Add Tasting Table on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover With its colorful foliage and cooling temperatures, the fall season has inspired countless beverages over the years. From hot apple cider to pumpkin spice lattes, some drinks just scream fall, and for those over 21, that list sometimes includes certain styles of beer.
Every beer has a time and a place. For example, you wouldn't catch many people drinking Guinness on a sandy beach in the Caribbean. So, as jack-o'-lanterns start to appear on front porches and apple pies find their way onto our dinner tables, we start to favor cozy beer flavors ideal for the fall. There's a beer here for everyone, including malty brews, pumpkin beers, and black IPAs. Reach for these beer flavors, and you'll find that your next bonfire or wagon ride becomes that much more memorable. Of course, don't forget to sample some Oktoberfest brews before they run out of production!
To help you make the most of the fall seasonal beer selection, we rounded up a handful of the best brews, according to customers. Each of these beers is backed up by highly positive online reviews, and some have also won awards. We've tasted several of them and given personal feedback. To learn more about our methodology, please refer to the end of this article.
Schilling Beer Co. Even if you can't make it to Germany for a raucous Oktoberfest celebration, you can still get a taste of the fun by sipping on Schilling's G'Suffa! Festbier. The word "g'suffa" loosely translates as "drink up" — a word frequently belted out at Oktoberfest celebrations — so the intention behind this beer could not be clearer.
This golden lager contains easily perceptible array of what customers describe as floral-like, peppery hops. These hops are well-balanced by toasty malts that provide sweetness and caramel notes. Living up to the festbier standard, it's clear and bright. All these factors add up to a beer that can be drunk all day at an Oktoberfest celebration, even if it's the one you're holding in your own backyard (on that note, check out our tips for transforming your backyard into a beer garden).
The one common complaint among customers is that the lacing isn't consistent. Some folks say that the head is generous, and the lacing is persistent, while others report that they both leave something to be desired. Aside from that, it seems to be one of the best domestic festbiers you can buy in the U.S.
Whole Hog Not everyone loves pumpkin beer, but then again, not everyone has tried a good pumpkin beer. Even if you're still on the fence about whether gourds should be allowed anywhere near a brewery, try Whole Hog's Pumpkin Ale to see if it might change your mind. This beer has won over half a dozen awards, including a few gold medals from the Great American Beer Festival.
While it's not officially called a pumpkin spice ale, it still capitalizes on cinnamon, nutmeg, and undisclosed "pumpkin pie spices" (customers often report tasting ginger). This beer is often described as an excellent homage to pumpkin pie, with notes of brown sugar and butter to round out the experience. Notably, the spices aren't overbearing as they sometimes are in other pumpkin brews.
