Image via Complex Original
As we head into fall (and in the northeastern U.S., more seasonable weather), our focus zeroes in on autumn beers. For Jimmy Carbone, owner of Jimmy's No. 43 and host of Beer Sessions Radio on Heritage Radio Network, that means seeking out his favorite fresh hop and warming beers. Plus, what would October look like without fest beers? Or how would we greet November without a mug of pumpkin ale?
Although there’s a somewhat controversial trend in the industry to introduce seasonal beers out of season, there are still plenty of great beers being released this fall, along with perennial favorites (or favorites from Perennial). Now is the best time to seek out both the old and the new, and settle into your barstool for what we consider the 25 best beer to drink this fall.
All these beers come highly recommended, although some of them are available only in regional markets. These beers are some of the best you’ll find, so even if you stumble only on a few of them, you’ll be starting off your fall beer drinking season in high spirits.
RELATED: The 25 Best Craft Breweries in the U.S.
RELATED: 100 Beers to Try Before You Die
RELATED: 15 Great Beer Cocktails Every Man Should Be Able to Make
RELATED: First We Feast - 30 Great IPA's to Drink Before You Die
Fresh Hop Beers
"The first beer I think of in September is a fresh hopped beer," Jimmy admits. And it's true, if you want the best in IBUs, a fresh hop beer is going to dance on the taste buds. Try one of these among the best bets available this fall.
Founders Harvest Ale
Where: The Grand Rapids, Mich.
Type: American IPA
ABV: 7.6%
Availability: October 2013
Website: foundersbrewing.com
You can argue over the nation's best fresh hopped beer, but certainly the Harvest Ale from Founders Brewing is going to be on everyone's short list. The Grand Rapids, Michigan, brewery makes this IPA every fall, and the fresh citrusy hops will hit your nose and then your tongue with 70 IBUs. At 7.6% ABV, this beer is far from sessionable but is also the one beer on the list you must try if you want a definitive fresh hopped brew.
Sixpoint Autumnation
Where: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Type: American IPA
ABV: 6.7%
Availability: Seasonal, currently available
Website: sixpoint.com
Who doesn't want to contribute to their favorite beer's list of ingredients? Brooklyn-based Sixpoint Brewery in Red Hook often reaches out to their devoted clientele for ingredient suggestions, and the main hops strain in their Autumnation Ale is chosen by Sixpoint fans every year. This fall's Autumnation was made with a relatively new hops strain, Mosaic, which isn't widely used in brewing and should make for a very interesting vertical tasting if you happen to have any Autumnation left over from last year. Copper in color with an assertive taste accompanied by citrus, berry and pine flavors, the massive aroma of fresh hops features citrus, strawberry, stone fruits, berry, and pine notes.
Lagunitas Wet Dog New Dogtown
Where: Petaluma, Calif.
Type: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.2%
Availability: October 2013 in extremely limited release
Website: lagunitas.com
Each year California's Lagunitas steps away from the dry hops and pulls in some fresh Simcoe that they wet hop into small release batches to create Wet Dog New Dogtown Pale Ale. The recipe is based on their earlier Dogtown Pale Ale, an American Pale Ale with a significant malt profile to balance out the featured hops aroma. The brewer reports that the Simcoe hops have just been added, so the beer should be ready in the next few weeks. If you're trying to find it, check out some of the small fresh hopped beer festivals along the west coast.
Two Beers Fresh Hop
Where: Pacific Northwest
Type: IPA
ABV: 6.2%
Availability: Currently available in Washington and Oregon, but check dates if buying bottles.
Website: twobeersbrewery.com
If you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest this fall, be sure to seek out Seattle's Two Beers Brewing Co. for their Fresh Hop. As part of an annual tradition, the brewers head to Yakima Valley to harvest Centennial hops to make a small-batch, fresh-hopped IPA. They add to the wet hop profile with additional locally sourced Amarillo, Simcoe, and Cascade hops. As they are one of the first breweries to put out a fresh hopped beer every year, theirs also tends to disappear quickly. If you see some, drink some.
"Warming" Beers
Desired ABV in beer tends to run inversely to the temperature outdoors. As the temps fall, the desire for "big" or "warming" beers increases. Just a little something to take off the chill, such as a Tripel or Quad, or simply a beer with a big mouthfeel to it.
The Bruery Rugbrod
Where: Placentia, Calif.
