Autumn Beer 2012 Edition

It may only be August 21st but the fall beers are here! They excites John to no end as the fall variety are his favorite specialty brews. For me, it's a tie between summer and fall. But, having sampled a number of summers already, I'm ready to move on.

For your sipping pleasure..........

This Pumking from Southern Tier is the end all be all of pumpkin beer. It's their seasonal Imperial for fall. At $8.99 for the 1/6th keg bottle size (22 oz.), it had better be. But, oh my heavens. If you are a pumpkin lover, you need to splurge on this. The brewer says you should taste pumpkin, buttery crust, pie spices, vanilla and roasted pecans. This description is spot on! It packs a punch at 8.6% ABV (alcohol by volume). PLEASE try this. You'll never go back.

Via

Maple Bock from Hinterland has been in stores for awhile even though it's their fall release. I spied this in my store at least a month ago and pined after it for just as long. Because there were so many summer beers to try, I passed it up on many occasions. But, last weekend, I handed over my $9.99 for 4 - 16 oz. bottles and poured a glass. Unfortunately, this did not live up to my hype. I so wanted a strong maple flavor to punch my taste buds without apology. Instead, I got a smoky, brown ale that was so so but nary a maple note to be found. This was the first from Hinterland I've tried. I would attempt others with caution and lowered expectations.

Via

Much like the Maple Bock, this seasonal offering of Caramel Apple Spiced Ale from Blue Moon was quite intriguing. So intriguing, in fact, that we had already purchased that weekend's beer but bought the mixed 12 pack anyway because of the inclusion of this beer. It's only available in the Autumn Brewmaster's pack. Again, I was hoping to be inundated with caramel and apple and got only the slightest hint of it. So sad. Good thing there are only 3 bottles in the pack because it's not their best.

And that's all she wrote, folks. Sorry to end on a down note.

 Want to see more about fall beers?

 Here's what I posted last year. And more can be found here.