Bifrost Winter Ale, Elysian Brewing Company, Seattle Washington

Our next beer comes from one of my favorite brewpubs to visit - the Elysian Brewery in Seattle. Spectacular beer, great food, it's a great place. If your in Seattle and haven't been - check it up on Capitol Hill. Their winter offering is the Bifrost. It's available in 22 oz bottles throughout the winter. I found mine at Whole Foods, their distribution is fairly wide throughout the US.

It pours bright amber with a good head.

The smell is hop and yeast with some mild malt.

The taste is hop earthiness balanced with a nice malt. It is very very smooth and the bitterness builds. It has some very nice light yeast overtones. There is also mild honey in the body, which is medium to full.

The aftertaste is malty-hop-bitterness. I think this is a great holiday warmer that is well balanced and would go great with a holiday meal.

Cheers!


From their website:

It is 7.5% with 42 IBU's.

Malt: Pale Malt with Munich and Crystal Malts.

Hop: Bittered with Centennial, finished with Amarillo and Styrian Goldings hops.

Night Owl Pumpkin Ale, Elysian Brewery

Alas, it is truly fall. But I face the end of summer bravely with the prospect of the arrival of pumpkin beer (not to mention I've seen the first of the Christmas beers arriving in stores!). Pumpkin beers are a favorite of my wife, so she is adding her perspective in our beer of the day.

The Night Owl pours dark amber without much head.

The smell is definitely pumpkin...like pumpkin pie, with prominent clove and cinnamon.

The taste is obviously very pumpkin and cinnamon. Although this is not to be taken for granted. I've had some that are not a prominent in their pumpkin-ness. The first taste is sweet, but finishes with spice. It is a light body. Holding it for a moment, their is a bit of clove.

The aftertaste is refreshing with a nice spiciness. In all it reminds me of autumn, one of my favorite seasons...It is truly a solid Pumpkin Ale and I strongly recommend it!

From the bottle: "Ale brewed with pumpkin, pumpkin seeds & fermented with spices." Brewed with over 7lbs of pumpkins per barrel and "spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice."

It is 5.9%. I found it in a grocery store in Bellingham, WA (on a recent trip to my hometown) but I think it is available in most large stores and beer stores - at least on the Western side of the Country. It comes in a 22z bottle. For those of you so inclined, I strongly recommend visiting the delicious Elysian Brewery in Seattle.