Elysian Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale
A pumpkin ale with the attitude of a world-weary barista, Punkuccino packs a short shot of Stumptown coffee toddy in your pint with a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg.
3.8
206 reviews
Seattle, United States
Community reviews
Appearance: Pours a very dark brown body with some faint golden edges. Very stilted, slim, light beige head. Held aloft to the light, some stray particles are discernible.
Smell: Pungent, earthy spiciness of fragrant cinnamon and nutmeg. Slight roast, toast aided by the slightly acrid coffee character, though it's got a hint of implied sweetness, there. Minimal pumpkin showing after all that.
Taste: Sweet and spicy with powderized breadcrusts, flourishes of caramel, milk chocolate candy. It houses a less-than-appealing coffee character, but it's a coffee quality none-the-less. It's got noted sweetness, peppery spiciness and coffee character. The pumpkin seems present, or, at least, is perceived, but feels like a background player to those punchier elements.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation.
Overall: So-so; I liked it okay enough for the few bottles in the Elysian Pumpkin Patch Good Times pack. Bless them for trying to give a few new twists and turns to the ole Pumpkin Ale style.
Excellent fall beer. Pumpkin spice light coffee. The color and aroma aren't exciting, but the taste is a very good for the season.
12 oz. bottle. Pours an opaque dark brown color with mahogany highlights and a thick beige head with great retention. Good lacing. As expected, aroma of fall spices and light coffee. The flavor is darker coffee than the nose, and the spices are lighter than the nose. Just enough fall spices to keep this from being just a coffee ale. Smooth with low carbonation. I don't like coffee but this isn't bad.
12 oz bottle rating. Brown body with a thin off white head. Nose of roast, coffee, cinnamon, spices, nuts, and off vegatable. Fairly easy drinking. Nothing special, but certainly drinkable.
12 ounce bottle, 9/3/20. Dark brown, thin foamy tan head, good retention. Aroma of coffee, pumpkin, spice, caramel. Taste is coffee, pumpkin spice, pumpkin, caramel. Medium bodied, low bitterness, fairly sweet but not off balance. Tasty.
Punkuccino has a thin, bone-colored head, and a clear, bubbly, lighter-brown appearance, with little lacing. The aroma is of pumpkin pie spices, some coffee, and pie crust. The taste is of those elements, with some pumpkin pulp, acrid coffee bitterness, and cream. Punkuccino has a low-medium body and a moderately-dry finish. RJT
The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee. Rich black color. Mixed coffee, pumpkin, sugar, cream, cinnamon, and cloves. Slightly watery mouthful.
Overall not bad, and I am not a big fan of coffee.
Had this on Halloween 2019 with Bernie & Peggy
10/09/2022
It's been 3 years since I last tried this beer. When I saw the pumpkin variety pack in the store, I decided it was time for me to update my review of this beer, as well as the other varieties in the pack.
12 oz. bottle, 6% ABV, Experience by: 11FEB23
AROMA: Heavy scents of fresh-roasted coffee hit first and then they are followed by nutmeg and cinnamon, with pumpkin bringing up the rear. For something marketed as a pumpkin beer, the coffee scent is just too overpowering. However, I enjoy coffee anything, so the amped up coffee aroma is not that off-putting to me.
I will note that as the head dissipates, I get much less coffee aroma, and much more of the cinnamon and nutmeg. However, the pumpkin scent still remains a second-class citizen.
APPEARANCE: Pours an opaque black with a tall, dirty-tan head that dissipates slowly and has excellent lacing.
TASTE: Sweeter than the nose predicted but not overly sweet. The first thing I taste is milk/cream, followed by dark-roast coffee, and then finishing with a bit of nutmeg.
MOUTHFEEL: Body is on the thin side with a bit of a dry texture and slightly below average carbonation.The whole body/texture of this beer seems like a mismatch with its appearance. I would have expected something with a heavier body and creamier texture.
OVERALL: My assessment from 2019 (that the beer has little, to no, pumpkin flavor at all) still holds true for the 2022 vintage. I'd also say that it is a fine beer, in its own right, just not a very good pumpkin beer. Additionally, this is the only beer in the 2022 "Pumpkin Pack" that I feel is exactly the same as the beer in the 2019 "Pumpkin Pack". Which is unfortunate given that I thought 2 of the other beers in the pack (i.e. Dark O' The Moon Pumpkin Stout, and The Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale) improved quite a bit from their respective 2019 vintages.
For comparison purposes, my original review from 10/13/2019 is below, along with the rating I gave it in each category.
12 oz. bottle.
AROMA (8): Heavenly scents of coffee and pumpkin with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg.
APPEARANCE (4): Pours an opaque dark-brown with a tall, dirty-tan head that dissipates slowly.
TASTE (7): Sweeter than the nose predicted but not overly sweet. The first thing I taste is milk/cream, followed by dark-roast coffee, and then finishing with a bit of nutmeg.
MOUTHFEEL (3): Medium-bodied with a slick texture and low carbonation.
OVERALL (14): This is the fourth beer that I've tried in the "Pumpkin Pack", and I think it is my least favorite. Mostly because there is no pumpkin flavor at all. The coffee just overpowers everything else. That being said, it is still a fine beer on its own. It's just not a very good pumpkin beer.
