As the leaves begin to change color and the crisp autumn air settles in, it's time to welcome the season of cozy sweaters, pumpkin patches, and, of course, the best fall beers. For bar owners, embracing the flavors and trends of each season is essential to keeping customers engaged and satisfied. It's time to retire the beers of summer and explore the top fall beers of 2024 that every bar owner needs to know about.
Fall Beer Tap List
Fall brings about a whole new array of flavors and aromas that bar owners should consider when creating a tap list. To help get you started, we put together a list of the most recommended fall beers to try in 2024.
1. Oktoberfest Beer
One cannot talk about fall beers without mentioning Oktoberfest. This traditional German beer style is known for its rich maltiness and smooth, clean finish. Brewed specifically for the annual Oktoberfest celebration, these beers are a must-have for any bar owner looking to embrace the fall spirit. With their amber hues and notes of toasted bread and caramel, Oktoberfest beers are sure to be a hit among beer enthusiasts.
Another key characteristic of Oktoberfest beers is their smooth and clean finish. Unlike some other beer styles that may have a lingering bitterness, Oktoberfest beers are designed to be incredibly drinkable. This makes them the ideal choice for those long days of celebration at the festival, where you want a beer that you can sip on all day without feeling overwhelmed.
Give These Popular Oktoberfest Beers a Try:
- Ayinger Brewing: Oktober Fest-Marzen (Ayinger, Germany) 5.8% ABV
- La Cumbre Brewing Company: Oktoberfest (Albuquerque, NM) 5.4% ABV
- Great Lakes Brewing Company: Oktoberfest (Cleveland, OH) 6.5% ABV
- Founders Brewing Company: Ultimate Oktoberfest (Grand Rapids, MI) 10% ABV
2. Hard Cider
Beer purists tend to have strong feelings about hard cider. No, it’s not beer, but it’s a smart choice to include in your seasonal offerings. Providing an alternative to the hoppy, malty flavors of beer ensures you have an option for everyone. Many hard ciders are also gluten-free, just double-check the label to be sure.
It's a misconception that all hard ciders are sweet. There are actually different styles of cider with varying degrees of sweetness. For example, dry cider has very little sugar and could be compared to a dry, acidic wine. There are also still versions of cider that contain no carbonation for smooth sipping.
Give These Popular Hard Ciders a Try:
- Wyndridge Cider Company: Pumpkin Spice Cider (York, PA) 6% ABV
- Cigar City Cider & Mead: Homemade Apple Pie (Tampa, FL) 5.5% ABV
- Lost Boy Cider: Ciderbier (Alexandria, VA) 6.9% ABV
- Armageddon Brewing: Ichabod's Bane (Somerdale, NJ) 6.7% ABV
3. Pumpkin Beer
The minute September 1st rolls around, pumpkin domination begins and doesn’t truly end until winter is over. Pumpkin beer is a popular part of this trend, and although not every beer lover is on board, you should offer at least one pumpkin spice beer style for those who can’t get enough.
Just like pumpkin spice, pumpkin beers don't necessarily contain any pumpkin. The pumpkin flavor that many start to crave around this time of year is less from the pumpkin itself, and more from spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Pumpkin beers and yam beers feature a blend of the fall spices that fans of the season associate with pumpkin spice.
Give These Pumpkin Beers a Try:
- Southern Tier Brewing Company: Pumking (Lakewood, NY) 8.6% ABV
- Elysian Brewing Company: The Great Pumpkin (Seattle, WA) 8.1% ABV
- Cigar City Brewing: Good Gourd (Tampa, FL) 8.8% ABV
- Saint Arnold Brewing Company: Pumpkinator (Houston, TX) 10% ABV
4. Amber Ale
Amber ale is a type of beer with a reddish color that ranges from light copper to dark amber. This style originated in the Pacific Northwest and California during the 1980s, but it's become popular in Europe and Australia as well. Also called red ale, amber ales are a type of pale ale brewed with specialty malts.
American red ale contains American hops, but it's set apart from other pale ales by the sweet flavor of the malts used in the brewing process. Crystal malts, named for the crystalized sugars they contain, are responsible for the amber color and caramel notes this beer style is known for.
Give These Red Ales a Try:
- Sierra Nevada Brewing Company: Flipside Red IPA (Chico, CA) 6.2% ABV
- 3 Floyds Brewing Company: Amber Smashed Face (Munster, IN) 7.8% ABV
- COAST Brewing Company: Carnie Fire (North Charleston, SC) 5% ABV
- Pipeworks Brewing Company: Blood Of The Unicorn (Chicago, IL) 6.5% ABV
5. Porters
When autumn sets in, light summer beers are moved aside in favor of darker and more filling options. Porters are top-fermented ales made with malted barley, which gives them a dark brown color and a smooth sweetness from the sugar in the malt. These beers are known for a chocolate or caramel-like flavor.
