the best of pumpkin

I’m pretty sure it’s no secret by now that I absolutely LOVE pumpkin.  I don’t even like pumpkin pie all that much, but there’s just something about pumpkin puree that makes me swoon.  So, we decided to devote our day to the best of pumpkin.

But first, we had a race to catch!  The Lewis and Clark Marathon/Half Marathon was this morning.  This was my original plan before signing up for Chicago, but I absolutely hate this race course.  You start out in industrial Earth City, cross the Discovery Bridge on 370, head into Frenchtown, and then make your way down to Frontier Park in St. Charles, as the marathoners continue on down the Katy Trail.  It’s just not very spectator friendly… and crappy for the runners whose cars were parked at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater and had to wait in an ungodly long line for the shuttle back.  I’m just sayin’… it’s not my favorite course.  But, this was the last of the Lewis and Clark – next year it will become Rock ‘n’ Roll St. Louis and move to downtown.  I’m currently debating on doing the half, but other “plans” might get in the way…

We were actually there to see a few people.  Lauren, who has been my running buddy this entire summer, was planning to run the full, but switched down to the half.  Matt’s mom was also doing this for I think probably the 5th time, but I still enjoy watching her finish.  And, Bob, who we coach with was there… I only have a picture of cute little Ava though.

 

After the race, we headed to Trailhead Brewing Company for some of their Spiced Pumpkin Ale!  It was packed with runners, so much so that it was a 40 minute wait inside to sit… so, we took advantage of the beautiful day and sat outside.  It was nice seeing all the runners enjoy a beer, as I plan to do next week after my race!

I have never had this beer before (I am a recent beer convert), but we knew they sell out of it quickly, so we wanted to get it as soon as it came out so we wouldn’t miss out on it.

This beer SMELLS amazing!  Like pumpkin pie in a glass.  And the flavor definitely doesn’t disappoint either!  Smooth and pumpkin-y… not too spicy.  I LOVED it!

Along with some pretzels, in memory of my grandpa.  (He loved beer + pretzels.) 

Since we were already out, it was still early in the day, and we were loving the pumpkin beer, we decided to head closer to Downtown St. Louis to Schlafly Bottleworks.  I had also never had Schlafly’s pumpkin ale (even though you can pretty much get it anywhere right now), so it was definitely a must.  Plus, straight from the freshly brewed tap… it can’t get any better than that.

And it definitely did not disappoint!  I have been bragging about how awesome O’Fallon’s Pumpkin Ale is, but Schlafly is hands down the best I have had so far.  [OK, so my list isn’t very long right now, but it is going to be tough to trump it!]  Much more spicy than Trailhead’s, which I enjoyed more.  It didn’t have as good of an aroma as Trailhead’s, but the tastes was AH-mazing!  I will be returning soon… and buying a 6-pack until I can get back! 

And, since we were already out + closer to downtown, we figured pumpkin custard had to be had!  And what better way to end an early afternoon than with some Ted Drewes’!  [And Matt owed me because he cheated on me and went to Andy’s in Springfield without me.]

Ted Drewes’ pumpkin concrete is similar to Doozle’s in that they take a whole pie piece and blend it into the vanilla custard.  Mmmm… it was heavenly!  So smooth and incredible pumpkin flavor!  I could’ve done without the whipped cream, but that of course didn’t stop me from eating all of it!  Of the 2 we’ve had, Ted’s is at the top of my pumpkin custard list!  [Of course, Matt said that Andy’s was better, but until I taste it, Ted’s will remain at the top.]

Matt went for the Caramel Apple Sundae:  a whole apple pie piece + vanilla custard + caramel + almonds.  Although I am not a big pie fan, apple is my absolute favorite pie!  But, I kind of thought the caramel and custard overpowered the apple pie taste.  Don’t get me wrong though, it was still delicious!

    

[Matt made me take a picture of this since it was only 2 PM and the trash can was already full of cups!]

Thus ends our Best of Pumpkin Tour of the day!  Next stop, CHICAGO!