Top Ten Fall Beers

Top Ten Fall Beers


1. Founders Breakfast Stout- Founders Brewing Company (8.30% ABV) - If you love coffee, you will love this very thick, strong autumn stout. Very dark, rich flavors of coffee and chocolate combine with a roasted malt for full, rich flavor from beginning to end. Finishes with a dry bitterness.

2. Anchors Porter- Anchor Brewing Co. (5.6% ABV)- Anchor is one of the oldest craft breweries in the US and their porter is one of the beers they've been brewing the longest. But that doesn't mean that the recipe or the beer has gotten boring or bland. Instead it pops with flavors of chocolate and coffee and delivers a wonderful richness and complexity.

3. Sierra Nevada Tumbler Autumn Ale- Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.(5.5 ABV)- As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall. Sierra Nevada honors this yearly dance with Tumbler. To capture a smooth roasted character, the brewery uses malt within days of roasting to get it at the peak of flavor. Notes of sweet toffee and some woody pine in this ale almost remind us of pecan pie.

4. Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale- Dogfish Head Brewing Co.(7.2% ABV)-Forget about the car companies, this is the original hybrid, a cross between a Scotch Ale, an India Pale Ale, and an American Brown.Indian Brown Ale is well-hopped and malty at the same time (magical). The beer has characteristics of each style that inspired it; the color of an American Brown, the caramel notes of a Scotch Ale, and the hopping regiment of an India Pale Ale. We dry-hop the Indian Brown Ale in a similar fashion as our 60 Minute IPA and 90 Minute IPAs. This beer is brewed with Aromatic barley and organic brown sugar.

5. The Bruery Autumn Maple- The Bruery Beer Co.(10% ABV)- Skip the dessert of sweet potato pie this Thanksgiving and go straight for this dark Belgian-style ale, which is brewed with 17 pounds of yams per barrel along with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, molasses and maple syrup. At 10% ABV, this sugary, spicy brew's the perfect nightcap to a cold autumn evening.

6. Autumn Fest- Weyerbacher Brewing Co. (5.4% ABV)- Each sip imparts a wonderful roastiness of malt on the tongue followed by a smooth, consistent finish. Wonderfully balanced with a clean, velvety, slightly fruity taste, AutumnFest is the perfect beer for the Fall- a nice transition between the lighter beers of summer and the darker, heavier winter brews. It’s a favorite of many Weyerbacher aficionados, who anticipate the end of summer with this wonderful beer.

7. New Belgium Saison Harvest Ale- New Belgium Brewing Co. (5.2% ABV)- This slightly sour ale style has been recreated by New Belgium brewery as well. NB's saison is bright and crisp with the sour bite but full of flavor and quite enjoyable. This style might not be for everyone but it is certainly worth a try.

8. Bell's Kalamazoo Stout- Bells Brewing Co. (6.0%ABV)- Among Bell's line of excellent beers is their Kalamazoo stout. It's not hard to heap praise on this beer. Within the dark depths of this stout you'll find hints of coffee, chocolate, toffee, berries, and just enough balancing bitterness to round out the package. This stout is very approachable and remains another of my favorites.

9. George Washington's Tavern Porter (Ales of the Revolution)- Yards Brewing Co. (7.0% ABV)- Rich and warming with a deep garnet hue, the molasses-based Tavern Porter™ reflects Washington's admiration of Philadelphia-style porters and follows a recipe Washington used himself, when brewing beer to satisfy his thirsty field officers.

10. New Belgium Lips Of Faith Wild Ale- New Belgium Brewing Co. (8.5% ABV)- This Belgian-style dubbel is a harvest ale brewed with Schisandra berries, an enigmatic fruit said to contain all five types of taste -- sweet, savory, salty, bitter and sour. Wild yeast give the beer an earthy funk that plays off fruity flavors of bananas and plums.