It’s that time of year again; time for pumpkin beers. This is a historic method of making beer that goes back to the early days of brewing in colonial America. There was not much available in terms of malted barley or hops, but pumpkin was abundant and therefore utilized enthusiastically as a readily available form of fermentable sugars. For modern brewers, the use of pumpkin is more about celebrating the fall season and creating unique flavors in the brew. One of the more renowned local pumpkin brews is Night Owl Pumpkin Ale from Elysian Brewing. more ›

#1 on our list of events for the weekend is the Elysian Pumpkin Beer Festival this Saturday up at the Capitol Hill location. There will be 13 different pumpkin beers on tap, including the GABF silver-medal-winning The Great Pumpkin Ale. Festivities begin at noon with the tapping of the Great Pumpkin at 4pm; a huge pumpkin in which a batch of Night Owl carried out its secondary fermentation. Yum. more ›

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