Two great guest blog posts!
Eleysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale:
Brewed by Eleysian Brewing Company, Seattle, WA. 6.7% ABV. 12 ounce bottles in a 6 pack sell for $11. bucks, tax not included, in NJ. Extremely flavorful, Eleysian claims to use 7 lbs. of pumpkin per Barrel(How big is a barrel??). In fact, I'd say this brew packs so much pumpkin-esque flavor, I was unsure as to whether I was drinking beer or eating pumpkin pie! But after 2 bottles of this nasty, I was pretty sure I was drinking beer! HEAVY flavoring of pumpkin, roasted pumpkin seeds, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and only god can say what else. I don't think they scrimped on the quality of hops, malt or other essential beer ingredients, as the drink went down smoothly in view of the high ABV. So I'd give the EBC Pumpkin ALE a near perfect score, let's say 9 out of 10, because I'd like to reserve room for god's brew when or if it arrives....and I'd say they were a tad over the top with the spicing. Like I said, it sort of obscures the natural beer base which I prefer to be evident, and is also a tad on the sweet side. One other general comment on the positive side, the bottles hold a full 12 ounces, not the new trend in six pack bottling, cutting the beer content to 11.2 ounces. My call to arms is to NOT buy any beer that sells 6 packs having less than 12 ounces per bottle. It's a sneaky form of inflation. Any company that stands behind its product that needs to raise its prices for whatever reason, should just raise the price of the 12 ounce bottle; but not sneak away the beer content in each bottle just so they can hold the 6 pack price steady.
*Side bar*
I had this one on draft at the anchored Inn in Bushwick. It was especially good this way. Definitely order it if you can find it on draft!
Brewed by Rogue, Hewport, Oregon. 6.1% ABV in a cutesy 25.4 ounce potato masher opaque orange bottle, about $14. a bottle(holy crap!) w/o tax. Needless to say, we are in designer consumption territory here, but it does make a great gift.....which is how I received it for my BD(Lucky me!). This is a healthy serving of well balanced spiced beer. The brew has a tad of an edge to it going down, but within my expectations(which expect some kind of bite to accompany the swallowing of a beer). The bottle is just too pretty to toss out. I'm currently using it as a vase for dried flowers! This was a fun experience, drinking 3/4 of a liter of pumpkin brew straight out of its orange origin. Just the right amount for that pumpkin beer buzz without falling asleep on my couch. The spicing includes its own farm's pumpkins, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, vanilla, ginger and nutmeg. Natural beer ingredients include their own proprietary wheat malt and hops. I'd have this brew again anytime, so long as you're buying! Vote 8 out of 10.