Porters were first brewed in England in the 1700s. The name "porter" is believed to have originated with the street porters, men who performed a variety of working-class jobs. Porter beers were more filling than other ales and provided a source of much-needed calories for the hard-working porters who carried heavy loads all day.
Give These Popular Porters a Try:
- Funky Buddha Brewery: Maple Bacon Coffee Porter (Oakland Park, FL) 6.4% ABV
- Anchor Brewing Company: Anchor Porter (San Francisco, CA) 5.6% ABV
- Kane Brewing Company: Sunday Brunch (Ocean, NJ) 9.2% ABV
- Deschutes Brewery: Black Butte Porter (Bend, OR) 5.2% ABV
6. Stouts
Stouts are another popular dark beer with rich flavor and an ABV that will warm up your customers on brisk autumn days in the beer garden. These beers evolved from the porter style and tend to have more of a coffee flavor and fuller body.
Stouts and porters are very similar, and many brewers today blur the lines between the two. The one characteristic that is commonly used to differentiate stouts is the use of roasted, unmalted barley which gives stouts a darker, smokey flavor profile with less sweetness than porters.
Give These Popular Stouts a Try:
- High Water Brewing: Campfire Stout (Lodi, CA) 6.5% ABV
- Dogfish Head: Wake Up World Wide Stout (Milton, DE) 18% ABV
- Goose Island Beer Company: Bourbon County Brand Stout (Chicago, IL) 14.3% ABV
- Lawson's Finest Liquids: Fayston Maple Imperial Stout (Waitsfield, VT) 10.1% ABV
7. Big IPAs
The crisp ales of summer are now being replaced by stronger IPAs with bold, hoppy flavors. These big, intense beers usually have an alcohol percentage of around 8% to 10%, which is sometimes twice as much as a summer session ale. Fall beers with high ABVs are perfect for hunkering down at your favorite bar while you watch a game or enjoy a meal. They're meant to be savored, and they pair much better with the heavy comfort foods we crave when the weather gets cooler.
Give These Popular IPAs a Try:
- Devils Backbone Brewing Company: 16 Point Imperial IPA (Roseland, VA) 9.1% ABV
- South County Brewing Co: Liminal Moment (Fawn Grove, PA) 7.5% ABV
- Russian River Brewing Company: Pliny the Elder (Santa Rosa, CA) 8% ABV
- Trillium Brewing Company: Really Big Bird (Boston, MA) 9% ABV
8. Non-Alcoholic Fall Beers
Non-alcoholic beers are a great way to celebrate the flavors of fall without the alcohol content. These brews offer a unique twist on the traditional pumpkin beer, making them a popular choice for those who prefer non-alcoholic options or are looking to cut back on their alcohol consumption.
Non-alcoholic fall beers come in a variety of styles and flavors, ensuring that there's something for everyone's taste preferences. Whether you're a fan of malty amber ales, spiced ales, or refreshing wheat beers, you can find a non-alcoholic option that captures the essence of fall.
Give These Popular NA Beers a Try:
- Athletic Brewing Company: Dark and Gourdy (Milford, CT) 0.5% ABV
- Atmos Brewing Company: Oktoberfest! NA Marzen (Hailey, ID) 0.5% ABV
- Wellbeing Brewing: Hellraiser Dark Amber (St. Louis, MO) 0.3% ABV
- Bravus Brewing Company: Oatmeal Dark (Anaheim, CA) 0.5% ABV
9. Wet Hop Beer
Most beer is made with hops that have been harvested and dried. Wet hop beer is made with hops that are freshly harvested and still full of moisture. This beer is truly seasonal because the harvest only comes once a year, around the end of August, and the wet hops must be used within 24 hours of being picked.
Fresh hops produce a beer with earthy notes, a pronounced citrus flavor, and a floral aroma. The contrast between wet hops and dried hops can be compared to the difference between fresh herbs and dried herbs. Many wet hop beers are only offered on draft because they are best enjoyed fresh.
Give These Popular Fresh Hop Beers a Try:
- Victory Brewing Company: Harvest Ale (Downingtown, PA) 6.5% ABV
- Deschutes Brewery: Chasin' Freshies (Bend, OR) 6% ABV
- Fremont Brewing Company: Cowiche Canyon Organic Fresh Hop Ale (Seattle, WA) 6% ABV
- Austin Beerworks: Heavy Machinery Wet Hop IPA (Austin, TX) 7% ABV
When you update your tap list with fall beers, consider trying some of our seasonal recommendations. Our comprehensive list has something for everyone, from die-hard pumpkin fans to cider lovers.
