[reminder] Elysian's Great Pumpkin Beer Fest '09

The Great Pumpkin Festival 2009

For the fifth year in a row, Seattle's Elysian Brewery will be hosting its annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival this weekend (October 10-11). The event will take place at the Capitol Hill Elysian Brewery (across the street from Chop Suey) and will showcase the latest, greatest pumpkin-flavored concoctions from Elysian, as well as 16 guest pumpkin beers from several Seattle-area and non-Seattle-area brewers .

In addition to their flagship pumpkin ale Night Owl, Elysian is serving up:

• The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale
• Dark o’ the Moon Pumpkin Stout
• Hansel and Gretel Ginger Pumpkin Pilsner
• Jack o’ Bite Barrel-aged Strong Scottish Pumpkin Ale
• Mr. Yuck Sour Pumpkin Ale
• Bete N’Owl Dark Belgian-style Pumpkin Ale
• Kaiser Kurbis Pumpkin Hefeweizen
• 8472 Amber Sour

The other beers will be from the following breweries: Allagash, Big Time, Cambridge, Dogfish Head, Elliott Bay, Iron Hill, Jolly Pumpkin, Nodding Head, Pike, Rock Bottom, Russian River, Silver City, Snoqualmie, Southern Tier, Stewart’s, Stoudt’s, and Trade Route.

But don't forget about The Great Pumpkin! For those unfamiliar to the festival, Elysian also a has a huge gourd filled with pumpkin ale which has been sealed up with wax and allowed to undergo a second fermentation. At 4:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday, a tap is hammered into "The Great Pumpkin" and the beer inside is served to the hoards of thirsty pumpkin enthusiasts.

FESTIVAL HOURS: Saturday, Oct. 10 (Noon-10pm); and Sunday, Oct. 11 (Noon-6pm). Tickets are a very reasonable $15, which includes entrance fees, a commemorative glass, as well as 6 drink tokens. Additional tokens will be available at the festival for $1.50 each. Tickets can be purchased at any Elysian Brewery, as well as at the gate.

If you happen to live somewhere far away from Seattle, but would love to get your taste buds on these wonderful beers (especially the Dark 'O The Moon Pumpkin Stout), Elysian will be hitting the road for two East Coast appearances: Blind Tiger in Greenwich Village, New York City (October 14) and South Philly Tap Room in Philadelphia (October 18).