Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin Ale

Pumpkin beers are an American original, brewed since Colonial times as a way of avoiding reliance on expensive imported English malt.  They’ve also become a mainstay among modern craft brewers.  There are hoarier East Coast examples (Cambridge Brewing Company has been producing their Great Pumpkin since 1989!) Nightowl was first brewed at our small Gameworks system in 1998.  It all started with a single four-barrel batch, which proved enough to supply the Capitol Hill pub for about a week.  We decided to brew another couple of batches the following year to meet what we thought demand to be.  This year we’ll brew more than three thousand barrels of Nightowl and use a total of around 27,000 pounds of pumpkin and 1200 pounds of pumpkin seeds!

NIGHT OWL PUMPKIN ALE is brewed with over seven pounds of pumpkin per barrel and spiced with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Night Owl is made with Pale Munich and Crystal malts, green and roster pumpkin seeds, and pumpkin in the mash, boil and fermenter. Bittered with Magnum hops. ABV. 5.9%

-Dick Cantwell