Fall Beers Part 1 | 20 beers for fall that don’t taste like pumpkin

It took a global pandemic, to knockout my favorite beer season, fall Oktoberfests. For me, the tradition of a fall celebration, featuring, beer, sausages and polka dates back to my childhood, following my father around downtown St. Louis, carrying the ultra-cool beer pales. Do you remember them?

So, 2020 is a bust, but there is still plenty of fall fun left, and that means you still have time to catch up on the new fall beers you’ve been meaning to guzzle. What is a fall beer? Well, that answer can be different for anyone, but for me, fall beers range from light and crisp like the season, to maltier, sweeter and a bit hoppy.

Subjectively, certain styles of beer land in my brain when I think of the season. Pilsners, Marzens, Saisons, Bocks, Schwarzbier, ESB, Red and Brown Ales, and I’ve decided to bring in my favorite porters and stouts a bit earlier as well.

And of course there the pumpkin beers. I, personally, love pumpkin ales and stouts, but for the purposes here, I’m focusing on beers for fall, that do not feature pumpkin flavors.

Here’s a “quick” list of beers I plan on enjoying this fall, when available, and that I suggest you sample in the next few weeks. I’ve listed two beers per brewery, with every attempt to make sure they are currently available.

2nd Shift Brewing

1. Oktoberfest | 5% ABV | 0 IBU
2. Cat Spit Stout  4.2% ABV | 0 IBU

The Oktoberfest debuted last fall. This märzenbier is a medium-bodied lager, with a light toast malt bill that has floral & toffee notes, and a slightly spicy but clean finish.

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4 Hands Brewing 

1. 1. Chocolate Milk Stout | 5.5% ABV
2. Cast Iron Oatmeal Brown | 5.5% ABV

You probably have had Oatmeal Stouts before, but this a bit different. Brewed with chocolate malt and roasted barley, this oatmeal brown ale pours a dark mahogany hue and drinks creamy and robust.

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4204 Main Street Brewing

1. Pecan Brown Ale | 5.5% ABV | 22 IBU
2. Chocolate Coconut Stout | 6.8% ABV | 30 IBU

Big coconut presence and a deep Belgian chocolate character lie over top a gratifying American Stout.

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Alpha Brewing Company

1. Believers Brew | 7% ABV | 20 IBU
2. Double Milk | 6% ABV | 20 IBU

Both of these are currently on the to-go menu. Believer’s Brew and Double Milk are currently available in 64 oz. growlers and 25 oz. crowlers.

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Bluewood Brewing 

1. Cafe Noir | 10.5% ABV | 65 IBU
2. Ghost Notes | 11.8% ABV | 65 IBU

Cafe Noir is currently available on Bluewood’s digital store. Keep your eye’s open for Ghost Notes, which is the base imperial oatmeal coffee stout used for Cafe Noir. Sweet and rich, this coffee stout gets even more decadent with the addition of Madagascan Vanilla.

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Center Ice Brewing

1. Puck O’ The Irish Stout | 6.8% | 24 IBU
2. Old Arena Lager | 5.1% ABV | 17 IBU

Puck O’ Irish is conditioned with coffee from Switch Coffee Collective and cacao nibs. Both are currently available in the breweries curbside menu.

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Stubborn German Brewing

1. Schnitzengiggles | 5.5% ABV | 24 IBU
2. Stubborfest | 5.3% ABV | 20IBU

Stubbornfest is one of the few Oktoberfest beers brewed year-round. But, seriously, what else would you expect from Stubborn German.

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Good News Brewing

1. Dirty Laundry Brown Ale | 5% ABV | 36 IBU
2. Hazelnut Coffee Milk Stout | 5.3% ABV | 26 IBU

This milk stout is infused with cold-brewed hazelnut coffee.

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Urban Chestnut

1. O-Katz | 5.4% ABV | 22 IBU
2. Bushelhead Cider | 7.2% ABV

Cider brewed with Washington apples and is easy-drinking thanks to an excellent balance between sweetness and acidity.

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Charleville Brewing

1. Late Night Karate Kick | 6.3% ABV
2. German Chocolate Cake | 6.5% ABV