October means Pumpkin Beer

My top pick, Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road

Let me start by saying that if someone made an “I heart Screwtop” t-shirt, I would wear it proudly.  There is so much to at this Arlington eatery and wine bar.  Screwtop (in Clarendon) has a plethora of wines from various regions with rotating seasonal choices and favorites. 

Their wildly popular wine club hosts monthly pick-up parties and members get to bring home two carefully selected bottles each month paired with the perfect cheese.  On top of that, members get various discounts and VIP access to events. Check out their website for wine club membership options.

If you’re looking for a good tasting now and then, Screwtop doesn’t make you wait for special events.  They serve fun wine flights daily, 3 options to check out and pair with your food.  My favorite feature is the personal placemat telling me what I’m drinking – a fun but practical detail. Their generous charcuterie boards, hearty sandwiches, (and mmmm, that truffle salt popcorn) all pack flavorful punches to any wine selection you so choose.

Besides the wine selection, the bar offers a lot more to celebrate. Screwtop has fun gifts for the foodie in your life, a great locally farmed cheese selection, and a broad range of hard-to-find beers. The food is worth the trip, imbibing or no.  Their generous cheese boards, bacon-wrapped dates (a favorite, savory and sweet), and full dinner dishes are worth a trip.

A couple weeks ago, I visited Screwtop to their Oktoberfest beer tasting featuring pumpkin beers.  I’m not always a “flavored” beer fan, but these brews proved perfect for a fall meal or a flavorful happy hour beer.

The tasting was led by Hop & Wine in DC (www.hopandwine.com), who led a large group of eager beer-loving folks through 4 tasty beers.  Here are the results. Go pick some up for your next gathering!

Taste 1 – Post Road from Brooklyn Brewery came in as my top choice.  Jonathan sold it as a taste of pumpkin pie, and that proved to be true.  Delicious.  Brooklyn Brewery produces Dogfish, a heavier beer, so Post Road came out as a lighter version and it gets the job done.  A perfect answer to the need for a lighter but flavorful fall beer.  A six-pack of Post Road made it home with me.

Taste 2 – Hailing from Michigan, Ichabod brought forward nutmeg flavors and a heavier, throaty body (a bit similar to Dogfish, actually, if you’re familiar) with a spicier, more powerful taste.

Taste 3 – Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin was a close runner-up, again offering pumpkin pie notes, but markedly different from Post Road.  With 9% alcohol and a fruitier sweetness to it, this signature series wheat brew caused rumors to swirl around the tasting area: it can guarantee an equally hearty hangover. Shipyard’s website recommends pairings with nuts, pumpkin pie, hearty stews, sharp cheese and lamb.  Any of those seem like a great idea.  I learned that it’s brewed with Ringwood yeast, a high brow brewing yeast most frequently used in England.

Taste 4 – The on tap selection was Great Pumpkin, from Cambridge Brewing Company in Massachusetts, which I found to feel more cinnamon/nutmeg/spice themed like Ichabod, but much lighter and easier on the palette.  Great Pumpkin is apparently hard to find – distributers are sold out.  Its popularity is no mystery: it’s full of spice and body, the kind you taste in the back of your throat with a great aftertaste.

www.screwtop.com