The leaves are lighting up in an array of yellows, oranges, and reds, the temperature is creeping toward cool, and swimsuits have been swapped out for sweaters. There is no doubt about it, autumn is in the air, and suddenly summertime lagers and pilsners just aren’t as satisfying any more. You need a beer that speaks to this season! You want a beer that you love as much as sweater weather! But which beer is that?
We went out and found these 6 fall time favorites for you to try, and the best part is there’s a good chance one, if not all, are sold near you!
1. OctoberFest – Sam Adams
While you will never find Samuel Adams’ OctoberFest at the Oktoberfest in Munich, you will find this delicious beer almost anywhere in the U.S.! OctoberFest is a Marzen, which is an extremely popular style of beer this time of year, and you can learn more about why here.
Sam Adams’ OctoberFest regularly sits at the top of the charts each passing fall because it speaks to what people want during this season: richness, caramel, roasty sweetness, and a hint of hop at the finish to balance it all out. It’s the unpretentious, accessible, throw-back-a-few-on-a-sunny-fall-day kind of beer, and what’s better than that?
2. Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin – New Belgium
We’re not here for the pumpkin argument, you know, the “Everything is pumpkin flavored right now,” “can’t we cool it on the pumpkin already?” etc… One, pumpkin is a gift, and two, we’re here to say that New Belgium crushes it with their take on a pumpkin beer.
This pumpkin ale is full of the seasonal flavors you crave this month: pumpkin, cinnamon, hints of malty sweetness and nuttiness. But buried amongst those flavors you also find the trace of habanero pepper heat that lingers on the back of your tongue and warms you in a way your snuggiest of sweaters will never be able to do.
3. Flannel Friday – Harpoon Brewery
It is possible that a pumpkin beer infused with habanero is not for everyone, which is why our next shout out goes Harpoon Brewery for their autumnal beer and its killer name—Flannel Friday. After all, nothing says fall like flannel! This beer is a Hoppy Amber Ale with all the malt and subtle caramel notes of an Amber Ale as well as hints of citrus and pine from the late-added American hops. An interesting twist on a classic style beer, Flannel Friday is balanced, crisp, and crushable, and the perfect addition to a sunny cool day.
4. Pecan Ale – Abita Brewing
Squirrels aren’t the only ones that go nuts during autumn—this Pecan Ale from one of the South’s biggest names in the brewery industry delivers all the fall feels you need this season. It’s crisp like the days, pours a dark amber like the fallen leaves, and offers a nuttiness and ever-so-slight sweetness like the Louisiana roasted pecans that are added to it. It’s an easy brown ale to enjoy again and again and complements those fall foods we love this time of year—fresh cider donuts, pumpkin and apple pies, roasted acorn squash, and soft pretzels with beer cheese dip.
5. Autumn Ale – Breckenridge Brewery
You sit on your porch, bracing yourself for the changing temperatures while watching leaves dance across the ground and listening to their scattered steps. There is a slight chill in the air, but you remain outside, sipping on this Autumn Ale from Breckenridge, because its generous 7% abv slowly warms you from the inside out. Meanwhile, this crispy beer’s earthy aroma and taste of toasted grains, nutty-sweetness, and malt remind your nose and tongue that fall time is a full sensory experience.
6. Campfire Stout – High Water Brewing
Finally, we arrive at Campfire Stout. Just the name of it alone evokes a classic image of fall—cozying up to a crackling fire with gooey s’mores and good friends while sipping on a smooth stout. High Water’s Campfire Stout delivers on this image with its autumn-esque flavors of toasted graham crackers, chocolate, and traces of marshmallow.
A great beer for those who live along the west coast where it is widely distributed; and, for those who live elsewhere, we encourage you to find its local counterpart. Many breweries offer similar seasonal creations like campfire porters and marshmallow milk stouts!