Pumpkin Beers — Elysian vs. Elysian

Elysian Dark O' The Moon
Pumpkin Stout 

ABV 6.5%

Elysian Hansel & Gretel
Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner

ABV 4.5%

Feel that chill running up and down your spine? That's a sure sign that All Hallow's Eve is approaching. It's also a sign that you need to relax and enjoy a pumpkin beer. So stop obsessing about the Lucha Libre Clown in the photo and pay attention to those beers. Both are from Elysian Brewing in Seattle which has established itself as the foremost authority on pumpkin beers worldwide. Their epic Great Pumpkin Beer Festival should be on any respectable beer geek's bucket list. It's pumpkin beer nirvana.

These two beers are on opposite ends of the pumpkin beer spectrum which should come as no surprise given that the The Hansel & Gretel is a pilsner and the Dark O' The Moon is a stout. But in the name of Bottle Battle it was our solemn duty to set aside all style prejudice in order to determine which one tasted better to us at that particular moment.

The Pilsner was as light and lively as you'd expect with a murky yellow color and some nice herbal spices (clove, coriander, ginger, cinnamon) on the nose. The flavor offered a sharp, citrusy ginger followed by a moderately bitter finish with a touch of woody tannins.

The Stout was as dark as a deserted alley where Lucha Libre Clowns might lurk. The aroma was dominated by smoke, coffee and chocolate and the flavor continued with those qualities while adding some subtle pumpkin pie spices with a nice malty sweetness and a rich, velvety texture. The finish was smooth and smoky with a mild coffee bitterness.

We ended up choosing the Dark O' The Moon not only because we liked it more than the Hansel & Gretel but because it is truly one of the best stouts we've had the pleasure of drinking, pumpkin or non-pumpkin. The Hansel & Gretel wasn't bad at all, but with the weather cooling down we find that our palates are often drawn to the darker, maltier side of malt beverages. Both are available now but the Hansel & Gretel is a special offering only found in Elysian's Pumpkin Patch 4-pack which also includes Dark O' The Moon! Combine the 4-pack with some pumpkins, some knives and some friends and you've got yourself an old fashioned jack-o-lantern carving party.

Unanimous Decision: Dark O' The Moon

Pale Ales — Ninkasi vs. Elysian

Ninkasi Radiant Ale

ABV 6%

Elysian Loser

ABV 7%

It was with a little trepidation that we included a beer called "Loser" in a bottle battle. To make matters worse, the opponent was a beer with one of the most uplifting and positive names around, the brightly colored Radiant from Ninkasi. However, if the Loser could prove to be a winner wouldn't it be an inspiring story of a beer overcoming unthinkable odds to triumph over adversity? Here's how it all unfolded:

Both beers were dark for pale ales, falling more in the brown/orange category with the Radiant being a bit lighter in color. The aroma of the Loser was kind of a vegetal honey that wasn't off-putting, just not very hoppy. The Radiant was very perfumey with tropical fruit and a touch of that graininess you get from macro lagers. Flavorwise the Loser was smooth, sweet and fruity while the Radiant was fairly straight-forward and citrusy. The Radiant finished way more bitter while the Loser had more of a malt-driven finish with just a touch of bitter for balance. 

Stylistically, I suppose the Radiant tasted more like a traditional pale ale. However, it was not our favorite. It was just too simple with nothing to really distinguish itself. The Loser, on the other hand, was a really nice beer. And although it didn't taste much like a Northwest pale ale to us, we were both impressed by the smooth, rich fruitiness of it. To us, despite Elysian releasing Loser as a summer seasonal, the darker hue and malty character of the beer makes more sense for fall. Get some for these final days of grilling before we lose daylight savings and retreat indoors to huddle around the hearth for some stout or barleywine.  

Unanimous Decision: Elysian Loser Pale Ale

Imperial IPAs — Nogne ø vs. New Belgium/Alpine Brewing Collaboration

Nogne ø

Imperial India Pale Ale
ABV 10%

New Belgium/Alpine Brewing

Super India Pale Ale 
ABV 9%

It's an international battle this time with Nogne ø representing Norway and the dynamic duo of New Belgium (Colorado) and Alpine (Southern California) representing the good ol' US of A. Could the highly regarded Scandinavian brewery possibly compete with a style dreamed up and perfected in the states? It's important questions like this that we tackle for you here at Bottle Battle headquarters.

