Transition Season Rules

It’s that time of year that many beer aficionados crave, the transition between fall and winter beer season, when the once a year treats come-a-rolling in daily. For those of us who like our beers dark, rich and flavorful, buckle in my friends, it’s about to be a wild ride. And so begins the month-long journey of malty goodness.
There remain dozens of pumpkin, Marzen, and harvest beers on many shelves. These are great choices for the not yet winter weather of the month. As I’ve discussed recently, you could do much worse than any of this trio of treats on a festive fall day. Further, all three styles are great options for pairing with the Thanksgiving feast. But stock up now, likely they will be gone by the end of the month.
More strikingly, it is the winter seasonal, one-off beers that signal the holidays to come, and are some of the most sought-after beers created the entire year. While we’re not quite to the release of the spiced brews, many cold weather beers are ready now. You’ll have to wait just a bit longer for the Christmas ales, those created for the holidaze, made with strong flavors and higher alcohol levels, i.e. the winter warmers, which are still a few weeks away.
The first round of ‘big winter beers’ are hitting your beer stores now, and combined with the existing fall releases, the delicious dilemma of just what to drink can cause delightful delirium. It really is the beginning of the most wonderful time of the beer.
What’s available for purchase right now should tide you over nicely. Think standard and Russian Imperial Stouts, big regular and Baltic Porters, even old ales and barleywines are now spotted at the shop. Oh joy!
Right beside Southern Tier’s Pumking sits their double milk variety 2X Stout. Last week we saw the release of Founder’s fantastic fresh hop Harvest Ale, which contrasts nicely with the previously released seasonal, one of my favorites, Breakfast Stout.
A local favorite, Olde Hickory Brewery just let loose the twin malt bombs of their Imperial Stout brewed with honey, and their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout.
As I spy on the ledge bottles of Maharaja from Avery Brewing, right next door is their winter seasonal, the extremely high gravity Samael’s Oak Aged Ale, a barleywine from their Demons of Ale series. Serious brews.
A favorite brewery of mine, Great Lakes has already shipped Nosferatu, a balanced but big imperial red ale. In the next section, Aleworks Jubilee is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, brewed for their anniversary, and perfect for that first freezing night.
New Belgium’s early winter beer is there too, the Accumulation white IPA. Certainly not a dark ale, but a twist for winter. Also hitting shelves this week in the hoppy vein is Sierra Nevada’s Harvest Wet Hop Ale, just to extend those early fall holdings another week.
Although it doesn’t exist, Brooklyn’s Black Ops Russian imperial stout was ready to be found, as was Sierra Nevada’s Narwhal, in the same style. One of the original RIS is there too, Old Rasputin from North Coast.
Another malt bomb, Victory’s classic monster stout, Storm King sidles up nicely beside their very tasty lager Festbier. A few feet away, Bell’s Brewery’s Third Coast American barleywine is next to Devil’s Milk barleywine from DuClaw Brewing Co., which is adjacent to Mash, the new barleywine from The Bruery. Wow, big winter beers indeed.
The first true winter warmer of the year was also available; the spiced Fireside Chat from 21st Amendment Brewing Co. Winter is coming. And in the beer isle, it’s already here. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. While they don’t have every beer the Beer Snob writes about, they probably have most. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.