Elysian The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale

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

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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Bottle courtesy of Andre. Pours orange with a white head. Smells of pumpkin spices, and sweet malt. Tastes very pumpkiny with some chocolate hints.

On tap 6/2 at Elysian Capital Hill. Nice deep red color with a small light orange/red head. Awesome pumpkin aroma with some other pumpkin pie spices. I am a big fan of this pumpkin ale...strong pumpkin taste; the alcohol comes through, but not too strong. Very smooth finish. Like drinking good pumpkin pie. Has a great malty sweetness on the end. I was incredibly surprised to see this on tap in June. They brought it out this week and will have it on tap for another week or so.

Bottle courtesy of acertain. The head was cream- colored with just a hint of orange. It was so faint it might have been my imagination, except when I inspected the body it appeared to be a hazy orangy-brown. My friend thought this one smelled like pumpkin pie, but I thought it was more like pumpkin bread- a few more spices and way more grain. I didn’t notice some of the alcohol that others did, but then again I had just finished rating a sample of an imperial stout! Sweet and spicy flavor (mild brown sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) with a sweetish finish. No bad aftertaste like a few other spiced beers that I’ve tried.

Hazy amber. Sweet, spicy and alcoholic aroma. Big sweet & spicy flavour - heavy cinnamon and nutmeg. Creamy body. The finish is sweet and again very spicy.

Bottle. Pours with little head, body is dirty copper. Mild carbonation. Aroma is cinnamon, pumpkin, some ethanol. Taste is big spices, lots of ethanol (too much) for 7.8%. Lots of pumpkin meat in there, hearty. Body needs some beefing up, alcohol needs toning down.

UPDATED: MAR 7, 2006 Draught at the brewpub. (As The Great Pumpkin, 9.5%.) Hazy nut brown. Strong aroma of nutmeg and cinnamon. Sweet and extremely spicy withfull bodya nd firm mouthfeel. Some molasses, but the spices cover that. Warming alcoholic finish. Not balanced in the ordinary sense, but very interesting.

Dark amber beer with a thick, creamy white head. Aroma is very spicy, loads of nutmeg, cinnamon and allspice. Lots of sweet maltiness coming out from underneath the spices. Toffee, some breadiness and a bit of pumpkiny vegetal character. Finishes sweet and a bit chewy. Some earthiness and a spicy finish. Some light apple/peachy esters in back. Very tasty.

UPDATED: JAN 30, 2006 This is not the batch 1000 great pumpkin, but the December, 2005 release, with "The Great" as the sticker, instead of "Batch 1000." I believe it’s also 9.5% ABV. Pours cloudy dark amber with a thing white head. Smells of (shock) pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon, as well as sweet malts. The feel in the mouth is smooth with decent carbonation. The taste is the best of all the pumpkin ales I’ve had. Substantial pumpkin flavor (not just a spiced beer), with good malt/hop balance and a smooth finish. Quite enjoyable!

Pour is light hazy amber almost honey color with a thin tan head...smell is spicy delicious...rich pumpkin pie...not cloying or overly sweet like a lot o punkin’s...good...

Yellowish brownish orangish color w/ a tall laced off white head. Lots of spice in the aroma w/ and odd somewhat pumpkin pie ish piece. Avg palate. Tastes of bad pumkin pie, nutmeg and other spices. I wouldn’t drink it again.