15 Spots to Get a Great Pumpkin Beer On Tap in NYC

Blind Tiger Ale House

Neighborhood: West Village
Address: 281 Bleeker St.
Website: blindtigeralehouse.com
On Draught: Southern Tier Pumking, River Horse Hippolantern 

Hop-heads, rejoice! The Blind Tiger has over 30 beers on tap, many of which are of the hard-to-find, freshly brewed variety, which makes it a far from a standard spot to get your sud-on.

For the month of October, they are serving up not one, but two pumpkin-packed brews on tap: Southern Tier Pumking, a beer that is devilishly close to tasting like pumpkin pie, and River Horse Hippolantern, a hopped up version of your your average pumpkin ale with a sweet caramel finish.

Valhalla

Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen 
Address: 815 9th Ave.
Website: N/A
On Draught: Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale, Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale

Valhalla is a beer bar devoted to all things Viking, which means you need not show shame for putting 'em back here—you're a viking warrior now, and you should be drunk.

Of Valhalla's 43 beers on tap, the 2 you most need to concern yourself with are of the pumpkin variety. Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale (5.0 ABV) has a not too spicy, not too sweet taste, with cinnamon and nutmeg notes that enhance the pumpkiny-taste rather than distract from it. Wolaver's Pumpkin Ale tends more towards the all-spice side of the spectrum. Our advice? Try them both and let your Nordic-tastebuds settle this battle of the brews.

Spitzer's Corner

Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Address: 101 Rivington St.
Website: spitzerscorner.com
On Draught: Shipyard Smashed Pumpkinhead

Spitzer's Corner is mainstay on the LES for a good reason: this corner-spot has a serious selection of suds on draft at reasonable prices, earning it a permanent place in our hop-hungry hearts.

Also winning points by us? The Shipyard Smashed Pumpkinhead (5.1% ABV) pouring out of the tap, a bitter yet silky-sweet pumpkin brew with a cinnamon and nutmeg kick that will get you smashed, maybe even enough to knock on your neighbor's door and drunkenly demand a handful of mini-Snickers. Hand over the chocolate and no one gets hurt, old man!

David Copperfields

Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Address: 1394 York St. 
Website: davidcopperfields.com
On Draught: Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale 

David Copperfields is a simple spot turned spectacular with two words: cask conditioned. So, if by some crazy chance none of the 30 brews and over 100 bottles being offered strike your (high-maintenance) fancy, you also have the choice of chugging the unpasteurized and unfiltered goodness of a hand-pumped beer. 

And the best part? On of the brews on the tap line-up is the Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale (8.0% ABV), a thick and spicy pumpkin ale with a rich caramel color, which is exactly how we like our pumpkins. Wait, what are we talking about again?

Heartland Brewery

Neighborhood: n/a
Address: Several locations in Manhattan
Website: heartlandbrewery.com
On Draught: Heartland Smiling Pumpkin Ale

We usually avoid chains like new Justin Bieber singles, but we can't knock this place. Not only does Heartland have its very own brewery in Brooklyn, it also has seven locatons strewn about NYC, which means fresh beer is never far away.

Best of all, HB has their very own blend of Halloween hops. Their Smiling Pumpkin Ale is made from fresh, honey-roasted pumpkins, cinnamon and cloves, making for a sticky-sweet brew that is dangerously drinkable. 

Spuyten Duyvil

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 359 Metropolitan Ave.
Website: spuytenduyvilnyc.com
On Draught: Lakefront Pumpkin Lager

We'll be honest, we have no clue how to pronounce Spuyten Duyvil, but when you've got the beer game on lock like S.D. does, it doesnt really matter how many constantants your name has.

What does matter is that they've got an on-point collection of craft beers, one of which includes Lakefront Pumpkin Lager (5.4% ABV), a spicy brew with subtle pumpkin notes that sets it far apart from the cloyingly sweet crop. Fall has been found, and it's in our glass— hallelujah to the beer gods!

d.b.a.

Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 41 First Ave.
Website: drinkgoodstuff.com
On Draught: Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale

When the name of your bar stands for "drink better ale," you'd expect to be served up some quality suds by people who give beer due respect. Here your assumption would be correct. 

DBA has a carefully selected slew of constantly rotating brew-on-tap, one of which is Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale. A subtle pumpkin flavor laced will all-spice and vanilla, this ale is both delicious and drinkable enough to consume an irresponsible amount of.

The Gingerman

Neighborhood: Midtown East
Address: 11 East 36th St.
Website: gingerman-ny.com 
On Draught: River Horse Hipp-O-Lantern

It's a cool fall night, the wind is whipping through the scattered leaves, and you're searching for a seasonal craft beer. Oh yeah, and you're in Midtown. Ordinarily, this would be a hopeless scenario, but don't count yourself out just yet. Behold Gingerman, a beer-filled oasis in the desert of themed bars that is Midtown Manhattan.

No, that's not a mirage—all 70 of those taps are the real deal.  And the realest of the bunch is River Horse's Hipp-O-Lantern, a blend of fresh pumpkin puree brewed with spice, and a sweetness that will linger long after your last sip and obliterate your hankering for Halloween hops.

