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Jerry Welch must have been born in a pumpkin patch -- as opposed to the proverbial cabbage patch. The 53-year-old man from suburban Akron loves pumpkin beer. He figures he's tasted more than 40 through the years and is always on the lookout for new ones. Welch, a homebrewer who has made his own pumpkin beer, even has a list of 71 pumpkin beers that he's either tried or wants to try. Now, he wants other beer drinkers to enjoy this style, which dates back to the first American settlers. So Welch is determined to launch a pumpkin beer festival in Northeast Ohio similar to Elysian Brewing Co.'s Great Pumpkin Beer Fest in Seattle. "My goal is to recreate what these other guys have done with pumpkin fests," said Welch, a material manager for a manufacturing company. Octoberfests continue to be all the rage in Ohio, but somebody should be willing to move on to pumpkin, Welch said. So far, his effort hasn't gained enough traction to start this year, but he's willing to keep pushing for next year. As for his top five pumpkin beers, he offers up -- in no particular order -- Hoppin' Frog Hollow Double Pumpkin Ale; Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale; Smuttynose Pumpkin Ale; Fegley's BrewWorks Devious Imperial Pumpkin; and any Elysian, which makes several styles. You can contact Welch at jrwelch58@gmail.com if you're interested in helping his effort.