Well hello to you legible readers; thank you for feasting your eyes and admiration towards the likes of craft beer. Most importantly, we thank you at the mere suggestion of supporting Brewocracy for what it stands for… simply by clicking and reading this article. We are in the midst of a turning point. A turning point in which fall and autumn release beers are on their way out and winter / holiday release beers are on their way in. As an advocate and pioneer of the craft beer community, it is within our due diligence, to release a list of OUR favorite fall/autumn released brew-HAS!!! We say our favorite for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is no right or wrong answer to the “best” fall beers… there are suggestions, biases, and frames of reference. Being inundated with life’s course, it’s difficult for us to sample every single fall release craft beer known to man. So simply put, here is a list of are our favorites released thus far, with a few beers available year round but we just really like to drink them in the fall and year round and not sure when we should stop talking so we will right now, mmmk?

Founders Brewing Co. - Harvest Ale

Mmmm gimme some of that dank son!!! In lamens, “dank” signifies characteristics of florals, piny, resinous, and more often than not, cannabis-like attributes. That is because hops and cannabis both fall under the Cannabaceaes family in the plant kingdom… okay lets move on. We hate to be frivolous but this beer legitimately knocks your socks off. Hop harvest seasons are conducive to the procuring of many… “Harvest” ales. Which increases the boldness in both aroma and flavor which in turn, blows the drinkers mind. Founders Brewing Co. accentuates a formidable interpretation of a harvest ale with this.. well… harvest ale.

Founders Brewing Co. - Breakfast Stout

Okay so I guess we kind of like Founders. It’s not our fault they brew unbelievably delicious liquid. I mean GOD, just let us breathe!! And drink!! Founders Breakfast Stout!! This liquid is the holy grail of what is all chocolatey, coffee-y, and liquidy and alcoholy. Boom.

Founders Brewing Co. - Backwoods Bastard

UGH… I swear I deleted this off the list!! Oh well, good thing we don’t have any Founder’s beers on here yet. Backwoods Bastard is the grandaddy of Dirty Bastard, which is Founder’s year round scotch ale. The Backwoods grandaddy long legs bastard is aged in bourbon barrels. The powerful elements of a behemoth caramelized malt backbone matched against the peerless punch of bourbon, vanilla, coconut, and oak notes is truly, blissful. Drink fresh or age or both. Do whatever you want.. just get your hands on some.

Westbrook Brewing Co. - Marzenbier

I know I know, I know what you all must be thinking…. why don’t we throw a Founders beer in there?!? Ehh, maybe later. For now, we’re focusing on a German-inspired fall-time lager called a Marzen or Marzenbier. This clean, crisp, amber lager yields a stern bready, cereal malt taste… approached by a tiny, yet mighty Perle hop presence. This beer will knock your lederhosen off!! May not be available in markets anymore, so enjoy what is left.. or good luck next year! In the meantime, we highly recommend other offerings from Westbrook!

Southern Tier Brewing Co. - Warlock

Some of you may be scratching your heads thinking, why don’t these dudes post about Pumking!! OH MY GOD PUMKING IS SO FREAKING GOOD!! Relax…. You pumking enthusiasts are nuttier than a fruitcake… just relax. We would like to introduce the black sheep of the family…. Mr. Warlock. This beer is a beast, providing and showcasing many different fixtures on the palate. Let the liquid warm up closer to room temp, to reveal other virtues.

Victory Brewing Co. - Harvest Ale

Ahhh yes! Yet another Harvest Ale that will win the hearts of many, if not all, hop-heads. Freshly, whole-leaf harvested hops, line up on a diving board, and one-by-one, leap in the air and perform triple-axle backflips into this unfinished liquid UNTIL they all achieve gold medals in the hop olympics in which case this bottle is capped and complete until consumption. I’m not sure if triple-axle backflips are a real thing but it sounded good at the time.

New England Brewing Co. - Ghost Pigeon Porter

This beer may be unfamiliar to some of you. It is draft only, very scarce, and very scary because I mean the beer is named after a ghost right? It’s gotta be scary… Many of you have heard of the famous Gandhi-Bot Double IPA and Sea Hag IPA… same brewery here. Phenomenal Porter here, so it absolutely deserves a shout out. But out of light to many of you, we will show pictures of two alternative porters, more readily available in regional markets..

DC Brau - Penn Quarter Porter

And if you can’t find this one….

