Dark O' The Moon
Elysian Brewing Company
- From:
- Elysian Brewing Company
- Washington, United States
- Style:
- Pumpkin Beer
Ranked #80 - ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- 88
Ranked #18,929 - Avg:
- 3.93 | pDev: 10.94%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 231
- Status:
- Active
- Rated:
- Apr 02, 2025
- Added:
- Nov 06, 2007
- Wants:
- 107
- Gots:
- 133
SCORE
88
Very Good
88
Very Good
Spookily smooth and chocolatey. A perennial favorite and 2010 Silver medalist in the Great American Beer Festival Field Beer category, Dark o' the Moon is brewed with Great Western pale, Crisp 77° Crystal, Munich, Cara-Vienne, roasted, chocolate and Special B malts with roasted pumpkin seeds in the mash. Pumpkin in the mash, kettle and fermenter. Bittered with Magnum and finished with Saaz and crushed cinnamon.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by LeinenkugelDrinker from Nevada
4.33/5 rDev +10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4.33/5 rDev +10.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Look; Black body with a low brown head that has good retention.
Smell: Rich pumpkin with cinnamon and delicious malts.
Taste: Gentle cinnamon upfront that is followed by pumpkin and finishes with a great chocolate sweetness that is excellently balanced by roasty malts.
Feel: Medium in the mouth with a pleasant creaminess.
Overall: A very delicious brew that is not overly sweet. My favorite from the 2024 variety pack, which was well worth the try.
Apr 02, 2025Smell: Rich pumpkin with cinnamon and delicious malts.
Taste: Gentle cinnamon upfront that is followed by pumpkin and finishes with a great chocolate sweetness that is excellently balanced by roasty malts.
Feel: Medium in the mouth with a pleasant creaminess.
Overall: A very delicious brew that is not overly sweet. My favorite from the 2024 variety pack, which was well worth the try.
Reviewed by CoasterRider from Washington
3.73/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.73/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I don't normally like pumpkin beers, I think it's the pumpkin pie spice flavor. This beer is different in the fact that it is slightly sweet and has a hint of chocolate and roasted malt taste. It pours an almost black color with minimal head that goes away quickly. I think the pumpkin gives this beer somebody as it has a medium body taste. Because of the sweetness this is a sipping beer in my opinion. Rated 9-17-2021
Jan 25, 2025
Reviewed by The_Snow_Bird from Michigan
4.41/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
4.41/5 rDev +12.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a very dark brown with a light bright brown head that goes away quickly. Smell is of pumpkin spices and cinnamon! Super strong cinnamon taste along with some roasted malts.
Sep 22, 2024
Reviewed by Wasatch from Colorado
4.35/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4.35/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 oz. Bottle
EXP BY: 012725
Poured into a chalice a pretty nice brownish color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger light tan head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, hoppy, malty, pretty nice pumpkin, cinnamon. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, very nice pumpkin note, cinnamon. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very tasty pumpkin ale.
Sep 05, 2024EXP BY: 012725
Poured into a chalice a pretty nice brownish color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice thick/creamy one-finger light tan head, which also leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is pretty nice, hoppy, malty, pretty nice pumpkin, cinnamon. The taste is very nice, hoppy, malty, very nice pumpkin note, cinnamon. Medium body, ABV hidden very well, nice little dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very tasty pumpkin ale.
Reviewed by ironprog from Florida
3.99/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
3.99/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Note: I am in the process of moving all of my ratings from other beer sites to here, so that all of my ratings are consolidated in one place. The review below is an exact copy of my original RateBeer review from 10/09/2022.
10/09/2022
It's been 3 years since I last tried this beer. When I saw the pumpkin variety pack in the store, I decided it was time for me to update my review of this beer, as well as the other varieties in the pack.
12 oz. bottle, 7.5% ABV, Experience by: 20FEB23
AROMA: Slightly sweet with scents of chocolate, pumpkin, allspice, and cinnamon are the most prevalent.
APPEARANCE: Pour an opaque black with a tall, dark tan head that dissipates slowly with excellent lacing. This beer looks incredibly delicious in a clear-glass
Pilsner, and I find myself having a hard time restraining myself from just diving into the "tasting" portion of my review!
TASTE: Moderately sweet. I'm first hit with big flavors of chocolate, followed by subdued flavors of pumpkin. The finish is moderately sweet with more of that chocolate flavor and a hint of cinnamon. I am finding the chocolate to clearly be the predominant flavor. Which seems odd since this is marketed as a pumpkin beer. To me this is more of a chocolate stout that has had a bit of pumpkin added to it. But you'll get no complaints from me, because this is a delicious beer no matter what it's marketed as!
MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied with a rich and creamy texture and average carbonation. This feels great on the tongue and goes down smooth and easy.
OVERALL: I think I actually like this 2022 vintage better than the 2019, but only because it seems to have a bit more sweetness, and a bit more carbonation, than the 2019 vintage. Other than that the 2 vintages seem identical, to me.
