Around the end of September and early October the weather starts to cool down come autumn. Football season is already under way, and fall activities are almost in full swing. Fittingly, the seasonal fall beers have already made their way to the shelves for you to buy and enjoy.
The thing that I love about seasonal fall beers is that the makers are less concerned with how refreshing their brew is, but more concerned about the taste. There is nothing better than the autumnal spiciness of a pumpkin flavored beer when you drink it. Fall beers are a lot heavier, and contain a higher alcohol content than beers I normally drink in the summer. In the fall I feel like I am getting a little bit more bang for my buck. On average the ABV of any Sam Adams lager is 3.2% higher than the cheap Busch Light that I normally drink.
Pumpkin beers are not the only seasonal beers that are sold in the fall. More recently maple beers have become a popular flavor addition in the fall. Maple beers provide a syrupy flavor and they go well with browner ales, and this make it less heavier than pumpkin beers. A lot of craft breweries are pushing out more Amber beers nowadays. Whether they are ales or lagers, they seem to be slightly darker than pale ales. They are perfect to drink while watching football on the weekends. The next best option you have are from Germany's famed Oktoberfest. Oktoberfest is the greatest holiday dedicated to beers in the world. Breweries that sell beer for this holiday usually are more heavy and are well-aged. They usually have an amber color taste more like a stout over anything else.
Once you buy your favorite new seasonal beer you should take the right steps to make sure it tastes the best. Personally, I like to drink my beer in glasses that are designed to make my drinking experience better. Pilsner glasses are my favorite because they are tall and thin. If you're going to buy a new seasonal brew that you've never tried before I recommend researching what beer is good in the necessary glass. This is just my suggestion, but I feel like to get the best taste you have to have the right glass to drink it with.
A huge factor for getting that perfect taste is making sure that your beer is the right temperature. Despite what some advertising campaigns say beer should not served ice cold. Serving a beer ice cold dilutes that taste, and that's not what we're going for. Your beer should be refrigerated, and when poured should be around the same temperature as a coca-cola or any other soft drink. What might improve the taste is freezing or refrigerating the correct glasses you bought for your beer. Always remember, high quality breweries will put what the serve temperature on the label.
Now that I have shared all this important information with you I think it's time you to go out and try some new autumn beers. If where you live has gastro pubs or taprooms I recommend starting out there if you are completely new to trying craft seasonal beers. It is more cost efficient to try one pour you haven't had before rather than buying a new 6 pack at the store. Good luck, and drink on!
