Fall beer: it's what's for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. And obviously Fourthmeal.

Abita Brewing Company/ Pecan Harvest Ale

Ale brewed with Louisiana pecans.

This is a true testament to the fall season; warm and refreshing. At first the nuts are teasingly sweet, but then at the end the hops become more prominent and well balanced in this ale. It warms up your body and your soul much like meeting up with old friends and watching the seasons change.

  • Color: clear amber brown.
  • Aroma: sweet and nutty, obviously because of the pecans.
  • Mouth feel: washes over your taste buds smoothly and lingers on the palate.
  • Taste: it tastes like you’re drinking nice golden ale and munching on toasted pecans. You think it’d be sweet, but it’s refreshing and still roast-y. The hops are uplifting and subtle, making this beer well balanced and crisp.
  • Best time to drink: after a meal sitting around the last campfire of the season with a group of friends and a gooey slice of pecan pie.

New Belgium Brewing Co./ Pumpkick

Ale brewed with pumpkin juice cranberry juice and spices.

It goes down like Thanksgiving dinner because there are so many conflicting and complementary flavors. It tastes just like pumpkin pie with the integrity of a beer. Tart cranberry tricks you into thinking your drinking something sweet but you’re not. Its crisp fresh light and refreshing with all the flavors you hope for in the fall.

  • Color: orange and golden brown.
  • Aroma: it smells just like pumpkin pie but a little fruity and a little citrus-y too.
  • Mouth feel: smooth, bounces off the tongue.
  • Taste: tart with a cinnamon twist, and then it’s all pumpkin, baby, in a fresh seasonal malt.
  • Best time to drink: after a huge dinner sitting around talking with your friends inside.

Tommy Knocker/ Maple Nut Brown

Brown ale with maple syrup

Though it’s brewed every year, all year, there is something to be said about it as a great fall beer. It’s the sweet one you’ve been waiting for. All you can taste is maple, nut and brown, if brown were a flavor; heavy and sweet. It’s a good beer for a family function because you can baby it, refrain from getting drunk in front of granny, and it doesn’t get gross as it gets warm.

  • Color: cloudy, dark brown.
  • Aroma: maple syrup and concentrated malt.
  • Mouthfeel: no hops to speak of, just a smooth, nutty serum sliding down your throat. It lingers on the tongue and slowly fades away.
  • Taste: it’s a typical brown, heavy on the tongue with lots of bounding, sweet notes.
  • Best time to drink: at a family gathering while you’re waiting for the food to be served.

Samuel Adams/ Octoberfest

Fall lager

Octoberfest is the perfect fall beer because it is malty enough to satiate your need for a hearty beer this time of the year. It’s robust and crisp, but it lingers and lingers. Expect a clear, bright and very warm flavor. It’s one of the best Oktoberfests of this season because it just hits all of the great flavors that are too heavy for summer but too light for winter.

  • Color: dark, clear amber.
  • Aroma: It’s got a sweet, malty but bright, hoppy smell to it.
  • Mouthfeel: Robust lightly roasted malts rush to the side of the tongue and linger there, coating your taste buds with autumn amazingness.
  • Taste: It boasts a caramelly, fresh malt. There are no hops to speak of.
  • Best time to drink: Perfect for carving inappropriate pumpkins and having a good time with friends.

Great Divide/ Rumble IPA

Oak-aged India pale ale

Rumble IPA warms you up and gets you ready for the change in seasons with a crisp burst of hops. It then brings it on hard with more hops and a definite oak-barrel flavor. The woody flavor of the barrel it was aged in melts perfectly into the hops it was brewed with and is sweet and complex on every level in a bourbon sort of way.

  • Color: cloudy amber brown.
  • Aroma: crisp, clean and hoppy; just what you want from an IPA. It smells a bit sweet.
  • Mouthfeel: clean and bright.
  • Taste: the flavors are well balanced, and the hops blend right into the barrel-aged ale to finish off on a hoppy, sweet note. The wood flavors leached into the beer come out more and more as you drink it, and it’s quite delicious.
  • Best time to drink: during a tailgate to get a couple of good beers in before you’re left with nothing but stadium beer.

Lakefront Brewery, Inc./ Pumpkin

Lager brewed with pumpkin and spices

It’s a great fall seasonal because it’s crisp and clean. Right off the bat there is no question this is a delicious pumpkin beer. The citrus makes the pumpkin pop and heightens the intensity of the spices. The flavors play off each other and finish strong.

  • Color: cloudy orange.
  • Aroma: it’s spicy with cinnamon and nutmeg, and sweet just like pumpkin pie.
  • Mouthfeel: the malt is light, and right on the front it doesn’t stay in your mouth and only leaves a muted, spicy flavor for the finish.
  • Taste: this beer is everything you want in a pumpkin beer. It’s spicy, sweet, and it’s only around for a short while.
  • Best time to drink: while you’re shoveling snow from a “freak” storm on the way to your grill.

Hacker-Pschorr/ Original Oktoberfest

Amber marzen

When you taste this, you see what these other Oktoberfests are thinking. This is a pure German beer that is perfect for a season of chilly mornings you weren’t ready for. Its sweetness and crisp, clean hops bounce off the tongue and make you want to stay outside (with a jacket of course), eat some German sausages and enjoy what’s left of good weather.

  • Color: deep, dark, clear brown.
  • Aroma: sweet, malty and very German.
  • Mouthfeel: smooth on the tongue and springs off but resonates on the rest of your mouth. It's heavy aftertaste is just as pleasant.
  • Taste: crisp hops bounce off your tongue and deliver you to a smoky, amber marzen.
  • Best time to drink: perfect for numbing the task of cleaning out your gutters and raking leaves.

Left Hand Brewery/ Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

It’s crisp, not heavy, but it’s very bold in flavor. It’s great because feels like fall, forceful and strong while it leaves you warm and fuzzy inside. Expect it to be hoppy but not too hoppy. The malt is light, roasty and well blended with the rest of the ingredients. Its distinctive taste makes you wish it were dumping outside so you could get those first tracks.

  • Color: clear, golden brown.
  • Aroma: sweet, mild malt smell followed by sharp hops.
  • Mouthfeel: it hits the tongue on the sides and fizzes and pops with happiness as it makes its way to the front of your tongue.
  • Taste: the malt is bold, not sweet, yet melds perfectly with the blended hops that are prominent and linger on the tongue for a hoppy aftertaste.
  • Best time to drink: while waxing your board or skis in anticipation of the upcoming snow season.