This past weekend marked the official beginning of both fall and Munich, Germany’s 16-day Oktoberfest or “die Wiesn” festival. That means it’s time to stock up on fall beers, whether your tastes lean towards Oktoberfest beers (German-style Märzens), ESBs (Extra Special Bitters) or red ales. We picked 16 promising fall seasonal ales from our local beer store (Ale Yeah in Decatur) to enjoy as the air grows colder.

Our panel of 13 judges spent an afternoon tasting all our fall beers and ranking our favorites. Please note, that pumpkins beers have their own list, which will be updated soon. Here they are, worst to best.





Brewery: Blue Point

City: Long Island, N.Y.

ABV (Alcohol By Volume): 5.5%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Putting out your backyard fire pit.

The Verdict: A boring, lager-like flavor with an off-putting aftertaste put this one at the bottom of our list.







Brewery: Bridgeport

City: Portland, Ore.

ABV: 5.8%

Style: American Brown Ale

Perfect For: Spiking the gingerbread.

The Verdict: Tastes and smells like someone randomly emptied their spice cabinet into the tank.







Brewery: Shiner

City: Shiner, Texas

ABV: 5.8%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Helping your Bud-swilling relatives…with baby steps.

The Verdict: For a brewery known for it’s lagers, this was the slightly fuller flavored version.







Brewery: Abita

City: Abita Springs, La.

ABV: 5.1%

Style: American Brown Ale

Perfect For: Harvesting the pecans.

The Verdict: The hop flavors come through much more than the pecans, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.







Brewery: Sam Adams

City: Boston

ABV: 5.3%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Appreciating the change in the foliage.

The Verdict: I think Sam Adams is an underrated brewery, but this beer, though easy to drink, isn’t among their greatest accomplishments.







Brewery: Pyramid

City: Seattle

ABV: 6.7%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Raking those leaves.

The Verdict: Puts the OK in Oktoberfest. A decent example of the style.







Brewery: Sierra Nevada

City: Chico, Calif.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: American Brown Ale

Perfect For: Burning those leaves.

The Verdict: Whether the hops varietals or the yeast they use, Sierra Nevada beers always taste like Sierra Nevada beers. This one adds a smoky, toasty malt balance.







Brewery: Brooklyn

City: Brooklyn, N.Y.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Listening to The Fall (or talking-uh like-uh Mark E. Smith-uh)

The Verdict: Several tasters agreed that this one tastes most fall-like. A great example of the style.







Brewery: Sweetwater

City: Atlanta

ABV: 5.6%

Style: ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

Perfect For: Those Indian Summer days on the lake.

The Verdict: Leave it to an Atlanta brewery to make it’s fall seasonal good for unseasonably warm days with a lemony hop bite.







Brewery: New Belgium

City: Fort Collins, Colo.

ABV: 6%

Style: Red Ale

Perfect For: Flag football games

The Verdict: Another outlier, New Belgium decided that even hop heads enjoy the cooling temps. Their red ale drinks a little like an IPA.







Brewery: Left Hand Brewing Company

City: Longmont, Colo.

ABV: 6%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Strapping on those Lederhosen.

The Verdict: Left Hand gave their Märzen a nice hop bite, making it one of the most flavorful of the fall line-up.







Brewery: Ommegang

City: Cooperstown, N.Y.

ABV: 5.8%

Style: Belgian Dark Ale

Perfect For: Watching the pennant races.

The Verdict: When everyone else is going German, Ommegang (as usual) went Belgian, and the result is a rich malty beer with fall spices like clove and cinnamon.







Brewery: Duck-Rabbit

City: Farmville, N.C.

ABV: 8.5%

Style: Dopplebock

Perfect For: Dessert.

The Verdict: Fall may be the season of subtlety, but Duck-Rabbit went big with their seasonal offering. At once malty, chocolaty and spicy.







Brewery: Victory Brewing Company

City: Dowington, Penn.

ABV: 5.6%

Style: Märzen/Oktoberfest

Perfect For: Throwing your own 16-day-long Oktoberfest party.

The Verdict: Complex for an Oktoberfest with hints of honey, hops and spice—but no one flavor overpowers the others. The best of the Märzens.







Brewery: Southern Tier Brewing Company

City: Lakewood, N.Y.

ABV: 6.7%

Style: ESB (Extra Special Bitter)

Perfect For: Sailing on a chilly day.

The Verdict: There’s a growing trend of hoppier fall seasonals, and this was the best one we tasted. An exceptional ESB.







Brewery: Weyerbacher Brewing Co.

City: Easton, Penn.

ABV: 5.4%

Style: Red Ale

Perfect For: Aug. 21 to Dec. 21.

The Verdict: Outside of Dogfish Head, Weyerbacher may be the most creative American brewery at the moment, and their fall seasonal is one of the best amber/red ales we’ve tasted. Unique spices and a full, round flavor—especially for a 5.4% beer—make this a great choice for any fall day. Weyerbacher also won last year’s Pumpkin Ale tasting.