One thing that I am noticing as the beer warms to room temperature is that the cinnamon flavor starts to overtake the pumpkin. Cold, the flavors in order of predominance are chocolate, pumpkin, cinnamon. Warmer, the flavors in order of predominance are chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin. For me, I prefer the "cold" flavor profile because the stronger cinnamon flavor of the "warmer" profile, starts to interfere with the delicious chocolate flavor.
For comparison purposes, my original review from 10/11/2019 is below, along with the rating I gave it in each category.
12 oz. bottle.
AROMA (7/10): Smells sweet with scents of cinnamon, chocolate, and just a hint of pumpkin.
APPEARANCE (5/5): Pours an opaque black with a tall, frothy, dark-tan head that dissipates very slowly. It definitely has a very "chocolatey" look to it!
TASTE (6/10): Doesn't taste anywhere near as sweet as it smells. You're first hit with flavors of bitter chocolate, followed by pumpkin, and ending with a bit of cinnamon.
MOUTHFEEL (4/5): Full-bodied with a rich and creamy texture. However, carbonation seems a little light for such a "heavy" beer.
OVERALL (15/20): I applaud the fact that this is not one of those beers that tries to be a pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle. Rather, its sweetness is very subdued and lets the true, natural pumpkin flavor come through. This is the second bottle that I've tried from the "Pumpkin Pack". Last year, I tried Night Owl (which is also in the "Pumpkin Pack") and I found it to be delicious (even if it is somewhat of a pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle). So I have high hopes for the remaining beers in the pack.
Jun 23, 202410/09/2022
It's been 3 years since I last tried this beer. When I saw the pumpkin variety pack in the store, I decided it was time for me to update my review of this beer, as well as the other varieties in the pack.
12 oz. bottle, 7.5% ABV, Experience by: 20FEB23
AROMA: Slightly sweet with scents of chocolate, pumpkin, allspice, and cinnamon are the most prevalent.
APPEARANCE: Pour an opaque black with a tall, dark tan head that dissipates slowly with excellent lacing. This beer looks incredibly delicious in a clear-glass
Pilsner, and I find myself having a hard time restraining myself from just diving into the "tasting" portion of my review!
TASTE: Moderately sweet. I'm first hit with big flavors of chocolate, followed by subdued flavors of pumpkin. The finish is moderately sweet with more of that chocolate flavor and a hint of cinnamon. I am finding the chocolate to clearly be the predominant flavor. Which seems odd since this is marketed as a pumpkin beer. To me this is more of a chocolate stout that has had a bit of pumpkin added to it. But you'll get no complaints from me, because this is a delicious beer no matter what it's marketed as!
MOUTHFEEL: Full-bodied with a rich and creamy texture and average carbonation. This feels great on the tongue and goes down smooth and easy.
OVERALL: I think I actually like this 2022 vintage better than the 2019, but only because it seems to have a bit more sweetness, and a bit more carbonation, than the 2019 vintage. Other than that the 2 vintages seem identical, to me.
One thing that I am noticing as the beer warms to room temperature is that the cinnamon flavor starts to overtake the pumpkin. Cold, the flavors in order of predominance are chocolate, pumpkin, cinnamon. Warmer, the flavors in order of predominance are chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin. For me, I prefer the "cold" flavor profile because the stronger cinnamon flavor of the "warmer" profile, starts to interfere with the delicious chocolate flavor.
For comparison purposes, my original review from 10/11/2019 is below, along with the rating I gave it in each category.
12 oz. bottle.
AROMA (7/10): Smells sweet with scents of cinnamon, chocolate, and just a hint of pumpkin.
APPEARANCE (5/5): Pours an opaque black with a tall, frothy, dark-tan head that dissipates very slowly. It definitely has a very "chocolatey" look to it!
TASTE (6/10): Doesn't taste anywhere near as sweet as it smells. You're first hit with flavors of bitter chocolate, followed by pumpkin, and ending with a bit of cinnamon.
MOUTHFEEL (4/5): Full-bodied with a rich and creamy texture. However, carbonation seems a little light for such a "heavy" beer.
OVERALL (15/20): I applaud the fact that this is not one of those beers that tries to be a pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle. Rather, its sweetness is very subdued and lets the true, natural pumpkin flavor come through. This is the second bottle that I've tried from the "Pumpkin Pack". Last year, I tried Night Owl (which is also in the "Pumpkin Pack") and I found it to be delicious (even if it is somewhat of a pumpkin-pie-in-a-bottle). So I have high hopes for the remaining beers in the pack.
Reviewed by Braunmeister_1943 from Pennsylvania
3.74/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.74/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Purchased as part of the Elysian “Pumpkin Pack “ mixed 12 pack of 12 oz bottles.
L- Pitch black with a thick creamy tan head
S- Strong cinnamon aroma. Some roasted
malt and chocolate.
T- Cinnamon not as pronounced on the
palate. Dark chocolate bitterness with
some nice hop notes.
F- Moderate mouthfeel. Fine carbonation
O- A solid pumpkin beer.
Nov 04, 2023L- Pitch black with a thick creamy tan head
S- Strong cinnamon aroma. Some roasted
malt and chocolate.
T- Cinnamon not as pronounced on the
palate. Dark chocolate bitterness with
some nice hop notes.
F- Moderate mouthfeel. Fine carbonation
O- A solid pumpkin beer.
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