As the days grow cooler and the nights grow longer, we
all find ourselves ready to wear warmer clothes like sweaters and fleeces.
Soon, the window air conditioners can be taken out, if you haven't done so
already. The leaves will turn their brilliant hues and fall lazily to the
ground in piles.
There will be days to take the kids apple-picking or
through a corn maze. And, of course, there be pumpkins everywhere, Jack O' Lanterns
as Halloween approaches and pumpkins as an ingredient in pies and in beers.
There are so many excellent pumpkin beers and one of my
favorites, that I look forward each year to having, is the focus of this video.
The Cambridge Brewing Company, founded in Kendall Square
in 1989 by Phil Bannatyne, initially brewed The Great Pumpkin Ale in 1990, and
the recipe has not changed since then.
Last year, they bottled the beer for the first time for
retail.
With so many sugar pumpkins to wash, scrub, chop, scoop out and shred before
they can be added to the mash, Brewmaster Will Meyers asked for a small group
of volunteers to help out with these tasks. This year they held what they call
"The Great Pumpkin Massacre" once again. I decided to join the fun and
take some video as well.
A couple of weeks later, I returned to the brewpub to
talk with Meyers and sample the brew I had a small contribution in making.
If you drink, drink responsibly and support your local
brewer!
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