Been kinda quiet around these parts lately, so I thought I’d spice it up with some fall goodies (seeing that it’s labor day and all).
After a day of relaxing, miss possible and I decided to head into the city to go out for dinner and catch a movie. Our destination was Union Square — an area that we’d been to on previous visits to New York, but not since our relocation to the lovely state of NJ. Our choice of restaurants for dinner, was a place that Miss Possible had seen from the bus several times called “Heartland Brewery.” She’d seen the Midtown location, but we figured we’d check out one of their other locations in Manhattan.
This brings me to my topic.. Pumpkin Ale. There’s nothing that reminds me more of fall than this fantastic beverage. I was at the store a few weeks ago, and I got my first sighting of the season — Saranac’s version, I believe. Towards the end of August the last thing you want to admit is that the summer is coming to an end — and by purchasing Pumpkin ale before it’s time makes you guilty of doing so.
Considering that Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer, I felt it was acceptable to indulge myself and enjoy a Pumpkin ale at this fine establishment.
I feel as though I’ve become quite a connoisseur of this variety of ale. Last year (during The Red Sox’s road to the World Series) I believe my roommates and I tried every type of Pumpkin Ale available at the two stores in Somerville. Over the course of the few months, we must’ve tried 8 or 9 different kinds. It’s tough to make a good one, and I think that my favorite would have to be Blue Moon’s. Too much pumpkin spice, and it will taste out of sorts. Too little, and it’s Bud Light. Blue Moon does it just right (or at least they have in the past). Heartland’s was fantastic. Perhaps even better than Blue Moon, as it was a tad milder, but not so much that it tasted watery.
So, I guess I have given in. I’ve accepted the inevitable, in that fall is coming – and summer is over. It is Labor Day afterall, isn’t it? Next to summer, fall is probably my second favorite seaon. Fall means football, post-season baseball, Halloween (my favorite holiday of them all), and so many other great things. It’s the winter that we all dread, and knowing that fall is here brings the throes winter that much closer to our doorsteps. But, to all those who are with me in welcoming in the next season. Raise your glasses of Pumpkin Ale, and let us all say Slainte.
Pumpkin ale is pretty good. Just right for this fast-approaching time of year. I prefer using the word 'autumn,' rather than fall. It just sounds so much nicer. I also cannot wait for Starbucks to roll out the egg nog latte, but I'll likely have to wait another month or so for that. In fact, now is a good time to start my ENL Fund, since I'll be consuming about 15 of those per week from October through January. It's just a sad realization that I've had my last margarita for the season. You just can't drink margaritas while wearing a sweater.