Pumpkinfest at Bocktown

Bocktown Beer & Grill featured "Pumpkinfest" for their weekly Wednesday beer tasting this past week. Up for (free) sampling were various pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest lagers. My favorite by far was the Screaming Pumpkin Spiced Ale from Michigan Brewing Co. It is pretty much pumpkin pie in a bottle: very aromatic, very rich, with a strong, spiced pumpkin flavor. My next favorite was Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale, which was a bit stronger, but still tasty. We also sampled Buffalo Bill's "Original" Pumpkin Ale and Dogfish Head's Punkin' Ale - both of which are good, solid beers, but not as impressive as the Screaming or Imperial. We didn't try any of the Oktoberfest beers (since we had most of them before), except for the August Schell Oktoberfest. It had a strange - almost skunky - aroma, but had a malty taste that I liked quite a bit.

With over 400 different bottled beers, a solid draft list, and some of the best food you'll find at a beer bar or pub, Bocktown has quickly become one of my favorite watering holes in Pittsburgh. Too bad it is way out in Robinson, but beggars can't be choosers...