Is there anything better than tossing a sweater on and watching the leaves fall while sipping on a cold one? Well, you can add winning your latest wager on betting apps to that scenario too, of course. Autumn is in full swing as Thanksgiving approaches, and whether the game is on, you’re cooking, or the in-laws are on their way over, it’s never a bad time to crack open a pumpkin-flavored beer.

Since these are seasonal/specialty beers, there’s less of a consensus on what the “best” ones are. The top pumpkin-flavored beers differ by state (with a handful of overlaps), so we set out to find out what those were based on rankings and ratings from the Untappd app, which allows users to rate beers that they’ve tried. The ranking for each beer is between 0.00 (the worst beer) and 5.00 (the best).

To determine the best Thanksgiving beers you should try this year, we took the highest-rated 'seasonal' beer in your state (filtering for those beers with at least 10,000 reviews to ensure a large sample size). If there were none that fit the criteria (i.e. in smaller states like Delaware), we took the top-rated seasonal beer with a minimum of 1,000 reviews, or the top-rated fall beer with the most number of reviews total (e.g. in North Dakota). 

Keep it simple, stupid

The old adage certainly rang true when we dove into the rankings. The takeaway? Just create a simple “pumpkin ale” and the high ratings will come. Of the 50 states we analyzed, 11 had a traditional pumpkin ale as its highest rated pumpkin beer. There were a few variations, like New Hampshire’s Toasted Pumpkin Ale and Utah’s Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale. 

Perhaps not a surprise given the state’s love for beer, Wisconsin’s Pumpkin Ale from Whole Hog Brewery had the highest rating in this category (4.00 on 41,001 ratings). That is an extremely good rating.

Double dips in six states

There were solely unique beers for 44 states, but North Carolina, New York and Ohio—along with Pennsylvania, Nevada, and South Carolina—had repeat top-ranked brews. For NC, OH and NY, the highly-rated Warlock beer from Southern Tier Brewing Company (located in New York) was the top choice. 

For Pennsylvania, Nevada, and South Carolina, “Caution! Contains Real Pumpkin!” from Voodoo Brewing Co. in Pennsylvania, topped the list.

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The king of the hill

Beer snobs are apparently harsh critics, too: Only four of the beers on the list had an average rating of 4.0 or better (out of a possible 5). Colorado’s Pump[KY]n beer from Avery Brewing Co. ranked highest at 4.10 with more than 22,000 ratings—and its list-high 18% ABV might have been a contributing factor. 

Maine’s Ghoulschip from Allagash Brewing Company received a 4.06 rating on 4,300+ ratings. The aforementioned “Caution! Contains Real Pumpkin!” receives a 4.02 average ranking, while Wisconsin’s Pumpkin Ale from Whole Hog Brewery was right on the dot at 4.0. The lowest ranked beer on the list? Mississippi’s Sweet Potato Stout at 3.47—which isn’t all that surprising.

RELATED: Most Popular Halloween Costume By State In 2022

Fun with names 

Creativity and marketing is, of course, part of the deal here. So we expected to find—and did find—some really fun names in this list. Florida’s top beer (Good Gourd) and North Dakota’s (Oh My Gourd, Becky!) had a fun play on words. 

Texas’ Nightmare on 1st Street gave spooky Halloween vibes—as did Ghoulschip in Maine. And of course, “Caution! Contains Real Pumpkin!” is about as clear as it gets if you were wondering, yanno, if it contained real pumpkin.

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Strong beers = good beers? 

Four beers on the list had a double-digit ABV: Colorado’s Pump[KY]n (18%), Caution! Contains Real Pumpkin (three states, 11.3%), Oklahoma’s Pumpion 2019 (14.5%), and Utah’s Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale (10.31%). It might not be a coincidence that those five beers had ratings of 4.1, 4.06, 4.02, 3.98, and 3.81 (an average of 3.99). All other 45 beers on the list had an average rating of 3.80. The five lowest ABVs on the list (Arizona, Hawaii, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Tennessee) had an average of 3.63. We sense a theme here.

There’s a beer for everyone who is 21 years or older and drinks responsibly. And with the pinnacle of the sports season beginning—college football and basketball combined with NFL betting, NBA, NHL, and the World Cup—and the holidays fast approaching, what better time to crack a cold one with your family and friends and take in all the action?