Liquid Lunch: The Beers Of Fall

Moses Malone

​ I love the Fall. Great weather, MLB playoffs, and my wife considers it her favorite (happy wife = happy life). With that being said, I am less than thrilled about the beer styles that are prevalent during this season.  Pumpkin beers are a waste of resources, and in my opinion most of the Oktoberfests available during this time taste pretty goddamn similar. Some breweries come up with some really cool stout and porter options during the fall months, so that’s something that I look forward to each year.  I’m going to outline a handful of beer options available this fall that I’ll be looking out for, in hopes that I can help even one person sift through the plethora of options and find a satisfying lager!

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Harpoon Flannel Friday (Boston, MA)

• Harpoon is another microbrewery that’s basically grown to macro status now, but they do still make a few decent beers in my opinion.  This hoppy amber ale sits at 5.7% (you should be noticing an ABV trend here…) and true to its name it gives a little more of a hop punch than the other beers on this list.  You get a good amount of pine, typically associated with a West-Coast IPA, but in a very good way. This is another beer that literally floods into most liquor stores, so you shouldn’t find it difficult to find at all.

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Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers Copper Legend (Framingham, MA)

• If anyone can do a lager correctly, it’s Jack’s Abby.  Their Copper Legend is a 5.7% marzen that is very malt forward.  This will be available at basically any store that sells beer, and it is super affordable. 

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 Two Roads Brewing Company Roadsmary’s Baby (Stratford, CT)

• Here is a slightly different take on a fall style beer, AND I’m breaking my rule that I mentioned up top of NO PUMPKIN BEER.  Two Roads kicks it up a notch and ages this beer in rum barrels, giving it some vanilla and oakiness. At 6.8%, you’ll find it’s one of the higher ABV offerings of the fall (as far as pumpkin beer goes) and it won’t disappoint.  It comes in cans and bottles (not that it really matters) but should be available at most stores with a decent craft selection.

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Idle Hands Brocktoberfest (Malden, MA)

• This one is a 5.5% marzen with a touch of sweetness.  I had it last year and remember it being one of the best Oktoberfests I’ve ever had.  It retails in stores for around $14-$15 per 4-pack.

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Southern Tier Brewing Company Barrel Aged Pumpking

• Ok ok ok, now this is 2 pumpkin beers on this list.  It’s getting a little out of hand, I understand, but Southern Tier practically wrote the book on the correct way to make a pumpkin beer so I have to put it on this list.  In addition to that fact, they announced back in June that there will be several variants available this year that they haven’t done in previous years. The Rum BA Pumpking has been done before and will be done again this fall, but they will also be releasing a Cold Press Coffee version, a Chai tea infused version, and an undisclosed variant.  Now, the undisclosed one is probably going to be brewery/surrounding markets only - so we won’t see that one in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. But the Cold Press Coffee variant? Sign me up, because I will be ISO.

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Castle Island Festbier (Norwood, MA)

• Celebrating another local brewery that sees a fair amount of distribution, Festbier is a marzen inspired ale that checks in at 4.6%.  A little lighter than some of the others on this list, it’s definitely a sessionable beer that will keep you coherent for a while. The pilsner malt gives it a nice crisp finish, and as far as marzens go it’s a decent light representation of the style.
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Alright, so there it is - six beers that I’ll be sipping on in the very near future.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of this warm weather and cross my fingers that September gives us some decent temperatures as well, but pretty soon these beers are going to be EVERYWHERE and you’ll need to stay focused and keep your head on a swivel in order to maneuver your way through the craft beer aisle.  I left all stouts and porters off of this list because I consider those to be more of a winter treat for me, but keep your eyes open for them because there are a ton of breweries that start putting out some awesome dark stuff around this time. Before we know it, it’ll be Goose Island Bourbon County time. After all, as the Stark family motto goes - Winter is coming.  

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