Elysian The Great Pumpkin

Well I figured after reviewing the Pumking I should just keep the pumpking theme right on rolling! Also it's a nice little festive beer run-up to Halloween for all of us in this country that indulge in one of our more rediculous holidays. I have not reviewed it yet, but let me just state that before I review any pumpkin ale my baseline for a good one is Elysian's Night Owl. This was the first I ever tasted, and for so very long doned the crown of the best. That was until several breweries decided to make their own spin on this wonderful holiday ale, and spruce it up in any way they could. These past couple years I've tasted some great pumpkin based ales (see Pumking), but Elysian always makes several variations, and tries to differentiate themselves from the pack as much as possible by delinieating this ale in as many ways possible. From Elysian's pumpkin well springs yet another great one, The Great Pumpkin to be specific. Although not labeled as such, this tastes like an Imperial version of their popular Night Owl pumpkin ale. In short that means a great taste juiced on steroids, to bring you a truly great flavor. Great Pumpkin makes night owl look like a dynamite compared to a pop-it. As with all pumpkin ales there is a great smell of spices in the mix, similar of course to a pumpkin pie in most cases. Elysian does the favor of listing all in the brew cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. Picking out each individual spice is hard, but the combined flavor leaves this smelling like pure, distilled pumpkin pie. As if it were simply put in a blender and allowed to ferment! The taste follows it's lead, but unlike Night Owl this one has the flavor of a strong ale. It has an old ale taste, but with a very smooth texture, which is rare even for those types of ales. All the other flavors are there, make no illusions to yourself this beer is hefty on the sweetness, tons of flavor, and not listed but I am sure the alcohol percentage must be above 10%. I would even go so far to label this a dessert beer, simply from the intense, sweet flavor this brew provides. It is all good in my opinion, as Elysian seems to reconcile it's seat as the king of pumpkin ales. If you have a chance visit the brewery they usual have a couple special pumpkin ales around now, and even a pumpkin brew festival sometime this month. I deeply enjoyed Southern Tier's Pumking, Elysian's the Great Pumpkin takes it up another notch. Sorry New York, the Northwest loves their beer like so many thing in life, strong, and sweet. For another great pumpkin ale, definitely track this down so you have a baseline to measure out how good the rest of the pack is, and just how far they are away from sweet pumpkin perfection!

Southern Tier Imperial Pumking

Ah the month of Halloween is upon us, and for that I've decided to kick off October with a brew I've been meaning to sample, and write about for almost a month now! That is another wonderful beer from the folks at Southern Tier brewing. This time I'm going with their seasonal, the Imperial Pumking ale. Now pumpkin ales have gained a ton of momentum over the past two years I've noticed, with more and more brewers taking a crack at this festive type ale. Some of the more notable ones have come from Elysian, which their Nightowl (a definite solid selection) is one of the first and most notable out there, with Midnight Sun in Alaska providing a plethora of choices in distinct styles of brewing with pumpkins. In sampling some their other beers (see Creme Brulee Stout) I've wanted to dive more into the Southern Tier fold and see what other treasures abound in their cave of brewing wonders. Now for starters this is the first, and only Imperial Pumpkin Ale I have tried to date, through all the other styles and all the other brands this is the first one of this type I have gotten a taste of. Now for the smell, the spices, and the brewing technique have been mastered to give this the smell of a freshly baked pumpkin pie. If your not a fan you should probably quit reading, but as I am a pie-fiend this smell does nothing less than titilate every sense in my body! The taste matches the smell pretty well to. It is a beer, although a sweeter beer, and it has a very strong ale flavor, for the beer portion I would say closer to an english style old ale. The base gives this a sweet flavor already, but up front are the fimilar spice accompaniments typical of this style ale. A very strong hint of nutmeg, possibly cloves mixed within the brewing process. Midway through that distinct pumpkin flavor starts to assert itself amongst your tastebuds palate, leaving a distinct aftertaste familiar to any fan of the festive holiday dessert. In my opinion it is a great brewing interpretation of a popular, if not immortalized part of American holiday dessert palate. I got mine at the Beer Junction in West Seattle, but I also know that it can be picked up at 99 Bottles as well. I know a couple of my friends have tried this particular ale, any counterpoints, or flavors I missed, chime in please, I am by no means classically trained in, well anything. I'm am as always just an experienced, and devote beer sampler! From what I have tasted so far Southern Tier is quickly becoming a top contender for king of the dessert brews. All are very hardy, and jam packed with sweetness. For a base go pick up Elysian's Night Owl, then after take a sampling of Southern Tier's Pumking. If your a pumpkin pie fan like me, I can almost guarantee you'll likee, you'll likee alot!