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  1. Home
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  3. Best Non-Pumpkin Fall Beers

Best Non-Pumpkin Fall Beers

By Food & Wine Updated September 14, 2017
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black lager sam adams
Credit: Courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
If you want to drink the beer equivalent of a pumpkin spice latte, you have options. Whole patches of them. The pumpkin-flavored beer market has been bullish for years, and shows no signs of slowing. But if you’re looking for some great autumn releases that aren’t gourd-inspired, look no further. Here are 10 of the best, from Oktoberfest-inspired märzens to stand-alone offerings that aren’t trying to capitalize on the season’s signature festivals or spices. —Markham Heid
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Backwoods Bastard by Founders Brewing Co.

backwoods bastard
Credit: Courtesy of Founders Brewing Co.

Kicking this off with a heavy hitter, Backwoods Bastard clocks in at a whopping 11.2 percent alcohol-by-volume. But as you’d expect from Founders, one of America’s most acclaimed craft breweries, the alcohol doesn’t feel oppressive. This beer is aged in bourbon barrels, and that bourbon powers through in spades. But it’s complemented by satisfying hits of molasses, caramel, and vanilla. If there were ever a cool-weather, back-porch beer to sip while watching the leaves fall, this is it.

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Oktoberfest Märzen Lager by Left Hand Brewing Co.

oktoberfest marzon lager
Credit: Courtesy of Left Hand Brewing Company

Traditionally, German märzen beers were brewed in spring and cellared during the hot summer months before being pulled out for Oktoberfest celebrations. That aging tended to produce rich, bready, full-bodied brews, and that certainly describes this gem from Colorado’s Left Hand Brewing. Roasted grains and herbs hit you on the nose, and the flavor is a satisfyingly malty burst of caramel, mild hops, and spice.

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Mop Water by Cape May Brewing Co.

cape may mop water beer
Credit: Courtesy of Cape May Brewing Company

New Jersey-based Cape May Brewing isn’t on the radar of most craft fans. But if these guys keep producing beers as delectable (and funkily named) as Mop Water, they soon will be. Belying its name, this amber beer is crisp and medium-bodied, and loaded with fall spices—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla. It’s a little too drinkable; you could get yourself in trouble if you don’t watch out for this one.

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Hopzeit Autumn IPA by Deschutes Brewery

hopzeit autumn
Credit: Courtesy of Deschutes Brewery

Oregon-based Deschutes is known for their balanced IPAs, and this brew tastes like the love child of a well-hopped American pale ale and a traditional German märzen. Hops and herbs comingle with Munich malts on the nose, and follow through on the palate. It’s got the bitterness you’d expect from an IPA, but also the bread and spice you’d look for in a märzen.

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Autumn Maple by The Bruery

autumn maple
Credit: Courtesy of The Bruery

This high-ABV amber brew from California’s The Bruery is made with yams for a spuds-y take on seasonal pumpkin beer. Maple syrup and autumn spices feature on the nose and tongue, and the beer is nicely (and surprisingly) carbonated. If a sweet-potato-infused beer doesn’t sound appealing, give it a try before you write it off. You won’t regret it.

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Oktoberfest by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

autumn beers
Credit: Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Every year, the brewers at California’s Sierra Nevada team up with a different group of German beer-makers to produce a one-off Oktoberfest-style märzen. This year, the Sierra Nevada team worked with Brauhaus Miltenberger to produce a beautiful golden-amber beer packed with sweet, bready, subtle hoppy flavors. It’s a knockout—easily one of the best in this reliable fall series.

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Dead ‘N’ Dead by Rogue

dead n dead beer
Credit: Courtesy of Rogue Ales & Spirits

Rogue is arguably best known for its rich, yeasty Dead Guy Ale. They took Dead Guy and aged it in whiskey barrels to create Dead ‘N’ Dead, which has all the malty, roasty beauty of its younger sibling but with a little less sweetness—plus some oak and vanilla courtesy of its barrel aging. The whiskey barrels also add a depth and complexity that make this special.

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Harvest by Southern Tier Brewing Co.

southern tier harvest
Credit: Courtesy of Southern Tier Brewing

If you’re not familiar with New York’s Southern Tier, sampling their excellent Harvest ESB is a great way to get acquainted. Apart from its color, which its makers compare to a “bright autumn mountainside,” there’s nothing particularly autumnal about this beer. No fall spices or odes to seasonal celebrations. (They touch those bases in their equally great Pumking.) Just a medium-hopped, citrus-laced splash of malts and spicy hops. Like many of the best beers, this stands out for its balance and utter drinkability.

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Festbier by Victory Brewing Co.

festbier
Credit: Courtesy of Victory Brewing Company

The last (but not least) märzen to make the list, this offering from Pennsylvania’s Victory Brewing Co. pairs traditional Austrian and German grains to produce an amber beer redolent of chocolate and nuts. The malt comes through on the palate, along with caramel and hints of pine.

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Black Lager by Sam Adams

black lager sam adams
Credit: Courtesy of The Boston Beer Company

Made in the traditional German schwarzbier (black beer) style, the Black Lager is a first-rate, sessionable dark ale from Boston-based Sam Adams. Rich, bready, chocolatey malts dominate up front, with flavors of licorice and molasses on the palate. A little smoke and sweetness round it out nicely.

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    1 of 10 Backwoods Bastard by Founders Brewing Co.
    2 of 10 Oktoberfest Märzen Lager by Left Hand Brewing Co.
    3 of 10 Mop Water by Cape May Brewing Co.
    4 of 10 Hopzeit Autumn IPA by Deschutes Brewery
    5 of 10 Autumn Maple by The Bruery
    6 of 10 Oktoberfest by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
    7 of 10 Dead ‘N’ Dead by Rogue
    8 of 10 Harvest by Southern Tier Brewing Co.
    9 of 10 Festbier by Victory Brewing Co.
    10 of 10 Black Lager by Sam Adams

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