Type: Rye Beer
ABV: 8%
Availability: Late fall into winter
Website: thebruery.com
Rugbrød is the consistently highly ranked winter seasonal offering from southern California's The Bruery. Meaning "rye bread" in Danish, Rugbrød is loosely based on the Scandinavian Christmas "Julebryg" beer. Brewed with three types of rye malt, this brown ale is earthy and bready with nutty barley malts and a roasted finish.
Barrier Oblong
Where: Long Island, N.Y.
Type: American Strong Ale
ABV: 8.5%
Availability: Year-round
Website: barrierbrewing.com
This Dark Strong Rye from Long Island's Barrier Brewing Co. is one of our absolute favorites for the fall. It pours a deep, dark mahogany in hue with blood red edges and a khaki-colored head. The aroma is full of piney, herbaceous hops on top of an earthy malt character. The 8.5% ABV ale's flavors are full of resinous hops, peppery rye malt, bitter chocolate, cacao nibs, gentle alcohol warmth, and maple syrup. Perfect for a crisp fall day with its complex, earthy and herbal tones.
Two Brothers Cane & Ebel
Where: Illinois, Ill.
Type: Rye Beer
ABV 7%
Availability: Year-round
Website: twobrosbrew.com
Although it's available year-round and at 7.0% ABV a bit of a lightweight for a "warming" beer, Cane & Ebel from Illinois' Two Brothers Brewing Co. has a luscious mouthfeel. It's a big hopped beer with a creamy sweetness you wouldn't expect, owing to the addition of Thai palm sugar to the batch. A beer that pairs great with food, despite its complex flavors.
Perennial Midnight Rambler
Where: St. Louis, Mo.
Type: Belgian-style stout
ABV: 8.9%
Availability: Year-round
Website: twobrosbrew.com
If we had written about fall beers last month we would have been out of season ourselves, but we would have told you to seek out and drink Perennial Artisan Ales' Zwanze Day Barrel-Fermented Quad. The St. Louis brewery created the limited-edition beer for the September 14th celebration, but it may be nearly impossible to find even a few days out. Thus, we go for second best with the Midnight Rambler, a Belgian-style stout that weighs in at 8.9% ABV and is brewed with Belgian Abbey yeast.
"Real Oktoberfest" Beers
Let's face it: Even educated craft beer drinkers in the U.S. can't quite wrap their heads around the notion that Oktoberfest begins mid-September. Beginning Saturday, September 21, Jimmy's No. 43 will be bringing in a series of German gravity casks from the Bamberg region in celebration of the "Real Oktoberfest." Among our favorite fest beers are some of these brought in by Shelton Brothers Importers, along with a domestic "go to" fest beer.
Victory Festbier
Where: Germany
Type: Lager
Abv: 5.6%
Availability: Year-round
Website: victorybeer.com
Begin with Pennsylvania's Victory Brewing and their seasonal Festbier. This German Märzen lager with its amber color, malty and balanced finish is the original "Oktoberfest" beer. Victory has a rich history creating clean-tasting, German-style beers (one of the co-founders studied in Munich): Even the hops in the Festbier are from Germany. Slightly sweet, with a delicate malt nose and an easy-going 5.6% ABV.
Weissenohe Monk Fest
Where: Germany
Type: German Marzen beer
ABV: 5.4%
Availability: Year-round (currently available on draught and in cask)
Website: sheltonbrothers.com
Another classic Oktoberfest/Märzen, Monk Fest from Klosterbrauerei Weissenohe is a quintessential Bavarian brew. The brewery strictly adheres to the Reinheitsgebot (German beer purity regulations) and this malty and full-bodied beer is exactly what you would hope (and, perhaps, expect) it would be.
Krauss Lager Hell
Where: Hirschaid, Germany
Type: Lager
ABV: 4.7%
Availability: Year-round
Website: brauerei-kraus.de
This traditional Lager Hell from Brauerei Kraus in Hirschaid, Germany, is light on the palate and on the ABV (only 4.7%). It's also pleasantly malty and pairs well with food.
Mahr's Ungespundet
Where: Bambergm Germany
Type: Lager
ABV: 5.2%
Availability: Year-round, but try to find fresh on draught or cask
Website: mahrs-braeu.de
One of Jimmy's favorite Bamberg beers from one of his favorite brewers, the Ungespundet from Mahr's Bräu is a delectable lager with a history as rich as the beer (Michael Jackson featured Mahr's Ungespundet in World Beer Tour). Unfiltered and unpasteurized with natural yeast strains atypical of a German lager, this is the one Oktoberfest beer ale lovers will want to try.
