Fall Beers = Best Beers. What's Your Favorite Fall Beer Style?

[3toes]

Maybe it's due to the fact that it's also football season and I drink a LOT of them, but I absolutely love Fall beers... More than any other season.

Right now I've got a Baltic Porter that I've been aging for about 7 months, a California Common (not really a Fall beer, but it's malty!), and I'm getting ready to brew my Festbier (didn't get around to planning out and brewing a proper Marzen back in March).

What are some of your favorite/go-to styles for Fall beers? I've been thinking about putting together a recipe for a Rye beer, but I'd love to draw some inspiration from what other folks are brewing/drinking.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I like pumpkin beer I make. Not commercial pumpkin beer.

 

[VirginiaHops1]

I used to love Oktoberfest beers, especially Sam Adams version. Was probably my favorite style. Over the years my palate has shifted more towards the hoppier stuff and now I find many of the Oktoberfest stuff just way too sweet tasting.

 

[3toes]

I used to love Oktoberfest beers, especially Sam Adams version. Was probably my favorite style. Over the years my palate has shifted more towards the hoppier stuff and now I find many of the Oktoberfest stuff just way too sweet tasting.

Interesting! I'm the exact opposite. I used to be a total hop-head, but now I find myself seeking out malty lagers. I still enjoy hoppy beers from time to time, but it's definitely not my go-to anymore.

 

[OnePlate]

I like pumpkin beer I make. Not commercial pumpkin beer.

This is on my to-do list for this fall as well.

 

[Franktalk]

Amber ale, just on the sweeter side of pale ale, hoppy with the malt to hold it up, dark enough for a crisp fall night when you're thinking of lighting the fireplace for the first time.

 

[Genuine]

I'm a huge fan of pumpkin ale's on crisp fall days. I brew an amazing pumpkin ale and Oktoberfest each year. I'm wanting to try some other fall-esque styles this year!

 

[Dland]

I have a couple kegs of my take on a marzen I'm reserving for fall, lagering cold since spring. From what I've tasted it is going to be pretty good.

 

[Lefou]

What are some of your favorite/go-to styles for Fall beers?

Vienna lager. I'm toying with a Marzen, too, but the right yeast has to be available.

 

[homebrewcrew]

Just brewed up our Pumpkin Ale last week. Will be ready in September!

 

[kevin58]

IPA's, Pale Ales, Porter, Stout, Scotch Ale, Old Ale, Barleywine, Munich Helles, Cream Ale. Same things I like all year long. I think the whole "seasonal" shtick is marketing baloney foisted upon us by commercial brewers to rev up sales every few months.

 

[kmarkstevens]

Fresh hop harvest ales. Anything is good just use picked an hour before hops

 

[enkamania]

To brew, my pumpkin. To drink, fresh hop.

 

[OG-wan Kenobi]

My HB bourbon barrel pumpkin & vanilla ale it's a very highly requested favorite and I have a soft spot for Sam Adams Oktoberfest even though I don't like a lot of their beers I really like that one

 

[ApolloSimcoe]

Oktoberfest, Rauchbier, Pumpkin Ales (nothing sweet please) and beer. Commercial brands: Long Trail Harvest Ale, SN Tumbler and their Oktoberfest

 

[Mic Carp]

I have a dark brown winter spiced ale that has been conditioning at room temp somce June. I plan on serving it at Thanksgiving along with a Peanut Butter Imperial Stout (need to get on that for the girlfriend) and my first attempt at a Porter, not sure of a recipe for it yet so I also need to get a jump on that!
I have also recently become a fan of the Kolsch and have been nursing my second keg of it for a couple weeks trying to make it last.

 

[Saunassa]

Tends to be anything dark for me. If it has that roast or toasted malt character it makes me happy. If course a nice malty blonde works too.
right now an amber is fermenting.
I have a dunkelweizen next and then a cashmere blonde that I will up the goldpils in.

 

[riceral]

Dunkelweizen--- a nice big one, like 8% ABV

 

[treacheroustexan]

I've got a keg of Schwarzbier lagering right now to enjoy in the fall. Also getting ready to brew a pumpkin coffee milk stout.

 

[CJ-3]

I always look forward to a nice malty Octoberfest

 

[Soulshine2]

IPA's, Pale Ales, Porter, Stout, Scotch Ale, Old Ale, Barleywine, Munich Helles, Cream Ale. Same things I like all year long. I think the whole "seasonal" shtick is marketing baloney foisted upon us by commercial brewers to rev up sales every few months.

i dont think its a shtick...it is a marketing thing. Those breweries brew the same blah beers all year and they bring out these recipes in other seasons . Take Leinenkugels for example . Ive drank their beers forever. They have the explorer pack , summer pack ,shandy pack, winter pack , and so on. Sometimes they haul out the old retired beer recipes , their Northwoods Lager comes to mind.
I seem to like dark beers more in the winter. The lighter ,sour or bitter beers in the summer, theyre just more refreshing on a hot day . Ambers and Browns are our pizza beers. Maybe not seasonal but one or two beers pair with different foods better than others.

 

[Soulshine2]

Fresh hop harvest ales. Anything is good just use picked an hour before hops

I'm a week or so from harvesting my own hops. How do you add them ...do you bruise them or crush them in any way or just dump the whole hops in your boil? Ive never dry hopped anything but with the harvest of Mt Hood and Crystal Im about to have , I am considering it.

 

[3toes]

I used to love Oktoberfest beers, especially Sam Adams version. Was probably my favorite style.

I have a soft spot for Sam Adams Oktoberfest even though I don't like a lot of their beers I really like that one

I'm the same way. It's far from the best Oktoberfest beer out there, but it's always tasty.