The Nogne ø was gorgeous, showing off a crystal clear, vibrant, rusty red. It's a color that all beers in the "Red" category should aspire to. The golden yellow Super IPA was fairly pedestrian in comparison, but what it lacked in appearance it more than made up for in aroma. The sharp, resiny, citrusy, hop-candy notes exploded out of the glass giving us the equivalent of a hoppy brain-freeze. It was positively intoxicating and one of the best aromas either of us have ever had the pleasure of experiencing in an imperial IPA. The aroma of the Nogne ø wasn't even in the same league. It smelled mostly of bready, toasted malt with some herbal notes (rosemary maybe). Honestly, neither of us would have guessed from the aroma that it was an IPA at all. 

Both beers were quite sweet and malty but the Super still had a distinct hop presence albeit one that tasted like a reduction of hoppy honey. The Nogne ø was just sweet through and through with perhaps a touch of orange as the only flavor reminiscent of hops to go along with the dominate flavors of brown sugar and dates. The finish on both was a bit syrupy but at least the Super contrasted that with a moderate bitterness.

So, for this battle at least, the US flexed its imperial IPA muscle and straight dominated. The Nogne ø was all show and barely tasted like an IPA at all. Not sure when the Nogne ø was brewed but it might be possible that the trip overseas and the days on the shelf have stripped away what was once a hoppy beer. Most IPAs are meant to be drunk as fresh as possible before the hops begin to fade. As a celebration of our victory I invite you all to raise a glass of Super IPA and burst into a rousing rendition of "My Country 'Tis of IPA."

Unanimous Decision: New Begium/Alpine Brewing Super IPA

Bourbon Barrel Aged Porters — Full Sail vs. Oregon Trail

2010 Full Sail Top Sail

Imperial Porter

(Malt Beverage Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels) 

ABV 9.85% 

 

2012? Oregon Trail

Bourbon Barrel Porter

(Ale Aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels)
ABV 9.2% 

Nothing like 100 degree weather to get you in the mood for oak aged porters right? Well, actually we battled these over a month ago when the weather was conducive to drinking any style of beer you want. And on that particular evening with my parents in town as willing guest tasters we felt like drinking some big beers to cap off a great meal.

 

I was excited to try my first bottle of beer from Oregon Trail Brewery, a well-established brewery from Corvallis Oregon. Full Sail's Top Sail is a beer we've loved in the past to the extent that we always try to have a couple vintages on hand in the cellar. For this battle I pulled a bottle of the 2010 Top Sail. I assume that the Oregon Trail was 2012 as my dad picked it up in Portland just a few days prior to the battle.

 

As expected, both beers were stellar, and perhaps fittingly we ended up with a split decision. My mom and I preferred the Oregon Trail which had an enticing floral honey aroma leading to a sweet and fruity flavor followed by a slightly acidic licorice and vanilla finish. Ellen and my dad chose the Top Sail which had a deep, rich, earthy nose with notes of coffee grounds and oak. The flavor was sweet and boozy with a slight chemical quality and the finish featured tons of oak and vanilla extract.

 

If you want a beer with a big bourbon barrel profile we recommend the Top Sail. Despite being a couple years old, it had much more of the oaky vanilla character you get from bourbon barrels (perhaps the age intensifies the oak characteristics?). The influence of the bourbon barrels in the Oregon Trail was also noticeable but far more subtle. You really can't go wrong with either as both are sweet, rich, complex and great for postprandial imbibing. 

 

Split Decision: Ellen and my dad chose the Full Sail, my mom and I chose the Oregon Trail.

Oregon IPAs — Cascade Lakes vs. Terminal Gravity/Double Mountain Collaboration

 

Cascade Lakes IRA

ABV 6.8%

 

Terminal Gravity/Double Mountain

Collaboration IPA

ABV 7.2% 
 

This battle featured a couple of non-standard IPAs from Oregon. Representing the beer mecca of Bend was the Cascade Lakes IRA and hailing from Enterprise (Terminal Gravity) and Hood River (Double Mountain) was the Gravity Mountain Collaboration IPA. 

The Gravity Mountain continues a growing trend of two (or more) breweries combining their knowledge and resources to create a special collaborative concoction. For those not familiar with IRA, it is simply a variation of a normal IPA. It stands for India Red Ale, a hybrid name created from IPA and red ale.

