Saint Arnold’s Pumpkinator Returns for the Fall

By Adam Rains

The oldest craft brewery in Texas, today announced a treat for craft beer fans, the release of Saint Arnold Pumpkinator.

A highly anticipated seasonal offering that won a silver medal in the Pumpkin Beer category at the 2012 World Beer Cup, Saint Arnold Pumpkinator will begin appearing on store shelves and in restaurants on Monday, October 13th. Originally released in 2009 as Saint Arnold Divine Reserve No. 9, Saint Arnold Pumpkinator is an Imperial Stout Pumpkin Ale. The original concept was to brew the best pumpkin beer in the world, incorporating large quantities of pureed pumpkin in the beer along with the spices that are associated with pumpkin beers. In fact, Saint Arnold’s Pumpkinator recipe used 800 lbs. of pumpkin, which is enough to make over 900 pumpkin pies.

“Pumpkinator began as an experiment to see if we could make a pumpkin beer that we really liked since I’m not a fan of most pumpkin beers,” said Saint Arnold founder/brewer Brock Wagner. “We have ended up not only with a delicious beer, but one that can be aged for several years to allow all of the spices to mellow and evolve.”

Numerous historical sources confirm that pumpkin beer was popular in colonial America in the 18th century and into the 19th century. George Washington was among the homebrewers who used pumpkin as a substitute for malt – because of the flavor and the fact that pumpkins were plentiful while quality malts were scarce. Resurrected by craft brewers in the 1980s, the Brewer’s Association says pumpkin beers now outsell all other seasonal styles. Market research from Nielsen finds sales of pumpkin-flavored beers have grown by more than 1,500 percent during the past 10 years.

Also returning soon is the 20th annual release of Saint Arnold Christmas Ale. Originally introduced into Saint Arnold’s rotation of seasonal brews in 1995, Saint Arnold Christmas Ale is rich and hearty with a malty sweetness from five different types of malted barley and pleasantly spicy bitterness from two different Pacific Northwest hop varieties.