kettle Brewing Co.
Since opening in 2011, Copper Kettle has won gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival, expanded its distribution to states like Florida and South Carolina, and become a go-to watering hole for southeast Denver neighborhoods. Its seasonal favorite Spooky Hollow imperial pumpkin porter is aged in a rum barrel, and, with a 9.2 percent ABV, it can sneak up on you like a scary ghoul (read: sip slowly). 1338 S. Valentina St., #100
8. Imperial Pumpkin Porter from Epic Brewing
Epic Brewing is celebrating spooky season with two porters. The Imperial Pumpkin Porter has roasted coffee and nutty flavors, with added Madagascar vanilla beans, pumpkin purée, and all the associated autumnal spices, but the flavors are subtle and harmonious. The second beer is the Barrel-Aged Imperial Pumpkin Porter, which was aged in whiskey barrels to add notes of char, peated whiskey, and grain. 3001 Walnut St.
9. Pumpkin Paddy from Launch Pad Brewery
Pumpkin, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup…intrigued yet? The Pumpkin Paddy is a toasty twist on the typical seasonal brew. It’s just one of Launch Pad Brewery’s fall releases—others include the Headless Astronaut Pumpkin Amber and the Falltoberfest German festbier. 882 S. Buckley Rd., Aurora
10. Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro from Left Hand Brewing Co.
The Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro is basically a boozy canned PSL—caffeine and all. Left Hand Brewing Co.’s concoction of fall spices, pumpkin, and Ursa Major dark roast from Longmont’s Ozo Coffee is a smooth seasonal favorite. It even has a faux-latte foam head, thanks to the blended-in nitrogen. 1265 Boston Ave., Longmont.
11. Pumpkin Spice County Fair Cobbler from Wiley Roots Brewing Company
Wiley Roots prides itself on innovative and ingredient-heavy brews, and the seasonal Pumpkin Spice County Fair Cobbler is worthy of the blue ribbon on its label. Made with flavors of puréed pumpkin, graham crackers, vanilla, milk sugar, marshmallow, and baking spices like nutmeg and allspice, this ale is just the right combo of sweet and sour. 625 3rd St., Unit D, Greeley
12. Hey! Pumpkin from Denver Beer Co.
Denver Beer Co. uses real mashed orange-hued beauties in Hey! Pumpkin to give it a gorgeous copper color and sweet flavor. And while most of these beers are taken off tap after Halloween, this goodie is sticking around through November. 1695 Platte St.
