Pumpkin Cream Ale - Carton Brewing

If you're going to pick a beer to drown your Monday Night Football sorrows in, you could do a lot worse than the Pumpkin Cream Ale from Carton Brewing in Atlantic Highlands. As the can says, it's a cream ale brewed with pumpkin and spices. The first thing I need to clarify is that this isn't your typical pumpkin beer. The taste isn't over-the-top pumpkin nor does it come off as artificial. The flavors are subtle and the vehicle of a cream ale definitely makes these flavors shine as the beer begins to warm up.

Coming in at a hefty 9%, it drinks smoother than the ABV suggests, and the 12 oz format is probably the best for it. I sipped on this one for a while last night while I watched the Giants flounder around and drop to 2-2. The Pumpkin Cream Ale will definitely help in the meantime to ease the pain.

I believe the last time I had this was in 2013, and it's even better now than I remember it to be. At $15 per 4-pack, it's definitely pricey but it is absolutely worth it. I've been waiting for Carton to re-release this beer on tap at the brewery and I'm even more excited now that I got to bring some home in cans. Drink this because you want to be the person not drinking every other interchangeable pumpkin beer in the market. Drink this just because it's GOOD.