Elysian Brewing Company
The Elysian Brewing Company is an American brewery that operates three pubs in Seattle. On January 23, 2015, it was announced that Elysian would be sold to Anheuser-Busch. This deal means that Elysian Brewing Company will no longer meet the Brewers Association definition of a "craft brewery", since full ownership by Anheuser-Busch exceeds the definition's 25% maximum ownership by a non-craft brewery.
History
Elysian was founded in 1995 by Dave Buhler, Joe Bisacca, and Dick Cantwell. Cantwell had been a homebrewer who gained a reputation at the Duwamps Cafe, the Pike Place Brewery, and Big Time Brewing. Buhler is a former spirits wholesaler and Bisacca was a vice president at Seafirst Bank. The original location was opened in 1996 in the Capitol Hill neighborhood with a 20 barrel capacity.The company operated a brewpub at the local GameWorks arcade between 1997 and 2002. In 2003, their pub and bistro, Tangletown, was opened near Green Lake. The company's largest location, Elysian Fields, was opened in 2006 near CenturyLink Field, which is often busy on game days.
In 2011, Elysian expanded its operations with a production-only facility in the Georgetown neighborhood.
Beers
Beer | % ABV | IBU | Description |
Avatar Jasmine IPA | 6.3 | 45 | IPA |
Dragonstooth Stout | 8.0 | 60 | Stout |
Dayglow IPA | 7.4 | 65 | India Pale Ale |
Loser Pale Ale | 7.0 | 57 | Pale ale |
Men's Room Red | 5.6 | 33 | Amber ale |
Perseus Porter | 5.4 | 47 | Porter |
Space Dust | 8.2 | 73 | IPA |
The Immortal IPA | 6.3 | 54 | IPA with new world hops |
Vahalla Red IPA | 7.5 | 70 | |
Wise ESB | 5.9 | 60 | Extra Special Bitter, Elysian's first brew |
Zephyrus Pilsner | 7.5 | 80 | Pilsner-style lager |
Seasonal
s include:Beer | % ABV | IBU | Availability | Description |
Split Shot | 6.0 | 28 | Spring | |
Bifrost Winter Ale | 8.3 | 58 | Winter | |
Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale | 6.0 | 20 | Fall | Pumpkin beer |
Dark O' The Moon | 7.5 | 20 | Fall | Pumpkin beer |
Great Pumpkin Ale | 8.1 | 20 | Fall | Pumpkin beer |
Night Owl Pumpkin Ale | 6.7 | 18 | Fall | Pumpkin beer |
Superfuzz Blood Orange | 6.4 | 45 | Summer | Ale brewed with blood orange |
Pub specialties
Elysian Brewing Company brews many beers, which are only available at their brewpub and restaurant or are sometimes seasonally available on tap in some Seattle pubs. These include The Golden Boot, brewed in honor of Seattle soccer; Haleakala, named after Maui's easterly volcano; Hombre, a Mexican-style lager, brewed as a house beer for a local Mexican restaurant; and Xoxo, a nitrogen-infused, chocolate, chilli-spiced Irish-style stout often brewed around Valentine's Day.Brews
The Wise ESB was the brewery's first beer. Elysian has won multiple awards for their beers. The Wise, Dragontooth stout, and Avatar Jasmine IPA have done well at the World Beer Cup. The brewery's beers earned it the Large Brewpub of the Year award at the Great American Beer Festival in 1999, 2003 and 2004.Elysian had a collaborative partnership with the New Belgium Brewing Company of Ft. Collins, Colorado. The brewery also partnered with The Men's Room to produce a red ale.