The concept of Pumpkin Beers, which breweries typically release between Halloween and Thanksgiving, may sound kitschy, but in the hands of talented craft beer pros, a drinkable jack-o-lantern can achieve balance. Such is the case with Headless Horseman from Figueroa Mountain Brewing, a wildly ambitious Central Coast brewery from Jaime Dietenhofer + Meighan Dietenhofer, which started in Buellton, expanded to Santa Barbara, and now has plans to branch out to Santa Maria, Arroyo Grande, Westlake Village…and Germany.

At the Fig Mountain brewpub Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, you’ll find plenty of reclaimed wood, Wild West wagon wheel and horseshoe imagery, a plant-lined patio with red umbrellas, and mugs from regulars kept above the bar, which showcases house beers on tap and beer floats made with hyper-local McConnell’s ice cream. During my recent visit, they poured beers with names like Hop For Teacher, Lunatic Soup and Ole Mole, a beer brewed with cumin, coriander, cinnamon and chocolate, to mimic Mexican mole. Still, the most memorable sips from my Beer Flight ($6) were of Headless Horseman, a 6% orange-copper hued ale brewed with pumpkin, mace. cinnamon, and nutmeg, which was well-spiced, but far from dessert. The beer was probably good enough to convince Ichabod Crane to sit for a spell at the bar, since this Headless Horseman was far less menacing.