Miami is pumped for pumpkin beer

These beers and bars will get you into the Halloween spirit

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin, Cigar City Good Gourd, and Imperial Pumking Ale by Southern Tier.

Start your own tasty tradition with pumpkin beer (on tap, preferably) this season
- Abraxas Lounge, 407 Meridian Ave., Miami Beach; 305-534-9005
- Cervezas, 5835 Sunset Dr., Miami; 305-397-8125
- The Abbey Brewing Company, 1115 16th St., Miami Beach; 305-538-8110
- The Democratic Republic of Beer (DRB), 255 NE 14th St., Miami; 305-372-4565
Found your favorite? Bring it home.
Total Wine and More, 14750 Biscayne Blvd., North Miami; 305-354-3270
(Prices range from $1.49 for 12 oz. bottles to $9 for 22 oz. bottles)
Sunset Corners Fine Wine and Spirits, 8701 SW 72 St., Miami; 305-271-8492
(Prices: under $2 for 12 oz. bottles and $10.99 for a six pack)

By Galena Mosovich10/22/2012

Move over Pumpkin Spice Latte, people are falling for a new beverage this Halloween season.

Pumpkin beer is captivating many of Miami’s busiest beer bars with its rich flavors and spices that evoke the feeling you get when the leaves start to change (elsewhere).

“It’s almost as if you have the whole season in a bottle,” said Robert Ferrara, head bartender at The Dutch at the W South Beach. “I’m from up north and I miss fall the most out of all of the seasons.”

This time of year, when Ferrara isn’t mixing imaginative takes on classic cocktails behind the chic bar at The Dutch, he’s out in search of the tastiest pumpkin beers.

He says he found his newest guilty pleasure at Abraxas Lounge in South Beach, a favorite for locals. The front-runner: Imperial Pumking Ale by Southern Tier out of New York. Packed with cinnamon, nutmeg, fresh ginger and vanilla, it literally tastes like you’re eating a fresh pumpkin pie – crust and all.

Unfortunately, not all pumpkin beers are created equal. Pumking happens to be so powerful because it’s made with real pumpkin puree blended into the mash. Others have a lower alcohol content and aren’t as thick, which makes them a safe choice for newbies on the pumpkin beer train.

Shipyard, a well-known brewery in Maine, puts out its Pumpkinhead Ale every year, which is significantly lighter and less overpowering than its heavy counterparts. Ferrera says this beer is just not enough to satisfy his craving, so he cleverly created a “Pumpkin Bomb” to liven things up. He drops a shot of Averna, a sweet Sicilian liqueur with caramel notes, into the pint glass and takes it down at once.

With dozens of labels on the market, there’s something for everyone. However, some of the best-rated and most popular picks among experienced pumpkin beer drinkers include the above-mentioned Pumking, Post Road Pumpkin Ale by Brooklyn Brewery, Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin, Cigar City Good Gourd, Samuel Adams Fat Jack and Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.

- Galena Mosovich is the lead writer for cocktail culture for The Miami Herald and Miami.com.