Founders Brewing Co. - Porter

….. Too Far?

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Narwhal

So we now know this…. Narwhals are dangerous. Both kinds. One kind can impale you while you leisurely swim around the Antarctic Ocean… or… the other kinds… can be SOOO delicious, that we end up drinking far far too many and endeavor into God knows what, to eventually, falling on our faces. What we’re trying to say is, drink this. Do you call yourself a dare devil? Do you like playing with danger?

Good…. drink this…

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Narwhal (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Clocking out at 12.9%, this Narwhal is aged in bourbon barrels, matured into a larger, wiser liquid. An already complex imperial stout, then matured in bourbon barrels, creates an ultimate complexity. If refrigerated, please let warm up a bit before consumption. If any buyers want to age this, don’t wait too too long. We want the bourbon barrel notes to be present, yes? Because it is dannggggerously good.

Boulder Beer Co. - Shake Chocolate Porter

Winning a Gold in its’ category at the 2014 World Beer Cup, this beer is nothing short of elegant and indulgent. Roasted malt qualities matched with a lighter carbonation and bold chocolate notes…. Divine my friends. Divine. So let’s shake* it up a bit and enjoy the holidays and desserts with something deserving such as this.

*Don’t shake the bottle.

Maine Beer Co. - Red Wheelbarrow

This hoppy red ale was once retired… but came back to life and flourished. Kinda like Brett Favre… but this guy won’t be wearing any Wrangler Jeans or migrate its’ recipe to 3-4 different breweries before realizing it suffers from cap damage. This guy is Mr. Red Wheelbarrow. And he’s fantastic. A well rounded malt bill providing notes of raisin, biscuit, and fruitcake, levied up against a citrus and floral hop bomb… is what Brewocracy loves. And so should you. We also realize this may not be available to the vast majority of you out there so another hoppy red we like this time of year…

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. - Flipside IPA

Yea, yea… another Sierra Nevada. Consistency is what consistency does. Don’t hate the players. Hate the game.

Lawson’s Finest Liquids - Sip of Sunshine

This liquid is now produced at Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford, CT…. makes it available to some of the Southern New England crowds… the title speaks for itself. Took my first sip of this and thought I was Robinson Crusoe, raking my toes through the fluffy sands of some unknown island in the South Pacific… instead… I was freezing my balls off in CT on a cold night in November. But seriously…. A well rounded liquid with tons of tropical fruit and citrus hop complexities that meddle with a sturdy 8% ABV and bolstering malt backbone.

Cigar City Brewing - Maduro Brown Ale

Although this beer is produced year-round, it fits perfectly for this time of year and climate. Cigar City may primarily be known for its Jai Alai, among other IPAs and barrel aged brews. But the Maduro is reminiscent of Barry White. Big, smooth, dark, and seductive. That little gap in the bottle between the liquid and the cap? That’s something Maduro likes to call, “Soul Music.” Cause it ain’t over til the fat lady, or Barry White sings. So drink it. Now.

Allagash Brewing Co. - Nancy

Of course Allagash makes our favorites list! That’s a no-brainer dude. We reviewed this a few weeks past, but here is a quick flashback and reminder:

Nancy pours a translucent, orange/golden hue, with little to non-existent head retention. Aroma provides luscious cherry pie, with a blanket of barnyard funk, lactobacyllis, and tart, cherry acidity. Mouthfeel is medium with minimal carbonation. Nancy tastes like the transitioning phase of a cherry warhead, from sour to sweet. Brewocracy happens to love warhead candies… overall, a clean cherry brett beer, not interfered by the ravishing elements of germy, funky, wooden vessels. Having said that, the drinker can experience the relationship between fruit and brett without underyling barrel-aged factors.

Again, finding this would be like trying to find water in a desert. So why don’t you try one of these?

Allagash Brewing - Interlude

This beer is like an onion… maddd layers son. And it makes you cry, except the tears shed when the bottle is emptied, not opened. Using both Belgian farmhouse yeast AND Brett, this beer is partially aged in red wine barrels. Oh, almost forgot, it’s also 9.5% ABV. Complex is an understatement. Have yourselves a field day and enjoy.

Welp, without further adieu, it’s time for an episode of The Walking Dead and a beer. Remember, Thanksgiving is around the corner. These items might not be a bad idea to give thanks and share. Or say screw that, and drink them yourself. Dealer’s choice. Drink Responsiby. Over & Out.