The Great Pumpkin - Elysian Brewing Company

smakawhat

Maryland

4.33/5  rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Ok.. so... you are not a pumpkin beer fan, yet.. here we are... the top rated pumpkin ale on BeerAdvocate (as of this writing). Lord hates a coward.. it's this or a wagon for our hero..

A bit of a slightly dull, but cloudy orange amber body. A very nice head at three fingers, off white in color, with very nice pinhead bubbles and slowly falling. Not bad looking, the head is very creamy and whipped too.

Nose is classic pumpkin style ale. Mashy, brown and mushy, with clove, nutmeg, there is a good earth and dank quality here though. A real emphasis on spice here than sweetness, with some airy quality.

Palate brings a real nice balance. A light bodied feel for a high abv. Mix of malt richness and pumkin spice hinted on the nose. Mild brown sugar on the finish, but the one thing missing is here that I have never found on a pumpkin beer, and this is a good hop profile. THere is a real nice astringency here, which gives me the impression of an actual beer than a sugar rush. Nice tight sharp aftertaste with the hop profile, giving to earthy dirt also which matches a pumpkin fall field nicely. There's even a little bit on anisette and licorice quality on the tongue here on the finish.

Overall a wonderfuly well crafted ale, it's all here and done real nicely. The pumking killer indeed. I don't like pumpkin beers, but I am really enjoying this one. I also like the fact that this doesn't come off that sweet in taste, but has all those nice sweet aromas.

Serving type: bottle

10-13-2012 00:33:54 | More by smakawhat

scm2787

Texas

5/5  rDev +20.5%

05-11-2013 14:52:30 | More by scm2787

Illos

New Jersey

4/5  rDev -3.6%

05-10-2013 01:40:50 | More by Illos

Cdunk11

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

04-27-2013 02:11:04 | More by Cdunk11

Jason1337

Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

04-20-2013 04:31:41 | More by Jason1337

Hoppy_McMalt

Washington

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

04-16-2013 03:52:54 | More by Hoppy_McMalt

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev -3.6%

04-14-2013 15:13:24 | More by oldp0rt

pcarney8

Virginia

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

03-29-2013 12:17:21 | More by pcarney8

grimey68

Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

03-17-2013 00:09:12 | More by grimey68

spycow

Illinois

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

03-10-2013 00:14:59 | More by spycow

CEDAMA

California

5/5  rDev +20.5%

03-08-2013 01:44:46 | More by CEDAMA

duff247

Texas

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

02-25-2013 00:38:43 | More by duff247

Blanco

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -3.6%

02-19-2013 04:23:27 | More by Blanco

nlmartin

Ohio

3.63/5  rDev -12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

This beer was chilled and served in a pint glass.

A- The body of the beer is a coppery orange coloration. A thick biege head with major retention rides the body. Sudsy lacing marks this beers passage from my glass.

S- The aroma of the beer has plenty of roasted and toasted pumpkin pie spicing, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice, caradamon, honey and brown sugar.

T- The flavor of the beer has toasted pumpkinm cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brief malty sweetness that gets swallowed up in spice.

M- The body of the beer is medium and well carbonated. Very smooth and not a hint of alcohol heat.

O- This is a pretty good pumpkin ale. The spice is a bit heavy handed but isnt a deal breaker.

Serving type: bottle

02-16-2013 06:10:11 | More by nlmartin

Lambocalrisien

New York

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

02-11-2013 02:12:59 | More by Lambocalrisien

DmanGTR

New York

4.75/5  rDev +14.5%

02-02-2013 21:40:27 | More by DmanGTR

fivetime

Idaho

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

01-22-2013 02:59:31 | More by fivetime

brandoman63

Illinois

4.5/5  rDev +8.4%

01-17-2013 22:57:01 | More by brandoman63

Jspriest

Maryland

3.75/5  rDev -9.6%

01-14-2013 22:19:34 | More by Jspriest

iKrystin

4/5  rDev -3.6%

01-12-2013 23:19:49 | More by iKrystin

Auror

Massachusetts

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

01-09-2013 06:35:04 | More by Auror

hannaho

Washington

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

01-07-2013 03:59:15 | More by hannaho

Cjtytler

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

01-06-2013 22:46:07 | More by Cjtytler

caseyscarb

4.25/5  rDev +2.4%

01-05-2013 07:33:44 | More by caseyscarb

flagmantho

Washington

3.9/5  rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Poured from 22oz bomber into a pint glass.

Appearance: medium orange hue with a moderate haze, a moderate effervescence and quite a few floaties. Head is a thick finger of frothy ivory foam which leave a nice lace as it dissipates. Attractive.

Smell: sweet malt, pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon and ... do I detect cardamom? It's a good mélange of beer, gourd and spice. Classic.

Taste: sweet malt with a big pumpkin flavor and a good dose of the spices from the aroma. It's a bit massive in flavor and a bit overwhelming, but a good example of the style.

Mouthfeel: medium body with a good level of carbonation and a nice, rich, smooth creaminess. I like it.

Overall: this is a good beer, but as I said it's a little bit overwhelming for me. I like my pumpkin beers a little bit more on the subtle side. Decent, but hardly a session drink.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2012 22:56:59 | More by flagmantho