One of my favorite fall memories

One of my favorite fall memories is "helping" my parents rake the leaves, then jumping into the piles with my brother and sister. See the broom my brother is holding, that's what he was using to "help" rake. After big piles were raked together in the front yard my mom and dad would rake them onto a big sheet and carry them into the backyard to be piled up and burned. Occasionally, we could hitch a ride back to the front yard by being dragged in the empty leaf sheet.

Raking the yard was something I definitely looked forward to every fall...until I was old enough to actually do some raking that is ;)

Costume Kegger IV: party

 Green stoop light to let everyone know they are in the right place.

 Zombie Marge Simpson.

 Zombified Marge & Homer Simpson

 Punch that glows under the black light

 The drink menu

 M's "hand crafted" prop

The Dogfish Head Punkin keg that got kicked way too quickly.

Have you gone to or thrown any killer halloween parties? We'd love to hear about them. If you have photos, link them in your comment!

Costume Kegger IV: prep

 We didn't rake the yard because M thought it was more seasonal to keep the leaves for the party.

 Crime scene.

 Emmett and Styles totally confused by what we are doing outside...

 Kitchenaid full of bones.

 Rising from the grave....

 Back yard grave yard.

 Prepping for zombie makeup by adhering steel cut oats and toilet paper to my face with Elmer's glue.

 Bathroom blood bath

 Bathroom blood bath detail

 Bathroom blood bath detail

 Poisoned candy (not really)

 Cobwebbed entry way

Zombie make up applied.

Pumpkin Spice Macarons

 Gather your ingredients:

Almond Meal

Confectioner's sugar

Creme of Tartar

Eggs

Pumpkin Pie Spice

Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter

 In your mixer, whip 3 egg white and 1/4 teaspoon of creme of tartar on medium for 3 minutes, then on high for an additional 4 minutes.

 While your egg whites are beating, you can mix your dry ingredients: 1 cup almond meal, 2 cups confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. When your egg whites are done beating, you will fold in the dry ingredients, starting with half, then folding in the other half after the first in incorporated well. After everything is mixed together, put the mixture in a pastry bag and pipe 1 inch circles on your cookie sheet. I like to use the silicon pan liners, it helps the macarons bake more evenly.

 Pre-heat your oven to 300 degrees and wait. Your little macarons need to rest before baking. At least 30 minutes, longer if it is humid. You will know when they are ready because you will be able to touch their tops without your finger sticking to them.

 Bake for 18 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Once cool, spread Trader Joe's Pumpkin Butter on half of the macarons, then sandwhich them with the remaining half of the batch.

Voila! Enjoy!

Pumpkin picking

 This weekend we took a quick trip to Bowman's Orchard to go pumpkin picking. They had a small petting zoo set up with a few sheep and a couple of goats, so we had to stop over and say 'hi' before moving on to the pumpkins.

 Halloween is quickly approaching, so pickings were pretty slim. But even though the selection was small, they were all good quality with no soft spots!

 I contemplated choosing the siamese twin pumpkin (aka the butt pumpkin) but decided to go with something more traditional.

Vermont leaf peeping

 Recently, M and I took a Sunday to drive around Vermont, look at the leaves, and stop into the Long Trail Brewery.

 The leaves weren't quite at peak yet, but it was still beautiful.

 We can never take a serious picture together...

 No, seriously...I think it was in our wedding vows that we will NEVER take a serious picture together...

Pumpkin Beer Tast Test 2012: Cream of the crop

M and I do not consider ourselves beer connoisseurs by any stretch of the imagination, though some may say we could be categorized as beer snobs. We challenged ourselves to hunt down and try as many pumpkin beers as we could this fall. We've rated every beer we've tried (according to this guide on ratebeer.com) and we are presenting this guide for you.

Please keep in mind that this is in no way comprehensive, and your tastes may vary from ours. Even if we rate a certain brewer's pumpkin beer poorly, that doesn't mean that you will dislike it also.  By all means, we encourage you to try any and all of these and let us know what you think!

