Intro: Elysian Brewing is crazy for pumpkin beers. They’ve brewed around 20 different pumpkin beers over the years, and they have a festival dedicated to this seasonal ingredient. Upon moving here 5 years ago and attending my first Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Festival, Dark O’ the Moon was the beer that stood out then, and it’s still one of the most unique pumpkin beers I’ve ever had.
Description: Pours dark black with nice lofty head. Chocolate and cinnamon aroma is a perfect intro for a dark pumpkin beer. Chocolate, coffee, cinnamon, tobacco, and vanilla taste with a slightly bitter finish. The spice seems stronger than last year’s batch, but it isn’t overwhelming. I’m not even sure that you can taste much pumpkin in this brew, but the spices and flavor profile give the illusion of it without being fake. The bitter finish could actually be toned down just a bit, or a few months in the bottle might help out just enough. This beer has been good in the past, but this version is great. I want more.
Availability: Available for a limited time in 22oz bottles at local retailers. On draft at Elysian brewpubs. You can try the retailers listed here for bottles.
Pours dark as night with creamy tan head. A little smokiness on the nose with malty bittersweet chocolate and a little coffee with subtle earthy pumpkin and spices for an overall nice and creamy mouth.
Interesting; I had some of this last night — it was from a pre-production batch, so it may have been a little different than the final formulation/recipe. In any event, it was quite nice, but it wasn’t at all bitter on the finish. It was actually pretty sweet. Also, I found the spicing to be a bit too much. I’ll have to try it again now that it is on the market and see if my notes are more in line with yours.
I had a sippy at Elysian and it was great. I love the full-on spice profile. If my pumpkin beer doesn’t smell or taste like pumpkin pie, I no likey.
Russ…do you want one? I’ll set it aside for you!
Smooth, ultra-dark, slightly sweet. With a touch of spice. I can taste the cinnamon – but it’s just a hint. A beautiful balance in a mug.
It could be a meal in itself.