For some reason fall and winter seem to be my “beer season”. It’s when I crave beer the most. I don’t know if that’s because the stores get flooded with seasonal ales or maybe because stouts are perfect for those cold winter nights.
Regardless, beer is on my mind more and tends to be the only thing I want.
Last year we had fun talking about and reviewing some of the different pumpkin ales that are out.
Pumpkin and harvest ales seem to be starting to come into their own more. I am noticing a lot more pumpkin and fall type beers out in the stores and some breweries even have several different styles available.
Because I’m a sucker for seasonal stuff, this makes me extremely happy! Also because I personally think that the fall and winter seasonals happen to be the best stuff. Summer brews are nice but fall and winter is where the good stuff is!
This year, if you guys are down with it, we can review a different set of pumpkin ales for the month of October. I’ve already got one ready to be tapped!
Check out the list of ones we did last year:
Are you a beer drinker? If so, do you have a “beer season” like me or do you drink brews all year long?
I do drink brews all year long. I only drink wine and beer, no liquor. I love anything with hops, so I find that I’m less attracted to pumpkin ales for some reason. I wonder if there is a pumpkin style IPA?
I always forget we have beer in the fridge. I just dumped it all this morning because I bought it LAST fall. I tried a Sam Adams Oktoberfest the other evening and it was kinda flat. I need to hit up Andersons to pick up an assorted 6 pack. We drink so rarely (because we don’t think about it), that it’s best to buy singles. I always aspire to drink more beer (LOL) because I want to try out all the different/complex flavors.
If you have not tried it yet, Pumking by Southern Tier Brewing is really good, and is readily available in your area.
As for the beer drinking “season” that would have to be, all the time. Good beer is just like wine, one can pair it with food, or a theme for a party. The day of the “Bud” is dieing, and craft brews are on the rise. If you have not seen the documentary “Beer Wars” it may be something cool for you to watch during your beer season.
Enjoi
Mmm, pumpkin beers! One of my favorites, and hailing from only about two hours from where I grew up, is Southern Tier’s Pumpking. I also am really enjoying Bell’s Oktoberfest!
While I do like to try some of the seasonal brews, I am much more of a beer drinker in the summer, probably because of cookouts, festivals, etc. I love pumpkin everything this time of year but I have had a hard time finding a pumpkin beer I really like so I will have to go back and re-read your reviews from last year ;-)
I also tend to drink beer more in the fall and winter. During the summer, I normally stick to white wine — I think because it’s not as heavy. I prefer dark lagers and stouts, and those just taste better when the weather is cooler.
I drink both beer and wine year-round, but fall seasonal beers are my absolute favorite, probably because I love amber ales w/ a good malty/hoppy balance. I recently tried my first pumpkin beer, as I’ve been afraid they’d be too sweet, but it was pretty decent but not very pumpkin-y. I’ve got Pumpking on deck since I keep hearing recs for it. For non-pumpkin, fairly commonly found fall beers, I really like Great Lakes and Flying Dog’s Oktoberfests, and Goose Island’s Harvest Ale. You’d probably like Breckenridge’s Autumn Ale, as I thought it leaned more toward a porter/stout than I like.
I am going to live vicariously through you! I wish I could sample these pumpkin ales! :(