 

[JimRausch]

Got to love me some Oktoberfest/Marzen. Also Altbiers, Viennas, and Bocks. Sense a theme?

 

[kh54s10]

I've never been that much of a seasonal brewer or drinker. I will often have a light pale ale on a cold winter night and a stout on a hot summer day (inside in the A/C). But if buying commercial I will buy seasonals that I can't get other times of the year.

 

[Boleslaus]

Always enjoy a nice malty lager or brown ale in the fall. I definitely don't let seasons dictate what kind of beer I'm drinking, but there is just something nice about a crisp evening and a malty beer to go with it.

 

[Spartan1979]

Oktoberfest. Because of this thread, I had to have one last night.

 

[Still Brewn]

Wow did this summer go too fast! I haven't brewed since I think March and have about a half a keg of a lite Scotch ale and it is time to brew for fall and early winter. Where did my time go? I have to say my favorite brew for fall has got to be a Belgian Golden Ale. Although I have yet to make a pumpkin ale but I have made a festival beer that turned out pretty good.

 

[brewbama]

Scottish Ales, Dunkel Bock, Porter, Alt, California Common, etc. I start looking forward to them about mid July.

 

[Dog House Brew]

Just harvested my hops yesterday. Columbus and Cascade went crazy. Fall brings me to a Brown. Bought SN O’Fest this week. Pretty malty this year. Thought it was decent. I miss their Anniversary Ale. I know whatever I make will have Columbus bitterness and Cascade in the whirlpool. Lol
I’ve never brewed a pumpkin. Still looking for the right commercial example I guess.

 

[3toes]

Oktoberfest. Because of this thread, I had to have one last night.

Just harvested my hops yesterday. Columbus and Cascade went crazy. Fall brings me to a Brown. Bought SN O’Fest this week. Pretty malty this year. Thought it was decent. I miss their Anniversary Ale. I know whatever I make will have Columbus bitterness and Cascade in the whirlpool. Lol
I’ve never brewed a pumpkin. Still looking for the right commercial example I guess.

Seirra's O'fest is almost always near the top of the list for commercial ones for me. The last couple years Left Hand Brewing's O'fest has been fantastic. Check it out if you can find it.

 

[GPNewBrew]

I live near Houston, so my seasons are “warm”, “sweaty/sticky”, and “hot as hell”. Through the sweaty/sticky and hot as hell periods, I usually brew blondes, Wheats, and crisp ipa’s featuring “c” hops. As we enter the warm fall and winter months, I’ll turn to more malty, flavorful beers, like Irish Ales, ambers, nutty browns, and probably witbier or Hefe’s, as I like those all year long. Whatever I do, I usually brew half batches (2.5 gal) and brew often, to provide lots of variety through football season

 

[jcav]

I love a Munich Dunkel lager, so malty and smooth for the fall season. A good porter and brown ale are also nice and a Belgian Pale Ale. I make a really good pumpkin ale which everyone around here requests I have on tap from October through Thanksgiving. So many good styles for the fall but those tend to be on my fall brewing list.

John

 

[3toes]

I love a Munich Dunkel lager, so malty and smooth for the fall season. A good porter and brown ale are also nice and a Belgian Pale Ale. I make a really good pumpkin ale which everyone around here requests I have on tap from October through Thanksgiving. So many good styles for the fall but those tend to be on my fall brewing list.

John

My man, now THAT is a good idea.

I've got a roadtrip with some buddies for a football game in mid November that they want me to brew a batch for... I'm thinking a Munich Dunkel would be a great choice.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Schlenkerla Rauchbier....

 

[Chorgey]

I like a good Marzen/Oktoberfest. Victory's Festbier is really tasty.

 

[kmarkstevens]

I'm a week or so from harvesting my own hops. How do you add them ...do you bruise them or crush them in any way or just dump the whole hops in your boil? Ive never dry hopped anything but with the harvest of Mt Hood and Crystal Im about to have , I am considering it.

I've done a half dozen or so and this is my humble opinion.

• Pick. You might want to rinse to get the bugs and dust out.
• most pundits say 1 oz pellets = 6 or 7 ounce of fresh hops
• its a crap shoot to know how bitter they will be, therefore I
• dump in a lot. Last weekend I picked 2# of East Seattle Goldings.
• boiled probably 1.5# 60 minutes, 1/4# 15 minutes and 1/4# 5 minutes

My learnings

• you can use some commerical hops as well just to guarantee minimum bittering (but personally I want just my homegrown)
• taste it and if not hoppy enough then do a dry hop or a tea with commercial hops
• I found drying my homegrown wasn't that much of a pain but didn't really give any real terroir and took up freezer space
• pick a recipe based on the hops. For example, I like a low gravity wheat beer with tettnanger. Therefore, I'm going to do a tettnanger fresh hop wheat beer when those ripen a bit later this season. Goldings went into an English bitter.

hope this is helpful

 

[Lefou]

Oktoberfest. Because of this thread, I had to have one last night.

The Paulaner and Weihenstephaner festbiers will be hitting local shelves in the next few weeks. Been saving those gift cards just for that. The Wiesn is my favorite, hands down, of any commercial beer out there. I like their Maßkrug so much I got two of them, just in case I can't locate one.

 

[wepeeler]

I really dig amber ales in the Fall. Long Trail ale is a Scottish ale that is one of the tastiest to me for the time of year. I emailed them in an attempt to clone their Hibernator, and they gave me great feedback for my recipe. It came out great. It may have been my favorite home brew to date. Scored 39.5 in the last competition, which may or may not be telling. But it's always on rotation for me in the Fall.