Night Owl
Elysian Brewing Company

Good head production and excellent retention. Beautiful garnet body.

Smells like ... a pumpkin spice ale, naturally. Very pleasant, but very basic. Some tannins to go along with the heavy-handed kitchen spices.

Flavor is a dead ringer for pumpkin pie, and not just the spices, but the pumpkin, as well. It's very tasty, and as far as pumpkin spice ales go, it's very good, but it's not incredible. Back when this beer came out, it may have been more impressive. As an extra mark in its favor, it doesn't come across as cloying or overly artificial.

 

The pumpkin spice takes over.

A: medium brown with a slightly reddish hue. Light tan head.

S: canned pumpkin up front with nutmeg, and brown sugar.

T: pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg up front with done slight bitterness in the finish.

M: medium with moderate carbonation.

O: not a bad beer, interesting fall flavors, but not spectacular either.

12 ounce bottle poured into a nonic pint glass.
EXPERIENCE BY 03/29/26

L: Clear light coppery brown, 2” khaki head reduce to a collar in a couple of minutes
S: Subtle spice and bread aroma.
T: Dry seasonal baking spice flavor over bready malt.
F: Medium bodied, high carbonation, crisp with a smooth finish.
O: OK, a little heavy on the spice for me.

The beer has an interesting look. Amber, cloudy--with a little autumnal imagination it looks like apple cider with a head. The nose favors nutmeg and cinnamon. Flavor is spicy; there's a lot in here--nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice. And the spices do unfold nicely throughout the tasting. The body is a little thin though, keeping this brew from the 4-star plateau.

Buying pumpkin beer at a random retail outlet is usually a safe bet because it couldn't be more than a few months old—unless it's a year and a few months old (i. e. last year's pumpkin ale). Such was my fate. I should have looked at the label and seen the best-before date, but trusted the retailer enough to not check. So how much does a year-old 6.7% pumpkin ale deteriorate if kept refrigerated? Not that much, actually. I observed a slight haze, but no floaties. The aroma was a big blast of pie spices, but with a telltale vegetal note. The palate was still robust, with a pleasing mix of spice and roasted malt. Have had the beer before and remember its flavors being more vibrant, but not that much dissimilar. Further proof that a higher-alcohol beer is better equipped to stand the test of time.

Poured from a bottle into a glass. A very orange amber look with a light foamy head. An even aroma of pumpkin and spice. The taste is wonderful. This is how a pumpkin beer should be.

 

Poured from a bottle into a glass mug. Nose has pumpkin/spices on it, taste is some pumpkin and hops, finishing bitter. Poured at room temp (pulled from shelf), so hoping the refrigerator ones taste better.

 

I compare pumpkin beers to Whole Hog…..and that’s a pretty high bar. This is a perfectly acceptable pumpkin beer. Malty, hint of pumpkin sweetness, mild all the way around. Nothing spectacular, but a good time for the most part, like your mom.

Poured from a can into a tulip glass.

Look: Orange-amber in color. Thin, offwhite head. Poor head retention.

Smell: A big ol' hit of pumpkin pie right away. Quite spicy. A bit of malt may be lingering in the background, but it's being strongly overpowered.

Taste: Spicy, again. Now with a fading and warming affect. It's on the dryer side for a pumkin beer, mostly carried by that spice.

Feel: Carbonation is fine, but maybe could have been a touch sweeter to help round it out.

Overall: A solid, spice dominant entry to the category.

Pours a hazy amber orange color with light tan foam and some minimal lacing from a 12 ounce can into a tulip glass. Aroma improves as it warms up; when cold vegetal and wet dog hair (lol) becomes pumpkin spices and crystal malt. Cinnamon and crystal malt flavors. Mouthfeel is full and enhanced by real pumpkin. Good.

Pours reddish-copper colored with a three finger head with an undeniable aroma of pumpkin and light malt. Taste is immediately bitter, but not like a hops bitter. Pumpkin drifts over the tongue with low carbonation and any hops bitterness. The overall effect is one of emptiness and low body. There are plenty of pumpkin beers to try this season and I would rank others worthy of a try before this one.

 

 

Elysian Altered Contact

This is a great beer. I didn't expect to be a big fan as I'm not a huge pumpkin type of guy, but I'll be damned this beer is so smooth and hearty. Subtle notes of cinnamon pervade the pumpkin taste. It's not overly pumpkinny what so ever and is actually quite bready. As we roll into fall, I'm going back to pickup a 6er of these. I do regret getting just one 12 oz single. Cheers to all drinking and watching football!

Night owl is just a great tasting pumpkin beer. It's easy drinking while still being full of flavor. Pumpkin dominates the front palate and the spices finish with the flavors of the season. I wish I could get this year round. I love pumkin beer