Arts & Crafts Beer Review: Elysian Night Owl

One of the best parts of the craft beer experience is seasonal brews, and getting to sample the variety of interpretations on the same style from all the different breweries. And when we enter the autumn season; or, really the final few months of each calendar year, I look forward to the flavor forward offerings found on tap at the local taprooms or on the shelves of the beer aisle. One of my personal favorites happens to be the pumpkin ale, so we had to pick up a 6-pack of a pumpkin brew to review on the podcast. Of the many options available, we decided upon the Night Owl Pumpkin Ale from Elysian Brewing Company.

Packed in these 12 ounce bottles is a well balanced ale “brewed with pumpkin, roasted and raw pumpkin seeds, and spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.” This 6.7% ABV brew is amber in color and has a 0 IBU rating. In my experience, it is quite smooth for a pumpkin beer; however, this does not come at the expense of flavor.

Don’t allow the menacing owl that comes between you and a harvest moon on the label alter your thoughts on this flavor packed beverage. This pumpkin beer is wildly approachable, if you are a fan of pumpkin that is. This offering from Elysian tends to be a bit more pumpkin centered than some of the other beers in the same category. There are still plenty of notes to pick up on from the spices: like the cinnamon, ginger, and clove, but the pumpkin lingers for a bit of a sweeter aftertaste.

While this may not be my overall favorite pumpkin brew, it is certainly one near the top of my list. In fact, all three of us hosts on the Arts & Crafts podcast gave this beer at least a 4 star rating out of 5.

The Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale is perfect for a fall day sitting by the fire, or listening to another episode of your favorite podcast, so pick one from the vine and queue up the latest from us at Arts & Crafts; I can’t imagine you’d regret it.