Seasonal Brews..

My favorite season for beer is coming up! Some of my favorite styles are coming up! I really like the fall/harvest beers. I love pumpkin ales (as long as the pumpkin is quite faint, and subtle. Fall is followed by all the Christmas/winter ales, which are among my all time favorites. What seasonal brews would I recommend? Glad you asked.

For fall, there are some really good brews. Sierra Nevada normally releases their anniversary ale around fall. Always something nice to look forward too. Normally a pretty hoppy/ IPA style brew (surprising coming from SN, I know). Dogfish Head offers up great pumpkin ale called ‘Punkin Ale’. It has more spice in it then pumpkin, but a nice, refreshing fall beer.

Winter Warmers are just great! Some good ones to look out for. Get the Sam Adams Christmas 12 pack, and in it, you will find Old Fuzziwig. A very smooth, drinkable Winter Warmer. Deschutes Brewing does Jubalale, another great one. And as always, look out for Anchor Brewings “Our Special Ale” which is one I always look for, and set a few aside, because it callers really well!

After Christmas, most breweries will release their Barelywine’s. My highest rated style. I love them. Great balance of malt and hops, and high ABV to keep you warm on those chilly winter nights (we don’t have a lot of them in Arizona!). My favorite? Sierra Nevada’s Bigfoot is just a great beer, and one of my all time favorites. Stone’s Old Guardian is always a good one to try. As is Anchor’s Old Foghorn. Great Divide’s Old Ruffin is a great example of the style.

Barelywines caller very well too. I have a number of them set aside, including Alaskan’s Barelywine, Avery’s Hog Heaven, and Moylan’s Bareleywine. Can’t wait to break into those either!