Bottle from Total Wine in Mountain View, CA. Aroma is cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie, coffee, some roared malts. Taste is natural pumpkin pie spices, balanced crispness, mild tangy coffee, great beer backbone. Very well done for the style despite what you might think of it!
12 ounce bottle at sisters house. Little bit of spice scent. Brown in color with little bit of beige head. Taste the pumpkin and spices. Medium bodied,. Smooth and complex. Coffee aftertastes. This is nice beer. Cheers!
Pours a dark brown with a quickly fading beige head. The head’s poor retention is partly my fault with a less aggressive pour. Soft, sweet pumpkin flesh with light notes of cinnamon with undertones of dark roasted malt on the nose. These aromas get humbly expressed in the flavor profile as well. Nothing is overdone and it is very drinkable.
Bottle at home. Fine dark brown pour minimal head. Nose is coffee, pumpkin, and chocolate. Tastes similar, some nutmeg, earthy, vegetal, pumpkin pie, creamy coffee. Medium bitterness. Enjoyable.
Aroma is cinnamon/clove, malts and mild coffee. The flavor is ginger/cinnamon/mild clove, malts, pumpkin/gourd and a mix of mild sweetness and slight sour/acidic in the finish.
Bomber bottle at 71111 trailer. Pours black with lasting tan foam. Awesome cinnamon, nutmeg, mocha, toasty aromas. Rich smooth mouthfeel. Cinnamon, nutmeg spices start things off , with mocha pumpkin latte flavors to finish ___very tasty coffee/pumpkin brew.
Pours clear dark mahogany with a one finger, tan head. Aroma is pumpkin spice, coffee and light roast. Taste is caramel and cinnamon, moving to coffee, nutmeg and roast. Finish is nutmeg and light coffee. A very good fruit beer.
Punkin. Dark. Punkin wood.
Pours a deep brown from the bottle with a thick tan brown head that dissipates slowly to leave moderate lace. Aroma is huge on the coffee, cinnamon, and nutmeg, with a touch of chocolate behind. Taste follows, loads of the adjuncts, nice and roasty, a touch of booze and malt. Clean and tasty, medium body, good for what it is.
Purchased a 22 oz bottle from my local liquor store. Thick brown head on top of an opaque brown body. It smells like cold pumpkin pie. Honestly, I expected this to be horrible but it's good. Bit of a dry aftertaste but the flavors are mild and have subtle coffee notes.
Bomber from Total Wine Lewisville. Good but I honestly hoped for better. The pumpkin is vegetal with some nutmeg and clove. The coffee is faint with some espresso bitterness. Okay.
Refrigerated brown bomber poured into a glass. Black with medium light brown head. Aroma is nutmeg, medium body, lower carbonation, and small-bubble lacing. Taste is nutmeg, chocolate, cinnamon, pumpkin, and some coffee.
Bomber: Cinnamon and coffee nose, brown sugar underneath. Dark brown, medium tan head. Cinnamon and coffee. Medium body, easy carbonation. No discernible pumpkin, but that's just fine.
One of the better pumpkin themed beers out there, this one is sweet and full bodied with mouthfilling spices and deep roast coffee, vanilla bean, cinnamon, nutmeg and chai flavors. Pours a pretty bronzed brown with a tan head.
Dark brown pour, with a small tan foam head and lots of lace. Aroma is cinnamon and pie spices. Flavor is the same pie spices, like a spice cake, sweet, with some roast, toasted bread, mild coffee and nutty notes. Deep dark and rich.
22 ounce bottle, no dating.
It pours a dark brown with a tannish head of foam, quickly dissipating leaving a bit of lacing.
Nutmeg and cinnamon nose, light roasted malt, no coffee that I can discern.
The taste is heavy with the nutmeg and cinnamon, medium roasted malt and rather faint coffee for a beer with coffee in the name.
Very smooth mouthfeel and flavours, a very good Pumpkin beer.
Smell is strong of nutmeg (mostly) and cinnamon....bold....flavor is the same, very good balance of the mouth feel and bold flavor of roasted malt and nutmeg...but the malt isn't bitter or too roasted...just right...smooth with some complexity...had at flying saucer for lunch
Dark brown to black pour with a three finger, creamy tan head that has great retention and leaves nice lacing. Aroma is absolutely loaded with dusty cinnamon heavy- pie spice, some roast, toasted bread, mild coffee and nutty notes. Flavor is about the same, with a nice deep roasty/charred note that underscores everything. Medium to heavy body,creamy feel, blanketing light, but slightly sharp carbonation. Decent, a bit lacking in depth though. Might get a couple extra ticks for reminding me of the cinnamon toast my mom used to make.
$8.99 bomber, Wine Warehouse. My bottle says 6% rather than the 5% listed here. Pours dark brown with a small beige-tan head. Aroma is sweet cinnamon roll, nutmeg, coffee, vanilla. Flavor is cinnamon, coffee, nutmeg, roasted malt, sugar, vanilla. It tastes like a pumpkin spiced iced coffee (without the actual pumpkin). It's actually pretty tasty, but very artificial.
Very good beer, the pumpkin and coffee blend well together with dark chocolate malt notes, low abv is nice, so everything blends well without much sharpness.
In general, pumpkin is something I don't like in beers. That said, it's much better in stouts and this might be the best I've had. The coffee works and the amount of flavors is impressive for 5%. This might need an imperial version.