new bottle, same beer

During the past two Octobers, I have documented my at first, futile, and finally, unsatisfactory, search for a pumpkin-flavoured, or otherwise Halloween-themed beer in my city. The sole pumpkin beer I was able to find was Propeller Pumpkin Ale, produced by a local micro-brewery. And it was a disappointment.

But with October upon us once again, I decided to give it a second chance. Perhaps, I reasoned, it is an acquired taste. One which I wasn't able to acquire with just one tasting. And ultimately, I realized it would be the only pumpkin beer I would likely get this year. Yes, it deserved a second chance.

I made my way downtown to the specialty liquor store. Because you can't just buy pumpkin ale anywhere around here. And I was pleasantly surprised. Either Propeller had increased its production of pumpkin ale this year or my timing was impeccable. Because when I walked into the store, I was confronted by a four-foot-tall display of Propeller Pumpkin Ale. And in larger bottles than last year. Yes, it definitely deserved a second chance. If they had changed the bottle size, they may have changed the contents. So I purchased a bottle. Just one. No need to be overly optimistic.

And rightly so. New bottle. Same beer. The only hint of pumpkin I could detect was the picture on the label.

But there is still hope . . .

While in the liquor store, en route to the pumpkin ale, I carefully scanned the shelves, alert for any new seasonal additions. There were two. Both from a New Brunswick brewery. One of these I bought. Dark and Stormy Night. Who could walk away from a name like that? It will be opened tonight, as accompaniment to this week's classic horror movie. The second beer, however, I did walk away from. Ghost Town. A stout. I'm not fond of stout.

But no sooner did I walk away than I began to chastise myself. How could any self-respecting Halloween enthusiast walk away from a beer called Ghost Town? Stout or not. What was I thinking? So if the Dark and Stormy Night proves pleasant, or even if it doesn't, I will have to return. Before the end of October. To the abandoned Ghost Town.