Löwenbräu Buttenheim Kellerbier
Where: Buttenheim, Germany
Type: Unpasteurized Lager
ABV: 4.8%
Availability: Year-round
Website: beeradvocate.com
Another unpasteurized lager, this time from Buttenheim, Germany. The keller/zwickel beer is easy on mouthfeel, with a toasty malt throughout the finish.
Bring On The Belgians
Along with "warming" beers, Tripels and Quads from Belgium are perfect for cooler evenings, especially as the sun sets earlier in the day. Pull up a tulip glass and try some of our favorites (you'll find these and more at the Fourth Annual Battle of the Belgians, coming up November 16).
Duvel Maredsous Triple
Where: Breendock, Belgium
Type: Maredsous Abbey Triple
ABV: 10%
Availability: Year-round
Website: belgianflavors.com
Although the family-owned Flemish brewery Duvel Moortgat is best known for its pale ale, Duvel, this Maredsous Abbey Triple is not just one of the best Tripels available, but also one of the spiciest on the market. Maredsous starts creamy with a kick at the end (in other words, the taste belies a 10% ABV beer).
Smisje Catherine The Great
Where: Oudenaarde, Belgium
Type: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10%
Availability: New batches in the winter, but available year-round
Website: beerboxx.com
Another 10% ABV beer, this Russian Imperial Stout is brewed by Brouwerij Smisje in Oudenaarde, Belgium. Made with a wide malt variety offering chocolate and roasted tones, this is as rich as beer gets.
Alvinne Cuvee d'Erpigny
Where: Zwevegem, Belgium
Type: Dark Ale
Abv: 15%
Availability: Year-round
Website: worldbeercollection.com
One of our favorite Quads comes from Picobrouwerij Alvinne in Zwevegem, Belgium. The Cuvee d'Erpigny gets its unique flavor from mustard seeds. It gets its potency (15% ABV) from being aged in wine barrels.
BFM Abbaye de Saint Bon Chien
Where: Saignelégier, Switzerland
Type: Sour Ale
ABV: 11%
Availability: Year-round in limited quantities in the U.S.
Website: bunitedint.com
Brewer Jérôme Rebetez of Brasserie BFM hit the U.S. beer scene last year with a big bottle of an amazingly nuanced and beautiful beer. This beer won Battle of the Belgians (BFM is from Switzerland!) in 2012, and there's no wondering why. Rebetez ages his ale in wooden casks that have been repurposed after being used to age wine, whisky and Grappa brandy. L'Abbaye has the complex aromas or a port or cognac, but the constant blending from different casks means you will get a different brew depending on the vintage. Lucky for you, they're all amazing.
It's The Great Pumpkin Beer
Pumpkin beers are likely to spark vigorous debate among craft beer drinkers. Some eschew pumpkin as a worthy ingredient (unless you are actually brewing in the gourd, which is pretty awesome, admittedly), while others love their pumpkins. If you're trying to find a great pumpkin beer, we have a few we like to drink on All Hallows Eve on into Thanksgiving.
Southern Tier Pumking
Where: Lakewood, N.Y.
Type: Imperial Ale
ABV: 8.6%
Availability: Year-round
Website: stbcbeer.com
If you have one pumpkin beer every year, this is probably the one. Not overly spiced or too heavy on the pumpkin, NY's Southern Tier Brewing Company's Pumking is an imperial ale with a malty sweet medium body. If you want to bring new pizazz in the Pumking, try it as a cocktail mixed with your favorite hard cider. Add a cinnamon sugar rim and a cinnamon (swizzle) stick, and you'll be a favorite at Trick-or-Treat this year.
Jolly Pumpkin La Parcela
Where: Dexter, Mich.
Type: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 5.9%
Availability: Year-round
Website: jollypumpkin.com
Rumor has it the Dexter, Michigan, brewery famous for its sour beers got tired of being asked, "Where's the pumpkin beer?" and decided to create La Parcela. In fact, La Parcela is Jolly Pumpkin Artisanal Ales' only beer to actually have pumpkin in it. A 5.9% ABV pumpkin ale with hints of spice and cacao, La Parcela—like all Jolly Pumpkin beers—is aged in barrels and fermented with the house wild yeast.
