Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Brewed by Elysian Brewing Co.
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Seattle, Washington USA

heavy full aroma of cinnamon, brown sugar and nutmeg. flavor is everything i look for in a pumpkin beer, it’s full bodied, well rounded, and tastes true to form. the malt backbone is strong enough to stand up to the deep aggressive spices. other pumpkin beers taste somewhat artificial and forced. there’s not much pumpkin on the nose, but it comes through on the finish and leaves a great impression.

22 ounce bottle. The pour is a mostly opaque orange ale, with a thin white head that quickly dissipates. The aroma is a rich earthiness bolstered by the smell of pumpkin flesh and whiffs of spices—perhaps cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I drank this cold, fresh from the refirgerator. The flavors were from most to least intense: earthiness, pumpkin, dark green vegetation (spinach, collard greens), and light spices. Initially, the flavors didn’t seem to work for me. However, I really enjoyed the mouthfeel. The ale sat heavy on my palate and tongue in a good, solid way. As the ale warmed, more flavors became apparent and the previous flavors became more balanced. A touch of carmel was apparent, which worked well with the earthiness and pumpkin flavors. The spices, although still subtle, came to the forefront a little bit and worked very well with the flavor of the dark greens. My previous experience with pumpkin ale has been Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale, which I definitely enjoy, even though it is a little over-the-top in sweetness. Elysian’s Night Owl is even better, especially since it is more restrained and complex. I recommend it, but after warming for a few minutes, in order to fully appreciate its flavors.

9/29/07 on draught at the Rogue Issaquah brewhouse. Aroma is pumpkin pie spice, possibly with cinnamon; very ciderlike in character. Appearance is a slightly hazy orange gold with a moderate white head. Flavor is an earthy sweet candy malt forward with a strong pumpkin flavor in spice and meat. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with medium carb feel and a very dry finish. Overall, interesting and easy drinking, but the sweetness is a bit rich and I probably couldn’t stomach more than one.

Bottled Pumpkin Pie Soul - Very impressive drink. Silky smooth, creamy caramel malt base with a lot of subtle autumn spices, definetly heavy with the nutmeg and cinnamon. The malt is so smooth and serves as a great vehicle for the spices and creamy, pumpkin base. A little too much vegetablely essence in the finish but its light and easily forgettable with everything else going on in it. I have to emphasize that this ale does this style correct by not over spicing and undermalting. Definetly on-par with the Dogfish Head version, which is getting hard to come by this year.

Bottle: Pours a orange bronze color. Semi clear but with some slight haze. 2 finger white head. Aroma of pumpkin veg and light pumpkin spice and malt. Flavor is malty and pumpkiny, lite cinnamon and nutmeg flavors, malty and medium bodied but with a deceivingly light and crisp finish. One of the more real pumpkiny beers that doesnt rely on the spices. Very easy drinking.

Pours amber with a thin white head. Smells of intense pumpkin pie spices and caramel. Tastes spicey with some dough and hints of pumpkin. Not as over the top as Great Pumpkin but still good.

Pours darker amber/orange with a soft cream head. Spicy and rich pumpkin pie flavor. A great beer for a cool fall afternoon or to pair with some afterdinner treat. The beer is balanced out well, not overly sweet, and stays lighter on the palate. The spices blend well to let the pumpkin pie flavor linger in the aftertaste.

GCBF sample. Copper beer. Good foam head. Spicy pumpkin pie scent complete with the spices. Liquid pumpkin pie flavour.