As we roll into fall we will take a look at a couple of popular beers of the season. Today most Craft Breweries are producing some type of seasonal beer and there are many styles of seasonal beers. They are usually only available for a limited amount of time and in very small quantities so you had better get them while you can!
One of the most popular beers of the fall season has got to be Pumpkin beer. These beers are usually brewed with pumpkin and spices which is added to quite a few different styles of beer. Pumpkin beers can range from lighter beers, such as Amber or Wheat beers, to dark beers such as Porters. The pumpkin and the spices add great fall flavors that can blend well with these different styles. We brew our pumpkin beer with our Bavarian Hefeweizen as the base beer and add Pumpkin, brown sugar and spices. For a unique fall twist, the Bruery in Placentia, California brews their fall beer with roasted yams and maple.
Another great fall beer style that only comes around once a year is “fresh hopped beers”. With Hops only harvested one time a year, these beers showcase the unique flavors of different hop varieties and their individual characteristics. Most hops used in craft beers are pellet hops which are whole cone hops that have been dried and formed into pellets. This helps to preserve the flavors and aroma of the hops so they can be used throughout the year. With “fresh hopped beers, the hops are harvested in the field, packaged and shipped to the breweries within 24 hours. The brewer will then use these fresh hops soon after they receive them to extract all the fresh hop characteristics from them. They most popular fresh hopped beer styles are Pale Ale and India Pale Ale.
With these seasonal beers only around for a brief time, search them out and enjoy the fall season! Cheers!
Rob McFerren is the owner of Wolf Creek Restaurant & Brewing Co.