The color of the Cascade Lakes wasn't so much red as hazy orangish brown. In the aroma it had lots of bready malts and a touch of milk chocolate with no significant hop presence. The hops came out in the flavor however, as it started sweet and ultimately gave way to some grassy, herbal and citrusy hop notes. The finish was mild and sweet with a pleasant mild bitterness.

The Gravity Mountain had a cloudy, golden hue and a strong and funky marijuana aroma. The flavor was dominated by the funky hops with just a touch of sweet maltiness in the background. On the finish it was acidic and bitter, a harsh and long-lasting bitter greens sort of bitter.

Neither beer really wowed us. To our palates they were both decent but unimpressive. The victory went to the Cascade Lakes IRA because we just don't care for IPAs that smell like pot. Not sure if it's a specific variety of hop or a style of beer making, but it's not for us.

Winner by Unanimous Decision: Cascade Lakes IRA

Washington State IPAs — Elysian vs. Pike vs. Diamond Knot

Elysian Prometheus IPA

ABV 6.7%

Pike IPA

ABV 6.3%

 

Diamond Knot IPA

ABV 6.2% 
 

In anticipation of the IPA blind tasting event we did for Medford Beer Week, Ellen and I had to do some research to find an IPA to represent each state on the west coast. At the local bottle shop we found a nice selection of Washington IPAs to choose from and we ended up choosing these three — Elysian and Pike from our old hometown of Seattle and Diamond Knot from a city called Mukilteo just north of Seattle.

 

Colors varied with the Elysian coming across reddish orange, the Pike showing off a brownish orange and the Diamond Knot looking fairly unappealing with a kind of brownish yellow.

 

The Elysian had the aroma that appealed to us most, featuring gobs of grapefruit and citrus that started us salivating immediately. The Pike had some strong funky, earthy, marijuana-esque hop aromas and the Diamond Knot was more restrained with some tropical fruit notes.

 

The Elysian continued its dominance in the flavor as the citrus was complemented by a nice sweet caramel maltiness and a fairly mild bitterness in the finish. The Pike was intensely bitter with a bit of burnt hops and cat pee in the finish. The Diamond Knot also had a harsh bitterness in the finish, although not as much as the Pike, while the flavors were fairly simple, offering a bit of grain and some lemon-water.

 

There wasn't much debate in this battle as the Elysian was the clear winner for both of us. It's just the kind of IPA that appeals to us — big, juicy, citrusy grapefruit aroma with a solid malt profile and a smooth bitterness in the finish. Unfortunately it is not a year-round release for Elysian, rather it is part of their Manic IPA Series and will be available through August. If you're a fan of IPAs this one is certainly worth your attention so hurry up and get some before it's gone!

 

Side note: The Prometheus ended up in second place in our IPA blind tasting event behind another great IPA, 10 Barrel Brewing's Apocolypse IPA.  

 

Winner by Unanimous Decision: Elysian Prometheus IPA 

Imperial IPAs — Pyramid vs. Oakshire

Pyramid
Outburst Imperial IPA

ABV 8.5%

Oakshire
The Perfect Storm
Double IPA

ABV 9.3% 

Ever since our friend Geoff posted a glowing review of the Pyramid Outburst last year we've been wanting to feature it in a battle. Imperial IPAs tend to be a bit spendier than most beers so finding one that is good and inexpensive is a worthy pursuit. Fighting against the Outburst was an Imperial (or Double if you'd prefer) IPA from Oakshire in Eugene. We've enjoyed many of Oakshire's beers in the past so we were excited to try this offering. As usual, my lovely wife did the honor of pouring the beers out of my sight so I could taste them blind. 

 

Right from the get-go it was a mighty duel. Both had a bold hop presence and a solid malt backbone to temper the bitterness. It was a see-saw battle. Just as one seemed to be rising to the top of our list the other would have us second guessing. After much deliberation the one we both chose was the Pyramid Outburst. It had a funky, earthy hop aroma and a sweet (yet still bitter) honey malt flavor followed by a solid bitter finish. The Perfect Storm featured a sharp, herbal, floral aroma along with an intense and long-lasting citrus rind bitterness in the finish. As usual, we chose the one that had the least bitter finish. We are nothing if not consistent.

 

Both are worth your attention. Go with the Outburst if you're looking for a solid double IPA at a great price and splurge for The Perfect Storm if you are looking for a double IPA that will sock you right in the taste buds and make you feel good about it. 

 
Winner by Unanimous Decision: Pyramid Outburst