Neshaminy Creek Punkel Dunkel

When I bought the bottle of Saucony Creek Maple's Mistress, I also grabbed Neshaminy Creek's pumpkin beer, Punkel Dunkel. This was a bit more money but probably only because I live in Philly, the most expensive place to buy beer. Best distribution, awful prices. I could complain about prices all day long but it's remarkably uninteresting so I'll drop it. Punkel Dunkel is, as you expect, a dunkel lager base with spices added. Nice to see them try a different base than a plain pale or a stout. Next year they should do a doppelbock mostly because that would be awesome.

That label is awesome. There is something about a pumpkin throwing up that makes me laugh. Cinnamon and caramel nose, very nearly smelled like apple pie. My first thought on taking a sip was a nice balance of brown sugar and apple pie spice. Some earthiness from the pumpkin too but mostly spice. The dunkel itself peaked through at times and was pretty solid. The caramel and breadiness of it added a decent amount of depth to the spice profile. As I drank more, I also got a little bit of raisin for whatever reason as the flavors melded a bit. Quite an enjoyable pumpkin beer, well balanced with a solid base. Seriously, though, guys, doppelbock next year.

And now for some shilling. Got an invite to the Epic Beer Fest being held at the convention center on November 2nd. The brewery list looks pretty good though the quality of the fest will all depend on the beers they bring. I'm guessing it'll be mostly regular stuff but maybe they'll surprise us. Decent mix of local and non-local as well. Since I'm lazy, here's the relevant part of their press release:

Epic Beer Festival Philadelphia 2013 (EBF) will be host to over 300 craft beers from 120 breweries and over 6,000 attendees. Session One starts off with a VIP session at 12:00 pm and General Admission doors opening at 1:00 pm and Session Two with the VIP session at 6:00 pm and General Admission doors at 7:00 pm. EBF will present not only the largest selection of craft beers of any festival in Philadelphia but with vendors, DJs, live music and games, this is sure to be an EPIC EVENT! Last year’s event sold out and the same is expected this year.

General Admission Tickets are $45 and provide entry to the three-hour festival, two-ounce samples of beer, and a festival tasting mug. VIP Ticket Packages are $59 and in addition to GA inclusions, add one hour of VIP Early Entry and an Epic Festival T-Shirt. Epic Beer Festival is proud to announce the most “Epic” Designated Driver program we’ve found, which is free admission for all confirmed designated drivers. Visit our website for details at www.EpicBeerFestival.com.

There you go. Prices, times, and a website all in one place. I chose the evening session if you care about attending the same one as me.