'Tis the season: Fall beer preview
Peter Sachs |
The fall selection at In Fine Spirits.
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Breweries bring three different beasts to the fridge in the fall, and while they’re equally worthy of your attention, they’re not equal in taste. Decider set out to sample this season’s Oktoberfests, pumpkin beers, and harvest ales. Here’s what to expect.
Oktoberfest brews
These usually follow in the German tradition of beers, meaning they’ve been aged since spring. This type mostly comprises light- or amber-colored lagers, which are more flavorful than summer ales but won’t fill you up. Hence the not-entirely-unrelated bratwurst-eating tradition that pervades Oktoberfest celebrations everywhere.
Oktoberfest, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland
This beer is darker in color than its German cousins, but lots of malted barley makes it smooth, almost sweet, and easy to drink. At 6.5 percent alcohol, the beer shouldn't be guzzled too quickly. Where to find it: In Fine Spirits
Oktoberfest Ur-Märzen, Spaten, Munich, Germany
A traditional German beer, this is a good one to start with. It's lighter than many of its American counterparts and has flavors of wheat and bread. Where to find it: On tap at Bar On Buena
Pumpkin-eaters
Pumpkin beers are exactly what they sound like: beers flavored with either fresh pumpkin or an extract, often with spices like nutmeg and clove added, too. It tastes like a pumpkin-pie version of beer. It’s fall. Pumpkin time. What more could you want?
Punkin’ Ale, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Some people get turned off by beers with lots of flavoring added, but this one is at least worth trying. It smells a little like a well-stocked spice cabinet – in a good way – but there’s no mistaking this for liquefied pumpkin pie. Where to find it: Coming soon on tap at Hopleaf.
Imperial Pumking, Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Easton, Penn.
One of the booziest fall beers out there at eight percent alcohol, this one has relatively mild spice flavors. The taste of caramel manages to mask the alcohol, so you might not even notice how drunk you’re getting until it’s too late - again, in a good way. Where to find it: In Fine Spirits
Harvest ales
This is the season’s serious bounty. In normal beer production, hop plants produce their buds in August, growers harvest the hops, and then the hops are dried and processed for beer production for the coming year. But in harvest ales, the hops go straight into the beer. No drying. Fresh, recently harvested hops yield lots of bright flavors without the bitterness that comes from a really hoppy beer, like India pale ale.
Harvest Ale, Goose Island Brewing Company, Chicago
One of the seasonal ales made with fresh hops, this one is best enjoyed on tap, though it’s also available in bottles. Goose Island’s Harvest Ale smells great in the glass and has lots of flavor, so it might take people used to drinking lighter beers some time to get used to it. Where to find it: On tap at the Goose Island Brewing Company brewery.
Broodoo, Three Floyds Brewing Company, Munster, Ind.
This harvest ale packs punchy fresh hop flavors and smells of grass and pine, so even though it's not bitter, it isn't for the faint of heart. Where to find it: The Munster brew pub will have it on tap in October; the brewery hasn't decided yet whether to bottle it this year. Totally worth the drive. Just be sure to sober up before coming back.
