Draft or Bottle/Can? Pumpkin or Octoberfest?

            Last night, I ordered a pumpkin beer at a restaurant. This was the first, presumably of many, pumpkin beers that I will go on to enjoy while out to dinner this fall. I know that I've already written about my experience drinking my legitimate first pumpkin beer of the season, but I consider this to be a different first, my second first, if you will, in that it was my first served in a restaurant setting.  Beer consumed in a restaurant or bar is typically, in my opinion, a totally different animal than beer served at home - and that can be both good and bad. On one hand, as craft beer lovers, ordering a beverage in a bar can be a bit nerve-wracking, depending on where you are, in that as consumers, how we are served and presented our beers is totally out of our control. Unlike at home, where you can select your particular choice of glassware, pour the beer at the temperature and with the exact amount of head you want, and serve it with whatever accoutrements that your heart desires, at the restaurant, we are left completely up to the mercy of the waitress, barmaid, server, or what have you. There is an upside to restaurant beer, however, and that upside can be summed up in two words, two words that have me choosing restaurant served beer over home poured beer time and time again... Those two words are "On Draft". 

            I just love draft beer, and I'd chose draft over bottled or canned any day of the week, simply because I believe that it's better. And you know what? - it's not just me. Draft beer actually is better.  Draft beer has a better taste than its canned and bottled brethren, and is typically much fresher. It doesn't go through the harsh trials that beer designed to be sold in stores does - being shipped and packaged and exposed to sun light, etc. - and as such is less susceptible to off flavors caused by extreme or inappropriate conditions. So.... we're agreed then: beer on draft is better than beer in cans or bottles, end of story. Now - on to my first, or second, or second first, pumpkin beer experience:

            I ordered a glass of Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale last night at TGI Fridays; not exactly Beer Mecca, I know, but it was trivia night (we won, by the way) and though I wasn't planning on imbibing, I was seduced by the offer of something other than Bud Light. What can I say? It's September, so I haven't had my fill - or overfill, as it may end up being - of Pumpkin Beers yet, and as you now know, I love me some beer on tap. It had been a long day, and sometimes, you just have to go for it. So I ordered a glass of the Pumpkin, and my companion ordered one of the Sam Octoberfest, and we set about having ourselves a mini fall tasting, right there in the middle of our kick-ass trivia marathon. 

            The Shipyard Pumpkin looked a lot like the Bud Light I had not wanted to order, though leaning a little more on the side of orange and sporting a snazzy cinnamon sugar rim. I know there are a lot of haters out there who can't stand it when bartenders make unnecessary or unwanted additions to their beers, but let's keep in mind that I was at Friday's and to be honest, cinnamon sugar and pumpkin do go together really well, like pumpkin pie in my mouth. So I didn't complain about the sugar rim. In fact, it may have just been my favorite part of the beer. 

            The Shipyard continued on the Bud Light route as far as taste, aroma and mouthfeel are concerned. I actually don't necessarily think that's a bad thing, so please don't get the wrong impression - I am fully aware that there are plenty of people out there who really enjoy Bud Light and who would embrace a pumpkin take on it as the perfect answer to the seasonal beer question. Not everyone is into really spicy or heavy pumpkin beers, remember, and I actually may be one of those people. I haven't tried enough this season to know for sure, but I'm definitely not going to slam the Shipyard Pumpkinhead for being too adjunct-lager-like (that means too much like Bud or Coors or Miller as far as style). The beer was extremely light, with only the tiniest hints of pumpkin and spice coming through, but I got the impression that that is what the brewers were going for. Again, I wasn't at the Cambridge or Portsmouth Brewery, and I wasn't at some upscale beer bar. I was at Fridays, and this beer was extremely drinkable and worked well with food. Overall, I think it sort of reached the goals it had set for itself.  Pumpkinhead received a C on BeerAdvocate, which means mediocre, and I think that's probably pretty accurate. Though I certainly wouldn't serve it at a tasting or something like that, I'd order it again at Fridays. And only partially for the cinnamon sugar rim. 

            The Sam Adams Octoberfest, on the other hand, was less Bud Light-like. I enjoyed it, though I typically do not favor Sam Adams beers - this was actually the first brew put out by them that I would order again. It was served to us pretty flat - not sure how much of that was due to the bartender's pour, again, one of the things about beer at a restaurant that's out of our control - and was pleasantly amber in color. It both smelled and tasted malty and slightly sweet; imagine light brown toast with caramel drizzled over it. It felt smooth and a little sticky in the mouth, and I considered it to be extremely drinkable as well. This definitely would be a good beer to order if you are the kind of person who doesn't typically order beers at places like Fridays, due to their limited selection of craft. I will certainly be ordering it again next time I'm at a restaurant like this, and I think I'm going to be a little sad when the Sam Winter Ale comes along... 

Anyway, for me it's always draft beer over canned or bottled, and I think I'm going to side with the Octoberfest over the Pumpkin this time around. What do you think?