Spiced pumpkin is a fall favorite that is naturally well-suited to the toasty, malty flavors of beer. Many brewers make seasonal pumpkin beers, but few can compete with the depth and complexity of “Punkin’ Ale.” Pumpkin-esque in both color and aroma, this beer has aromas of nutmeg and allspice, along with a sweet scent like rum raisin ice cream. When tasting, it feels strong, rich and lush in the mouth, as with most Dogfish Head brews. Custardy flavors of pumpkin pie and brown sugar linger. “Punkin’ Ale” is named for Delaware’s wacky annual “Punkin’ Chunkin’ World Championship” where homemade machines compete to fling pumpkins as far as possible.

Full Sail Brewing Co. "Amber"
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American Amber Ale - Oregon / All-Year
$1.50/12 oz.
5.5% ABV

The Amber ale from Full Sail in Oregon is a true original, a benchmark in a hotbed of micro-brewing. Dark russet in color, this beer seems tailor-made for sweater weather. True to the hyper-hoppy style of the Pacific Northwest, citrusy Cascade and Mt. Hood hops add distinctive resinous pungency to a toasty, hazelnut nose. Carefully layered malt flavors range the full spectrum from pale to dark, like a perfectly balanced chocolate chip cookie. This beer delivers tremendous flavor and finesse in a medium-bodied brew suitable for everyday drinking.

Great Divide "Fresh Hop Pale Ale"
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Imperial Oktoberfest Lager - Colorado / Seasonal
$7/22 oz.
9.3% ABV

Colorado is crazy about beer. The state is home to some of the country’s most creative craft brewers.  Inspired by the annual September hop harvest, Great Divide in Denver brews this once-a-year specialty with freshly picked hop flowers rather than standard dried or pelletized hops.  Fresh hops look like little fluffy green pine cones, palpably sticky with the resinous oils that deliver beer’s distinctive bitterness and herbal aromatics.  This beer practically bursts with juicy green hop aromas, vivid enough for surfers and college students to recognize the hop’s family resemblance to its cousin cannabis by smell alone.  Yet, despite the hop aroma overload, the "Fresh Hop Pale Ale" finishes without an overly harsh bitter bite.

Most beer is made to be consumed fresh, but some are built to last or even improve over time like a fine wine.  North Coast’s "Old Stock Ale" is inspired by one such style, the ‘olde ales’ of England designed for long-term aging.  This huge beer is loaded with everything that helps ales mature gracefully; massive amounts of malt, hops and alcohol.  Dessert-like in flavor and richness, this beer is like a liquid bread pudding.  Laden with flavors of drunken fruits, like rum-soaked raisins and brandied cherries, it nonetheless finishes drier than it starts, like a dusting of bittersweet cocoa.  At over 11% alcohol, a party of four could reasonably share a standard bottle of "Old Stock Ale" as a nightcap after dinner, savored slowly from snifters.  If you’d like to sock it away, store upright in cool dark conditions for up to five years.

Samuel Adams "Octoberfest"
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Octoberfest Lager - Massachusetts / Seasonal
$1.50/12 oz.
5.7% ABV

Nothing says fall like Octoberfest, the German celebration of the autumn harvest toasted worldwide with a special seasonal brew.  Octoberfest lager is made by tweaking the traditional pale lager recipe; adding extra toasted malt deepens color, boosts alcohol and adds nutty malt sweetness.  Yet the style retains the brisk refreshment and understated flavor that makes lagers the most popular beers in the world.  This American interpretation of the Oktoberfest style offers an amber color and subtle flavors of toffee and honey-roasted peanuts with a crisp lager finish.  Samuel Adams is the top selling brand of craft beer in the USA, making even their seasonal brews reasonably accessible nationwide.

Victory "Moonglow Weizenbock"
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Weizenbock - Pennsylvania / Seasonal
$10/12 oz.
8.7% ABV

This seasonal fall brew from Victory in Pennsylvania pays homage to the legendary German Weizenbocks, a dark, strong style of wheat beer from Bavaria. “Moonglow” has a deep burgundy color and the opalescent haze of an unfiltered wheat beer. A riot of dessert-like aromas rise from the creamy froth, suggesting bananas foster, spice cake and crème brûlée. Richly sweet yet balanced on first sip, intense flavors of caramel malt and tropical fruit compote swirl and merge with spicy notes of clove and sarsaparilla. Who needs dessert when a decadent wheat beer like this will do?

Belhaven "Scottish Ale"
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Scottish Ale - Scotland / All-Year
$2.50/12 oz.
5.2% ABV

Distinguished by an unusually long boil in the brewing kettle, Scottish Ales develop a smoky, caramelized flavor and a distinctive reddish hue that suit the fall season to a tee. Belhaven is a tasty example, combining depth and drinkability in fine European fashion. The beer pours out in garnet glory with a fluffy head of foam. Aromas from the glass are understated, evoking toasted pecans, and the beer feels silky smooth in the mouth. Belhaven’s flavors unfold gracefully, like toffee and buttered whole-grain griddlecakes with a faint whiff of wood smoke reminiscent of Highland Malt Whisky. This under-appreciated brew may also be found in nitro-cans that boost its texture and add a Guinness-like cascade on pouring.

Corsendonk "Abbey Brown Ale"
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Strong Brown Ale - Belgium / All-Year
$4/12 oz.
7.5% ABV

Belgium makes the world’s most imitated strong ales, many in styles preserved over centuries by monastic orders. Inspired by the dark, rich Trappist “Dubbel” style, Corsendonk’s “Abbey Brown Ale” is a luscious treat ideal for crisp autumn nights. Dark chestnut in color, this ale smells like a chocolate egg cream. Softly sweet on the palate, the resemblance to chocolate soda continues, joined by flavors of molasses, rum-soaked raisins and malted milk. Almost wine-like in strength and complexity, Corsendonk’s brown ale, also known as “Pater Noster,” is a revelation for those who think all beer is pale, bitter fizz.

Fantôme "Saison D’Erezée – Automne"
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Saison - Belgium / Seasonal
$10/25 oz.
8% ABV

"Saison" is a style of beer that is far more diverse than most.  These hand-crafted farmhouse ales are a specialty of southern Belgium, where they were first made in winter for drinking in summer—brewed extra strong to survive warm months without refrigeration.  Among Saison producers, Fantôme is one of the best, and has an expanded repertoire that includes a "Saison" for every season.  The autumn offering is distinctively woodsy, conjuring the colors and scents of turning leaves.  On the palate, the beer surprises with a bracing twang of cidery acidity that balances swirling flavors of brown baking spices and roasted squash.  Saisons are known for their earthy qualities and the "Automne" is no exception; it has a wild edge that is both special and strange, like a smuggled raw-milk cheese or the fragrant air of an old-growth forest.

Among Bavaria’s famed breweries, Spaten takes special pride in their Oktoberfest beer, since they were the first to brew this seasonal style back in 1873.  Modeled on Vienna’s popular amber beers, it was stronger and maltier than standard lager—a perfect choice for a fall beer that had to be brewed in spring and survive the warm summer months.  An instant sensation from the start, Spaten’s Oktoberfest remains a classic example of the style it inspired.  Brassy in color, it offers aromas of multi-grain toast topped with butter and honey.  Crisply quenching, its hop bitterness is subdued, making for a supremely friendly style for Indian summer sipping.