There are viciously destroyed and decomposing pumpkins littering Livingston Avenue. Sexy nurses, cats, cops and devils are making the march to Marshall Street. That’s right, it must be Halloween in Syracuse, and nothing says Halloween like a pumpkin ale.

As I’ve said before, pumpkin ales will never be in short supply come October. However, not all are created equal, and then there’s a clear distinction when it comes to a good pumpkin ale and a bad one. I’ve had my fair share of pumpkin ales, so I decided to try a new one this week, and one that may be on the stranger side — in honor of Halloween, of course.

The Traveler Beer Company specializes in a type of beer that few others can compete with – craft shandys. Traditionally associated with summer, shandys are crossovers between beer and soft drink, such as ginger beer, ginger ale and carbonated lemonade. With a low alcohol content and a sweet, citrus flavor, a shandy is the perfect type of beer to enjoy at the beach, which makes the Traveler’s Jack-O Traveler such a weird idea. However, whether it’s an obsession or a personal mission, I needed to broaden my horizons and decided to give the pumpkin shandy a try.

The Jack-O Traveler poured to form a light, white head and had little to no carbonation. The beer had an interestingly sweet smell to it, comparable to pumpkin pie. The wheat beer’s bottle claims that the brew “strikes a perfect balance between bright refreshment and seasonal spice,” not a far-fetched notion for a shandy coming from Traveler.

Compared to many of the other pumpkin ales on the shelves today, the Jack-O Traveler had a surprisingly sweet flavor. While most competitors emphasize the flavor of all spice, the Jack-O Traveler accentuated the sweet flavor of brown sugar. Just as it smelled, the beer had a taste reminiscent of pumpkin pie and was smooth and easy to drink.

The Jack-O Traveler is a perfect beverage for casual beer drinkers and fans of sweet beers alike. However, whether or not the sexy cops will enjoy it is a question beyond my expertise.