Every fall I look forward to two things with an equal amount of excitement: pumpkin beers and fresh hop beers. Luckily, living in Seattle means I don’t have to worry about going without.
Another fantastic element of life in Seattle is the abundance of beer festivals. My favorite is held in the autumn — the Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Festival (GPBF). Breweries from all over town and across the globe come together and provide us Seattleites with the nectar of the gourds, sweet fermented liquid of squashiness. A true beer-lover’s celebration of the great fruit of fall.
This year did not disappoint. My favorites (in no particular order) included some new local breweries. Reuben’s Brews made a Pumpkin Rye that had an obvious rye spiciness to compliment pumpkin pie spices in the concoction. Bainbridge Island Brewing aged a pumpkin ale in a whisky barrel and dubbed the brew Whisky Jack. Just enough whisky to warm your senses and amplify the pumpkin flavor. Epic Ales made a Pumpkin Pie Gose, a sour and salty beer that benefited from the squashy and spicy undertones.
I left the festival hungry for a sweet and tart pumpkin ale inspired dessert, and this cranberry upside-down cake made with Two Beers Pumpkin Spice Ale really hit the spot.
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