#5: Longtrail Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Nice color, orange-amber autumn sunset color. Head dissipates quickly, little lacing.

M's appearance rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: Festive smelling, pumpkin pie filling, nutmeg, cinnamon, pumpkin. Great aroma.

M's aroma rating: 7/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 7/10

Palate: Light carbonation that dissipates quickly.

M's palate rating: 3/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5 

Flavor: M thinks it could use more sweet notes, finishes spicy and slightly bitter. Crystal thinks the spices are prominent but not overpowering, well balanced.

M's flavor rating: 6/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 7/10

M's overall rating:  20/30 B  |  Crystal's overall rating: 21/30 B

#4: Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Nice color, orange-amber. Little lacing.

M's appearance rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: Cinnamon and nutmeg.

M's aroma rating: 8/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 9/10

Palate: Smooth, not too bubbly, silky and light bodied, could be heavier.

M's palate rating: 3/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5 

Flavor: M thinks there is an immediate spice on the tongue, the beer is very light almost watery, finishes nice. Good effort for such a big company, surprisingly tasty for a beer brewed by Coors. Crystal thinks the spices come out nicely and aren't over powering, nicely balanced.

M's flavor rating: 6/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 9/10

M's overall rating:  20/30 B  |  Crystal's overall rating: 25/30 A

#3: Ithaca Country Pumpkin Ale

Appearance: Orange-amber color. Head dissipates quickly, little lacing.

M's appearance rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: Minimal cinnamon, subtle fresh pumpkin smell.

M's aroma rating: 7/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 8/10

Palate: Full bodied with just enough fizz and texture, smooth.

M's palate rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 3/5 

Flavor: M thinks it is well balanced, tastes like the season. Could easily drink a few of these in a row because of the more subtle flavors. Crystal thinks it's light on spice and has a nice pumpkin flavor that isn't overpowering or sour. Could drink a few in a row without getting sick of them.

M's flavor rating: 8/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 7/10

M's overall rating:  23/30 A-  |  Crystal's overall rating: 22/30 B+

#2: Longtrail Imperial Pumpkin

Appearance: Deep orange-amber color, thick head.

M's appearance rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 4/5

Aroma: Nice blend of pumpkin and spice. Cinnamon, hint of clove, sweet smelling.

M's aroma rating: 7/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 9/10

Palate: Light bodied, smooth, minimal carbonation on the sip. Silky smooth.

M's palate rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 4/5 

Flavor: M thinks there isn't a lot of pumpkin flavor. It's sweet and spicy and rich with a tart bitter finish that is mild and dissipates quickly. Crystal thinks it has a nice mix of spice and pumpkin - present but not overpowering.

M's flavor rating: 8/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 8/10

M's overall rating:  23/30 A-  |  Crystal's overall rating: 25/30 A

#1: Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

Appearance: Nice color, clear orange-amber. Nice head and lacing. M wishes it was a little darker and heavier.

M's appearance rating: 4/5  |  Crystal's appearance rating: 5/5

Aroma: Nutmeg and Cinnamon.

M's aroma rating: 9/10  |  Crystal's aroma rating: 10/10

Palate: Smooth, very lightly carbonated.

M's palate rating: 5/5  |  Crystal's palate rating: 4/5 

Flavor: M thinks it starts sweet with cinnamon/nutmeg comes into pumpkin, leaving a sweet aftertaste in your mouth.  Crystal thinks it has the perfect balance of spices, sweetness, and pumpkin without the bitter/sour aftertaste that many pumpkin beers tend to have.

M's flavor rating: 10/10  |  Crystal's flavor rating: 10/10

M's overall rating:  28/30 A+  |  Crystal's overall rating: 29/30 A+


There you have it! Our ratings for this season's crop of pumpkin beers. If you missed the lower rated beers, you can catch up here:

Getting Better

A slight improvement

Bottom of the barrel


What's YOUR favorite pumpkin beer this season? Do you get one in your area that we couldn't get? Let us know!