Southern Tier Pumking And Chili

The King Of Pumpkin Beers

I’ve been wanting to try Southern Tier’s Pumking for a while, especially after seeing a couple of my fellow YouTube beer review buddies, Chad9976 and JJRudy41,  review it earlier this Fall.  My brother tried to find some to send down but couldn’t get it anywhere so I thought I might have to wait until next year, at the earliest, to try it.  Well, Chad (Chad9976) was kind enough to offer to send me a bottle.  Of course I said “Hell Yes!”.  I got the beer last week and decided to review it with a batch of my  “PittsaDenverCagoLanta” (named for some of the various places I’ve lived) Chili.  I figured the cinnamon, allspice, and cloves I use in the chili would complement the beer nicely:

Pumking is a very, very good beer.  I haven’t had a ton of Pumpkin beers but I like the style and so far Pumking is the best I’ve tried.  It had a nice “roasted Pumpkin Pie” flavor that was delicious.  The mix of spice, sweetness, and pumpkin was fantastic.  The ABV of 9% was fairly well hidden but you could definitely taste it.  The beer was slightly sweet on the nose but less so on the taste.  It was almost like drinking a glass of liquified Pumpkin pie.  The “worst”  part about the beer was the appearance, which was just OK, not outstanding, with a thin head and decent lacing.  The beer went excellent with the chili and was perfect on a cold night.  Get some Pumking whenever you can and give it a try.  Pumpkin beer lovers don’t want to miss this!

Here is the score:

1. Appearance- 8 points (out of 10)
2. Smell- 8 points (out of 10)
3. Taste- 19 points (out of 20)
4. Drinkability- 9 points (out of 10)

Total 44 (out of 50) Points- A (very high) 4 Mug Rating

“PittsaDenverCagoLanta” Chili Recipe

Here’s my recipe for chili with some extra spice added.  The cloves, allspice and cinnamon help this pair up very nicely with a Pumpkin Ale.  I think this chili would also go great with a roasted type of Porter (like Stone Smoked Porter), Stout, or a malty Oktoberfest style beer.

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chipped
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef, turkey, lamb, or some combination
• 1 large can whole peeled tomatoes (or more if you like tomatoes as we do)
• 1 cup water (put it in the tomato can to get the leftover juices)
• 1 green pepper or two cubanelle, sliced small
• 2 T chipotle in adobo, chopped (you can also use regular bottled jalapeno)
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 to 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 T chili powder (add more if you like the spice)
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 oz  unsweetened cocoa powder or grated unsweetened chocolate
• 2 cans kidney beans

Brown the onion and garlic in a dutch oven or large pan. Add meat and brown (drain fat if meat is not extra lean).  Add remaining ingredients, simmer over low heat for 40 minutes to one hour.  If you have the time and can wait try cooking the chili, cooling it down and refrigerating it over night then reheat it the next day for even more chili goodness!

Serve in a big bowl by itself or over pasta like macaroni or spaghetti.  You can also add some toppings to the chili like:

• chopped raw onions
• shredded cheese
• sour cream
• sliced olives
• jalapenos
• avocado with squirt of lime

Enjoy!