It's the most wonderful time of the year...

...for pumpkin flavored everything. 

I remember when Starbucks first started serving their Pumpkin Spice Lattes.  My sister and I would chase them down as often as possible.  Of course this was before I realized that lattes were terrible for you.   It was also before I was old enough to drink alcohol though so I suppose it was fine then.  Anyway, now it seems like there's a pumpkin flavored version of nearly everything (brownie mix, beer, coffee, lattes, cheesecake, muffins, bread, candles, soap, lotion, etc.).  What's next, pumpkin chapstick with a pumpkin cap?  Likely.  Some of these combinations I disagree with and think are mostly stupid but some of these combinations I really love, most notably ... muffins, bread and beer.

My first pumpkin beer of the 2012 pumpkin season...

Punk'n Harvest Pumpkin Ale (4% ABV)
Uinta Brewing Company
Salt Lake City, Utah

The flavor of this was smooth and discreet.  It is not a high octane boozy beer (which I later confirmed by discovering that Uinta refers to it as "a sessionable beer") and the pumpkin flavor is not overpowering like some pumpkin beers I've encountered in years past.  The pumpkin spices are balanced to the pumpkin flavor very well. 

All in all, this is a solid seasonal session beer.  4.5 stars (out of 5).