It’s time to face the facts: summer is long gone. The cold has set in. The leaves are changing and the heat is flipped on and the sweaters are out of storage. Thankfully, there are beers for this situation. Below, three beer experts from across the country recommend their favorite styles of beer for fall. Grab a bottle (or two!), slap on a beanie, and get cozy.
Bière de Garde
This type of French farmhouse ale has a “great rustic, earthy, cellared quality,” says certified cicerone Anne Becerra of Treadwell Park West in New York. She recommends one from Michigan’s Barrel & Beam that’s aged in Pinot Noir Barrels for “notes of dark fruit and oak [that take] the beer’s natural, honeyed, fresh-baked bread character to the next level.”
Belgian Dubbel
These beers “have wonderful flavors of dark fruit, toffee, and cocoa alongside a clove-like spiciness,” says Becerra. Full-bodied and rich, they’re not as strong as some Belgian beers, which lends them to in-between seasons. “Chimay Red is probably the most well-know of the Belgian versions, but we have some great domestic options too,” she says, recommending Maine’s Allagash Dubbel.
Dunkelweizen
“If a Hefeweizen is a great beer for summer,” says Becerra, “a Dunkelweizen is perfect for fall.” The dark wheat beer “offers a touch of nutty, caramel-tinged malt, fruity notes of banana and apple alongside spicy, cinnamon-like aromatics. It pretty much screams fall drinking.” Try starting with the Ballast Point Funky Hammerhead.
Oktoberfest Märzen
“I usually gravitate toward lighter styles of beer,” says Kyle Tarczynski of RPM Steak, Chicago, “so this amber lager fits right in.” He recommends the Spaten: “It has these wonderful caramel and spice cake notes that just always make me think of fall. And at 5.9% abv, it’s not super boozy, so you can actually have a few of them and not feel too bad.”
Guinness
“It’s honestly just really delicious,” Andrew Hannigan of Nashville's Bastion says of the Irish favorite. “It warms the soul. It has a rich maltiness and creaminess that does well to keep you warm in those cold, fall nights.”
Duchesse de Bourgogne
Another Belgian option for fall. “I have always enjoyed Flemish-style beers,” says Hannigan. “They tend to have a good level or tartness, without being too summery.” A Flemish red ale, Duchesse de Bourgogne has “a rich complexity to it—like red wine or whisky with a hint of vanilla and oak.”