New Holland Ichabod
Where: Holland, Mich.
Type: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 5.7%
Availability: Seasonal
Website: newhollandbrew.com
Michigan's New Holland has created an ale they call Ichabod that combines real pumpkin, malted barley, and the usual array of spices to create an easy-drinking lightly hopped brew. Pair this with autumn foods such as roasted meats and root vegetables, and you'll be blown away.
Rogue Farms Pumpkin Patch Ale
Where: Ashland, Ore.
Type: Pumpkin Ale
ABV: 5.6%
Availability: Seasonal
Website: rogue.com
If you're going to make pumpkin ale, at least make it fresh. Rogue Ales in Ashland, Oregon, is creating a new beer, Pumpkin Patch Ale, under the company's Rogue Farms label. The pumpkins are grown and harvested from the brewery's farm in Independence, Ore. The pumpkins are taken to the brewery, where they are roasted and added to the brew kettle to maintain the beer's freshness.
What Our Friends Are Drinking
What's the point of sharing what we're drinking this season and not finding out what our friends are drinking? Here, a few of them weigh in on their favorite fall offerings.
Broken Bow Oktoberfest
Where: Tuckahoe, N.Y.
Type: Light Lager
ABV: 3.8%
Availability: Seasonal
Website: brokenbowbrewery.com
Broken Bow Brewery recently opened in August, but the Tuckahoe, N.Y., family-owned brewery has already held its NYC launch and is creating some great session ales and lagers on their 10-barrel system. Head brewmaster and co-owner Mike LaMothe also has cooked up an Oktoberfest in the brewery's short tenure. Their Oktoberfest offers a light, traditional lager that has been lightly "dry spiced" to produce a nice cinnamon and nutmeg aroma. Munich malt balanced with very light Noble hop flavors, the beer has a pale orange color with a light creamy head.
Stillwater Autumnal
Where: Baltimore, Md.
Type: Belgian Ale
Abv: 7.2%
Availability: Seasonal
Website: stillwaterales.com
Stillwater Artisanal Ale's brewer Brian Strumke calls this beer his "Altbier/Farmhouse Mash-up," a deep amber hued ale that takes its inspiration from Germany while still nodding to the Belgian farmhouse tradition. The base is comprised of German two-row, wheat, Cara-Munich, and roasted barley. Generously hopped with a blend of Perle, Spalt, and Hallertau Mittelfrüh, and fermented with a rustic Belgian farmhouse ale yeast, these elements together provide a mélange of earth and fruit aromas backed with hints of caramel with a dry clean finish.
Free Will Saison de Rose
Where: Perkasie, Pa.
Type: Belgian Ale
ABV: 4.5%
Availability: In Philadelphia starting Oct. 4, 2013
Website: freewillbrewing.com
Sometimes you want to drink for a cause, and Free Will Brewing Company, a small Bucks County craft brewery, has created a special seasonal brew in honor of October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Saison de Rose, is more than just a "pink" craft beer inspired from a Belgian Saison with added ruby grapefruit, fresh ginger, pink peppercorns, and a healthy dose of hibiscus flowers to insure the beer's color remains associated with its cause ($100 from each keg goes to benefit Rena Rowan Breast Center). The strictly limited release will take place in Philadelphia at a handful of locations. Free Will does hope to expand the program to other cities in the future.
Ommegang Wild At Heart
Where: Cooperstown, N.Y.
Type: American Wild Ale
ABV: 8%
Availability: Mid-November 2013 in limited quantities
Website: ommegang.com
A funny thing about wild yeast: sometimes it proves itself unwildly. Or "unWILDly." Brewery Ommegang's Wild At Heart is attempting to go where no Ommegang beer has gone before by using wild brettanomyces yeast in primary fermentation. A brand new ale in the Brewer's Obsession Series, Wild At Heart uses the brett yeast to create robust fruit flavors with only a slight tartness to the beer. However, according to one Ommegang rep, the brettanomyces has been a bit stubborn, pushing back the fall release date. With a combination of Motueka and topaz hops, the amber beer is rich in uncommon tastes and aromas, including mango, pineapple, and passion fruit. A well-balanced beer that is well worth waiting for. For enhanced tartness, the brewer recommends letting the beer age. If that's your choice, we recommend you get two: One for now and one for later.