By Mike Billy – Midwest Beer Blog
In early August temperatures were still in the 80’s. But that didn’t stop the pumpkin beers — much to the chagrin of some beer drinkers — from hitting the seasonal shelves of retailers across the country long before the leaves have even started changing color.
Pumpkin beer, like all things pumpkin spice-related, is love it or hate it. But even if you hate it you should venture into the autumn aisle that seems inundated with the prickly orange stare of the jack o’ lantern.
Why? If you look more closely at that aisle you should be able to find a selection of fall beers that aren’t pumpkin related. And they’re well worth looking for.
Whether it’s a traditional German Oktoberfest, or the uniquely American wet-hopped IPA, there is more to fall beer than pumpkins.
Oktoberfest / Marzen
Perhaps one of the most traditional autumn beers is the Oktoberfest, a rich malty lager that is often consumed during the fall festival season in Germany. Historically, the beer (sometimes called a marzen) was brewed in March, lagered in cool underground caves during the summer months, then consumed in the fall. Expect flavors similar to bread and toast with a slightly sweet malt character. There also may be hints of peppery spice from the traditional German hops. This amber beer will finish dry and crisp like the crunchy leaves beneath your feet.
Examples: Great Lakes Oktoberfest, New Glarus Staghorn, Paulaner Oktoberfest and Two Brothers Atom Smasher.
Brown Ale
Like the marzen, brown ales are usually all about the malt. Grains in these English ales come to the forefront and are chosen to accentuate the beer’s nutty flavor with hints of chocolate and toffee. Unlike the marzen, there also will be caramel flavors present and a thicker mouth feel. The aroma will lean towards floral and earthy from the British hops used. American versions of the brown ale will sometimes have more bitterness than their English ancestors.
Examples: Bell’s Best Brown Ale, Sierra Nevada Tumbler, Goose Island Nut Brown Ale and Abita Turbodog.
Red IPA
So you’re sick of those malt forward fall beers? Red IPA’s might just be the thing for you. These beers are among the most bitter fall seasonal offerings. Pine and resin characteristics from the hops are balanced with toast, caramel and toffee from the malts. The higher bitterness level of these beers provides a counterpoint to the malt sweetness that is not present in typical West Coast IPAs, though they still should finish somewhat dry.
Examples: New Belgium Red Hoptober, Sierra Nevada Flipside and Founder’s Red Rye IPA.
Harvest ales / Wet-Hopped Beer
To understand wet-hopped beers you first have to understand a little bit about the brewing process. Hops, one of the four main ingredients in beer, are a green pine cone-like flower that grows on a vine. They are used during the boiling process to add bitterness, flavor and aroma to beer. Typically they are harvested by farmers, dried, and sealed so they can be used by brewers until the next harvest.
Wet-hopped harvest ales, however, use freshly picked hops that are still plump with the oil, which imparts flavor and bitterness in a beer, before they are dried. These beers typically lean more towards IPAs because the style notoriously highlights hop flavors and aromas like citrus and pine. For an analogy, think of fresh vs. dried herbs. Recently picked herbs have a fresher taste that is more representative of the original spice. Same thing with hops. When you dry them, you lose some of the original character of the plant. Look for these beers after the fall harvest.
Examples: Two Brothers Heavy Handed, Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest, Founders Harvest Ale and 3 Floyds Broo Doo.