Mashing Pumpkin
Elliott Bay Brewing Co.

Poured into an Elysian pumpkin snifter. Pours a lightly hazy, medium to dark pumpkin orange with a thin white head that dissipates to patches, but then rebuilds into a fine half finger head with great retention; looks nice. Aroma of pale malt, cooked pumpkin and light pumpkin pie spices, particularly nutmeg. Flavor is pale malt, cooked pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and a little ginger; light to moderate bitterness in the finish. Medium bodied with moderate creaminess and nice mouth feel. I was pleasantly surprised by this pumpkin ale; it has great pumpkin flavor, which is uncommon in most "pumpkin" ales that are mostly about pie spicing. The spices are not complex and may be a hair intense, but this has a nice malt and squash base that handles it satisfactorily. The mouth feel is very nice and creamy. Elliott Bay seems to err towards lighter flavors to match with dining, but this is full flavored; one of the better pumpkin ales I've had. This a contender for the replacement for the sadly lamented Elysian Great Pumpkin that is only available in mixed 12 packs now and thus no longer on my shopping list. Nicely done.

Wow, it's been nine years since the last review of this beer. It looks like Elliott Bay just released it in 12 ounce cans. It's now labeled as Organic, which I think is new.

The look is ordinary ... copper colored, quite clear, with some bubbles that don't last. The smell is pumpkin and nutmeg. Not too much cinnamon, which can dominate other flavors, but is just in the background here. The taste is similar, it's darker than pumpkin beers often are, and the pumpkin is fairly intense. It's a little bitter on the finish, and just a little sweet.

I like this beer. It's not just pumpkin pie in a can.

 

 

A: Poured a dark orange color with good carbonation and a nice white head

S: Nose is toasted bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin

T: Follows the nose well. Toasted pumpkin and bread, fresh pumpkin, Earthy notes, nutmeg perhaps, cinnamon

M: Nice, balanced and a good feel. I like the spice feel on the palate

D: Good

Served at the Elysian pumpkin festival. Brewed with Organic Pale, Maris Otter, and Dark Munich malts and pumpkin in the mash. Bittered with Kent Golding and Styrian Goldings hops. Spiced with whole cinnamon stick, fresh ginger, smashed nutmeg, and whole cloves added at the end of the boil. Starting gravity of 19.4 degrees plato.

Pours a dark orangish amber with a head that fades to a ring and leaves some lacing. Smells toasty and very lightly spiced. Little more as far as aroma goes. Taste is woody, winey, lots of cinnamon and ginger, little pumpkin. Mouthfeel is very big and tannic. Just okay. Oddly enough, this beer seemed to have some barrel aged flavors- perhaps the woodiness comes from the whole cinnamon stick? Either way, this one needed fewer spices or more pumpkin or both.