Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale/$6-7 six-pack
If there is a tiny corner of the American beer market to exploit, Anheuser-Busch will be there, and doing it well.
The St. Louis behemoth, which sells just less than 50 percent of all the beer sold in the U.S., has been mining the microbrew vein for several years.
One of its more successful efforts is Jack’s Pumpkin Spice Ale, first released in kegs and the brewer’s Specialty Sampler Collection last year under the Michelob imprimatur and released this year in six- and 18-packs of 12-ounce bottles. The neck ring says Jack’s is “brewed with pumpkin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon and clove.” A veritable pie! The flavors – most notably nutmeg and clove – are all there but not in overwhelming amounts.
Made in A-B’s Fort Collins facility, Jack’s contains 5.5 percent alcohol (by volume). A nice alternative for those who like their autumnal beers laced with spices, but not over the top.
Available through December.|Dick Kreck
