Fall Flavors Are Here

The first day of autumn is still a month away, but in the craft beer world, it might as well be full on fall. And it’s the fall releases that signal a deluge of seasonal beers which will continue on throughout the winter months and shall not stop until the end of spring!
Certainly now is the prime time to discuss the main autumn-only released beers. There may be a few other random styles that only hit shelves in September, October, and (gasp) August, but the big 3 fall beers are Marzen, Pumpkin and fresh hop ale.
Historically, the most obvious fall seasonal release is Oktoberfest. In general, I tend to recommend the German versions of this amber lager over our own home grown options mainly due to tradition. Hopped out or 16% alcohol by volume (ABV) Oktoberfest beers just seem wrong, in the same way that oompah music and men in tights only work when paired with brats and sauerkraut. Paulaner is a favorite German-brewed selection, as is Hacker-Pschorr, but you won’t be faulted and can’t go wrong with the Oktoberfest from Great Lakes.
In recent years, it’s pumpkin, once the cute little niche of the beer world is now a full blown global sensation/epidemic. Maybe more than any other style, the popularity of pumpkin beer outshines even the reach of craft beer itself. Beyond the notion of numerous different faux-craft versions of pumpkin beer that clog shelves, this seems to be a style that everyone from macro lager drinkers to wine snobs will take up and enjoy.
Being an American only style, you won’t have to compare with examples from overseas. My two favorites are usually Punkin’ from Dogfish Head Brewing, and Cottonwood Pumpkin Spiced Ale, now brewed by Foothills Brewing Co. While both beers give a taste of pumpkin along with cinnamon and ginger flavors, Punkin’ is more subtle and easy going, where the Cottonwood is rich, and robust, sweet and full fall flavored.
Even more recently, a fall trend has seen the release of wet or fresh hop beers, those IPAs, pale ales and the rare amber, which make use of just harvested hop cones. My first introduction to these juicy and obviously fresh-tasting beers was with the Sierra Nevada Harvest IPA series years ago. I’m a big fan of the wet hopped pale ale Fresh Hop from Great Divide. Citrus like you wouldn’t believe, oozing juicy sips of bright deliciousness; this beer offers enough malt to keep it from becoming puckering and keeping those pungent hop cones in check.
There are certainly other styles of beer that may be released in September and October. Every year a number of “Harvest” brews hit shelves. And while Autumn or Harvest beer is not exactly a recognized style, these earthy, fuller-bodied, flavorful beers are a perfect fit for the fall season, with Southern Tier’s Harvest Ale a darling.
Before you know it, we will see winter and Christmas ales hitting shelves. But for now, we are just getting into the swing of what I think of as the true beer fan’s best time of year – release season. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob
at publisher@westof.net.