Burp Fest at Elysian Great Pumpkin Beer Fest 2026

The Great Pumpkin Beer Fest was born almost by accident. In 2004, Elysian Brewing's then-brewmaster Dick Cantwell "messed up" a pumpkin brew, leaving the brewery with multiple pumpkin beers on tap simultaneously. Rather than treat it as a problem, Cantwell and the Elysian team saw an opportunity. They brewed four pumpkin beers, invited four other breweries to contribute their own, and hosted a small pumpkin beer tasting at Elysian's Capitol Hill pub with fewer than 10 beers total. The response was enthusiastic enough to make it an annual tradition starting in 2005.

Over the following two decades, what began as a casual tasting grew into one of Seattle's most beloved and unique beer events. The festival eventually outgrew its Capitol Hill home and moved to the Seattle Center for several years to accommodate the growing crowds. For the 2024 edition (the 20th anniversary), Elysian brought the festival back to its original Capitol Hill location, returning to its roots while maintaining the larger-scale production values developed over the years.

The 21st annual edition in 2025 drew roughly 5,000 attendees over two days, featuring approximately 60 different pumpkin and seasonal innovations from Elysian and guest breweries. The festival's signature moment each year is the tapping of a massive pumpkin — several hundred pounds — that has been hollowed out, filled with pumpkin beer, sealed, and conditioned before being ceremoniously tapped for the crowd.

While Elysian Brewing is now owned by Anheuser-Busch, the Great Pumpkin Beer Fest has maintained its craft-forward identity and remains a highlight of Seattle's fall beer calendar. The festival's combination of creative beers, offbeat traditions, and Halloween-adjacent revelry has made it a cult favorite that consistently sells out, drawing pumpkin beer enthusiasts from across the region.