Brooklyn Brewery

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 79 N. 11th St.
Website: brooklynbrewery.com
On Draught: Post Road Pumpkin Ale 

Brooklyn Brewery is a great way to waste away a fall afternoon, and we mean that in the best way possible. Skip the tour and head to the tasting room, where you can get down on some freshly brewed draught beer, one of which is Brooklyn Brewery's very own seasonal concotion: Post Road Pumpkin Ale.

Post Road Ale a beer drinker's pumpkin ale. While there's something to be said for a beer that tastes like your mom baked it for you, Post Road is a pumpkin-forward blend that is more crisp that it is heavy and pie-like. Which is a good thing, because, really, how much pie can one man eat, err, drink? 

Idle Hands

Neighborhood: East Village 
Address: 25 Avenue B, Downstairs 
Website: idlehandsbar.com
On Draught: Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale

Idle Hands, your name is an anomaly. With over 70 bourbons and almost 50 beers to choose from, an idle hand at your bar is highly unlikely, and honestly, would verge on sinful.

But onto the pumpkin! Deep in this East Village dungeon of draught, you will find Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale (5.7% ABV). Like its much loved pumpkin-less counterpart, this beer is refreshingly light and can be enjoyed by anyone with functional tastebuds. Generic? Maybe, but this wheat and pumpkin blend is undeniably drinkable, which is especially important when you intend to have more than one, or dare I say, an entire six pack. Sounds like a Monday night to us!

Rattle N Hum

Address: 14 East 33rd St.
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Website: rattlenhumbarnyc.com
On Draught: Nebraska Brewing Company Wick For Brains Pumpkin 

If you're about all-hops-and-barley everything, Rattle N Hum is your new house of brews. With 40 taps housing some truly rare microbrews, your every novelty-seeking inclinations will be satisfied here.

The pumpkin selection is no exception. RNH is the only bar in Manhattan with Nebraska Brewing Company's Wick For Brains Pumpkin on draught, and honestly, we don't understand why. Wick for Brains is a refreshing malted ale that has all the pumpkin flavor you want without all of the super-sweet flavor you don't need. 

Barcade

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address:388 Union Ave.
Website: barcadebrooklyn.com
On Draught: Southern Tier Pumking

20 beers on tap + 25-cent video games= a guaranteed good time. It's easy math, kids!

If you haven't paid this old-school shrine to Skeeball and suds a visit, now is the time. With Southern Tier's Pumking flowing freely, the pie-in-a-bottle that is the envy of all inferior pumpkin beers, you will find the buzz you need to beat the cutie next to you in Pac Man.

And please, if she smokes you, don't blame it on the Pumking. This pumpkin beer reigns supreme, it's your joystick-skills that are slacking.

Bronx Ale House

Neighborhood: Kingsdale, Bronx
Address: 216 West 238th St.
Website: bronxalehouse.com
On Draught: Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale 8.0%

If you need an excuse to explore uptown, The Bronx Ale House is it. Hop on the 1 train, which will drop you just steps away from this microbrew mecca, where the crafty suds on tap put countless downtown bars to shame.  

Among the carefully-selected brews is a rare breed of pumpkin beer worth filling a growler (or five) with: Weyerbacher's Imperial Pumpkin Ale. A beer that's thick enough to double as pumpkin pie filling, begging to be paired with a cinnamon-sugar rim, and maybe even a little whipped cream.

Hey, stop hating on our sweet tooth! Let us live a little...damn.

The Diamond

Neighborhood: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Address: 43 Franklin St.
Website: thediamondbrooklyn.com
On Draught: Southern Tier Pumking

The Diamond is a beer drinker's gem. With a menu designed to let you pick the alcohol level in your mug, from session beers with under 5% ABV, to strong brews that pack a mean buzz, the Diamond leaves you in control of your booze-filled fate.

Souther Tier's Pumking is among the stronger varieties Diamond carries. Which means it not only has a full-bodied pumpkin flavor, it's also working with a 9% ABV, which is more than Mom's pumpkin pie can say for itself. Leave the trick-or-treat antics to the teenagers. Let them eat snack-sized candy 'till they get sick, you'll be drinking until you... Eh, some things never change.

The Pony Bar

Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Address: 637 10th Ave.
Website: theponybar.com
On Draught:  Chelsea Pumpkin Pie Ale 

Pony Bar is a beer bar devoted to the great American pastime— good old fashioned burrs—with the operative word being American. That's right, there is not a Bud Light in sight at the Pony, nor a foreign beer to be found. But, when every one of the 20 crafts-on-draft are only $5 (like, all the time), we see no harm in going domesticated (and for the record, ladies, this applies to beer only).

But Pony really gets us saddled up with their Chelsea Pumpkin Pie Ale. This brew lives up to its name and literally has the taste and texture of a freshly baked pumpkin pie with nutmeg notes that makes for a full-blown fall buzz. Our advice? Grab a to-go growler, so you can fulfill your pumpkin fix well into November.