Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale Wins Gold Medal at 2012 Great American Beer Festival                     

                      
A pumpkin ale was selected as the first Whole Hog seasonal brew because pumpkin beer is one of the fastest-growing subcategories in the thriving craft-beer segment, according to Joe Martino, Stevens Point Brewery Operating Partner.

“Pumpkin beers have been growing rapidly in popularity over the last two or three years. When it comes to fall seasonal specialty beers, pumpkin beers are now a close second behind Oktoberfest beers,” Martino said. “There are more than 200 different pumpkin beers brewed by American breweries large and small. We would be out of our gourd not to go whole hog with the beer styles craft-beer drinkers are demanding.”

Dark amber in color with an alcohol content of 7.5% by volume, Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale stands out in the pumpkin-beer patch because, like its Whole Hog siblings Whole Hog Six-Hop India Pale Ale and Whole Hog Imperial Pilsner, it is a “big beer” brewed in small batches to appeal to the most discerning craft-beer aficionados.
 
     
       
Beer Review by Beer Advocate
Appearance- The body has a nice dark amber with look turning into orange hues in the light. The head sat at about a finger's width before the tawny cap dwindled to pencil width. Some carbonation is jetting up from the bottom of the glass.

Smell- This basically smells like pumpkin pie. No, not even basically, it smells like pumpkin pie! It smells like pounds of pumpkin pie filling were used to make this. I ain't even mad. Of course, that means the flavors of nutmeg, brown sugar, and sweet pie crust are oozing out of the glass.

Taste- I am almost tickled to bits to say that the taste is an almost exact copy of the nose! The reins have been pulled a bit to slow down the flavor, nevertheless, that great pumpkin pie flavor comes through. There is a slight heat in the finish, but it isn't doing any damage to the overall flavor. I also appreciate a mineral water flavor throughout.

Mouth feel- Very smooth feel and a nice medium body, I wish it stuck a little more to the cheeks. That way the pumpkin pie flavor could be relished long after the drink.

Overall- What a surprise this pumpkin was! Maybe I really am just looking for pumpkin pie in a glass. I suppose that isn't a bad thing. Talk about a beer that goes well with the season, and tastes great to boot!


Brewing Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale
The flavor profile of many pumpkin beers emphasizes the pumpkin, but Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is all about the spices. Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is brewed using real pumpkin along with Munich, caramel and roasted malts, but it is the spices – cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of ginger – that define its unique, robust character, according to Ken Carlson, Stevens Point Brewery Director of Brewing.

“Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale is a very bold beer,” Carlson explained. “The spices and malts
complement each other, and the roasted malt adds a hint of roasted character to the flavor. We add just enough Perle hops to balance the sweetness of the malt and pumpkin.”

“All of these ingredients must blend together just right,” he continued. “I think pumpkin-beer fans will agree that we did just that.”
  

Steven Point Brewery History
The Stevens Point Brewery is steeped in a history that has transcended the trials of the Civil War, the Great Depression and Prohibition. More than 150 years later, the Stevens Point Brewery continues to successfully brew quality beer, just as the brewery’s founders, Frank Wahle and George Ruder, did in 1857. This undeniable endurance is a testament of why the Stevens Point Brewery, in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, is the 5th oldest continuously operating brewery remaining in the United States. Today, the Stevens Point Brewery is proud to be Wisconsin-owned and independently operated.