Pumpkin Ales and Winter Lagers: Best Beers for Right Now

Whether you're coming in from raking leaves or picking apples at your local farm, it's nice to have a good beer in your fridge to look forward to! This time of year, we want beers that are complex, play with rich flavors, and warm us up. Here are some of our favorites for sipping slowly and savoring from start to finish:

1. Punkin Ale from Dogfish Head Brewery - If you'd like a pumpkin beer that truly tastes like pumpkin pie, this is the one for you!

2. Winter Lager from Sam Adams - We look forward to this one every year and just spotted it in the store! It's lighter and less spice-heavy than many other winter lagers, which we count as a positive.

3. Milk Stout from Left Hand Brewing Company - As it warms to room temperature, this beer opens up to a rich, creamy espresso flavor. This is an excellent sipping beer for a long afternoon.

4. Gorges Smoked Porter from Ithaca Brewing Company - We had this at a recent beer dinner and loved this beer's lingering smoky flavor. It would be great with a late-summer barbecue.

5. Nut Brown Ale from Samuel Smith - This is like dessert in a bottle! It's smooth and buttery with the rich flavors of nut and caramel. Yum.

What are you drinking right now?

(Image: Flickr member Rob Ireton licensed under Creative Commons)

Comments (14)

The absolute best for making your fall evening a perfect fall evening...Saint Arnold Oktoberfest:
http://www.saintarnold.com/beers/oktoberfest.html

@amber77 Is that available aboutside of Texas though? I remember when I lived in New Orleans that I was surprised that a city so close to Houston didn't seem to keep it stocked most places.

Try Leinie's Fireside Nut Brown. Very good winter ale with hint of caramel.

Southern Tier's Pumpking has a really really strong pumpkin taste-- just like pumpkin pie. But still not too sweet. I highly recommend if you can find it.

Yay for Dogfish Head! Love it. And its great for making pumpkin beer bread.

Also, I guess the upstate New Yorker in me should be excited for your mentioning the Gorges Smoked Porter as well . . . and maybe, as a lefty, I should also support the Milk Stout as well. Ah, now I just need to find these and try them!

Yes! Left Hand's milk stout is absolutely one of the best stouts I've ever had. Top five for sure.

I love The Great Pumpkin from Heavy Seas. It's a bit pumpkinyer than the Punkin Ale, and I think it's a bit richer, too. Their Peg Leg Imperial Stout is fantastic, too.

Goose Island Harvest Ale for those of you around the chicago area is fantastic!

Shipyard's (Portland, ME) Pumpkinhead Ale is a nice, spicy not-too-sweet choice!

Shiner Holiday Cheer! Shiner is a Texas beer that might be hard to find outside Texas, but their holiday brew is awesome, it's a dark wheat beer with a hint of peach and pecan.

OMG I love Southern Tier Pumking as an adult/drink alternative to pumpkin pie. I seriously get hot flashes thinking about it...yummmmm.

Check out this blog for a more extensive listing of pumpkin specific beers::

http://beertimesnyc.com/2009/11/02/pumpkin-beer-2009/

Just got back from Chicago. We visited Goose Island Brewery in Wrigleyville. From the MOMENT I read about their Bourbon Co Stout, I just knew I had to try it. It's SOO good, and a great beer to sip as a dessert!