Elysian Brewing Pumpkin Pack Review: Bring on the Fall Festivities with This Party-Ready Sampler!

When fall comes to Pennsylvania, you think of bonfires, apple cider, and cozy sweaters. Well… some of you do. I’m thinking about seasonal beers! And what better way to welcome the season than by sampling a variety pack from Elysian Brewing, the king of pumpkin beers? We’re looking at the Elysian Brewing Pumpkin Pack, a 12-pack that bundles three different (but related) styles for your parties, tasting sessions, and fireside enjoyment. Testing products is a hard job, dear readers, but I humbly make this sacrifice to arm you with knowledge. To the review!

The Pumpkin Pack, Explained

Hailing from the Pacific Northwest, Elysian Brewing has built quite a reputation for experimental beers in general and their pumpkin beers in particular. They’ve crafted over 100 varieties of pumpkin beer in their 30+ year history, so they know their stuff! This year’s Pumpkin Pack contains four cans each of the following:

• The Night Owl Pumpkin Ale. This is their original flagship recipe from 1997 that’s still going strong;
• The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale. According to Elysian, the world’s first imperial-strength pumpkin ale; and
• The PunKuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale. This one has the characteristics of a coffee stout blended with a spiced pumpkin base. Kinda like a PSL, but in beer form.

Each of these beers has its own unique personality and an average score of about 4/5 on major beer-reviewing platforms (like Untappd). We’ll break down each one below based on our own tasting session!

The Night Owl: what pumpkin ales should be, with a little surprise.

The Night Owl is the O.G. of the Elysian lineup and has been brewed since the late 90s. This particular beer is made with pumpkin puree and classic fall spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and ginger. We’re looking at a medium-bodied beer made with a variety of malts and a touch of bitterness. Total ABV is 6.7%.

There’s a lot happening in the glass here. It pours with a lovely burnt orange color and a light, frothy foam. I get a big hit of sweet pumpkin on the nose with hints of those spices, particularly the nutmeg and cinnamon.

Diving into the draft reveals all the lovely complexity you expect from a pumpkin ale. I don’t get heavy sweetness on the initial taste despite the aroma, which is a good thing. Those pumpkin and spice notes lock in right away and stay with you as you work through the pour, with a bit more sweetness and hits of nutmeg carrying you to the end.

What I found pleasantly surprising was a pop of bitterness that very much resembles a mild English-style bitter that permeates the beer. I do love that style, and that little kick of bitters offers a nice counterbalance to all that spice & pumpkin flavor your taste buds have been processing.

The body is more medium, as described, with a foamy mouthfeel as you roll it around on your tongue. It lingers a bit after the finish, but it’s not overpowering or cloying like some syrupy variants on the form.

I see why this beer is a mainstay in Elysian’s fall lineup. It’s got great complexity, it’s easy to drink, and it’s not so heavy that you would avoid having another. It’s an excellent expression of the pumpkin ale style with a little extra bitter kick that keeps things lively.

The PunKuccino: the smooth, sophisticated counterpoint.

The PunKuccino is a coffee pumpkin ale, brewed in the style of a milk stout with lactose. It’s a medium-bodied beer that promises a deeper flavor with strong coffee notes and autumn spices. Total ABV is 6.0%.

The first thing you notice on this pour is the stout-ish character. I did not expect the dark chocolate color on entry, paired with a lush foam head that leans more tan than white, like a proper stout. The pumpkin flavor is less pronounced on the nose, giving way to aromas of coffee, lattes, and a hint of cinnamon.

Creamy, smooth goodness defines the sip as you dig into this beer. It drinks lighter than a typical coffee stout with a medium body, but the lactose delivers all that richness in the mouthfeel. A strong, subtle sweetness plays here, with a wee bit of autumn spice.

The really interesting thing about this variety is that the pumpkin flavors, while present, take a back seat to the coffee and soft autumn spice notes. And I think that’s a good thing. You know those pumpkin beers that beat you over the head with artificial, cloying pumpkin flavor? This ain’t that at all. The pumpkin plays a background role and makes room for the coffee and light spice notes to take center stage.

This beer delivers a nice alternative in this particular sampler if you want to change gears with its coffee-forward, smooth, creamy personality. The medium body won’t weigh you down like some heavier stouts, so this is a great mid-session switch-up if you’re making this an evening adventure. This is also the beer I’d pass out as samples to folks at the party who don’t normally drink beer but want to try something interesting and approachable.

The Great Pumpkin: deep feelings, big flavors.

Now we get to the closer in this lineup. The award-winning Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale is billed as the first of its kind. This full-bodied beastie brings an assortment of specialty malts, pumpkin flavors, spices, and a total ABV of 8.4%.

The pour tells the story of where we’re going with this beer. While the burnt orange color resembles that of the Night Owl, this beer pours with a heavier texture & thicker head as it rolls around the glass. The nose brings bold, rich flavors that are clove- and spice-forward.

Getting into the glass reveals rich textures, bold flavors, and spicy notes that ride on a sweet, malty background. Each component (the pumpkin flavor, baking spices, cloves) has a bold presence in the mix, but they don’t compete with each other. It’s both strong and extremely well balanced.

The imperial ale style here is interesting. You get that well-rounded richness, but the 8.4% ABV is very approachable. This beer doesn’t shut down your night by overwhelming your taste buds or crushing you with a higher ABV.

The texture and mouthfeel of the Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale is smooth & well-rounded. You’ll get more sweetness in the aftertaste here with a bit of those spices. The malt-forward nature of this beer, coupled with the pronounced spices, makes it an excellent example of a spiced ale for my palate.

Putting It All Together

The Elysian Brewing Pumpkin Pack is a great variety pack to bring to the party. Each beer is great on its own, and they work well together for a themed tasting session that offers different styles with the underlying pumpkin theme. I’d suggest starting with the Night Owl for the punchy classic pumpkin ale experience, moving on to the PunKuccino for a smooth & rich style change, and finishing with the Great Pumpkin for that deep spiced closer.

No matter how you approach the Pumpkin Pack, you’re going to find that each beer is very approachable for casual beer drinkers, but also has excellent refinement that the die-hard beer fans will appreciate. This is one of those samplers that won’t leave extra cans in the back of the fridge until next August. I highly recommend this one as an excellent choice for a Halloween party, a bonfire, or a gift to a beer fan. Expect compliments throughout the night based on your sophisticated tastes.

The Elysian Brewing Pumpkin Pack is subject to local availability. Visit the manufacturer to learn more about the beers and check availability in your area!

Source: Manufacturer-supplied review sample

What I Like: Each beer in the pack stands on its own; The variety in styles is perfect for a sampling session with friends

What Needs Improvement: Nothing noted in my testing