8 new beers perfect for autumn nights
Autumn is a season with beer styles that capture its spirit more than any other.
The sun is setting earlier, the air is crisper, squirrels are collecting nuts, and flora across the country is changing from green to russet. It’s autumn, and that means the return of some of our favourite styles of beers.
While you can find some of these beers all year round, and we certainly advocate for that, there’s something special about the seasonality of produce. Beer is no exception, and autumn is a season with beer styles that capture its spirit more than any other.
Ranging from hundreds-of-years-old traditions to flavours which pair perfectly, these beers just feel right. We’ve taste-tested a selection of the best ones for you to try.
Eight beers, eight breweries, eight styles, eight opportunities to celebrate the season — cheers.
1. Tempest - All The Leaves Are Brown - 10.5%
We always look forward to this annual release with great anticipation. The Scottish brewery has taken the humble Brown Ale and brought it to heights you might not have thought possible.
It’s both brewed to an imperial strength and re-fermented with Canadian maple syrup. It really is autumn in a can, with a rich and unctuous profile. It’s sweet but not sickly and there’s a blend of bready, nutty malt flavours as well as a hint of dried fruit.
An indulgent pudding beer if ever we drank one, plus you can also check out the Bourbon barrel-aged version for something extra special.
2. Black Iris - I Am The Hoperator - 5.6%
Nottingham’s Black Iris are celebrating their 15th birthday, and this is one of the four brewed especially for the occasion. I am the Hoperator is a Red IPA which you’ll find all year round, but they are far more abundant during autumn.
The idea is to take the classic India Pale Ale and give it a more malty character. The likes of Caramalt gives it a distinctive ruby hue, and the sweetness of the malt balances the bitterness coming from a cacophony of C-hops, including Cascade and Centennial. That’s exactly what Black Iris has done here with a satisfyingly well-rounded tipple.
3. Abbeydale - Pilgrim - 4.5%
No list of autumn beer would be complete without a pumpkin spice ale. It seems to be the Marmite of the beer world, dividing drinkers into lovers or haters, but we’re on the pro side of this debate. First brewed back in 2017, it’s one of the stalwart pumpkin ales of the UK.
Rather than throwing everything but the kitchen sink at this beer (as many of the American breweries like to do), Abbeydale opts for a simple but delicious Golden Ale base, giving pleasant malt flavour but allowing the blend of spices room to shine. It pairs perfectly with your favourite autumn dessert.
If you’re keen on pumpkin beers, then Abbeydale also has a new Marshmallow Pilgrim Stout, and you can also get similar beers from the likes of Elusive and Brew York.
4. Neptune Brewery - Rhea - 6%
Extra Special Bitters (or ESB) can be found year-round, but they are particularly apt at this time of year. As the name suggests, you take a Best Bitter and amp it up with more flavour, more body and, importantly, higher alcohol.
Neptune’s offering weighs in slightly above average at 6% and pours a stunningly vibrant auburn colour. The flavour is harmonious between rich and sweet malt, and the earthy and bitter presence of Columbus hops, almost leaning towards a Red IPA. There’s a hint of spice, too, and this beer is a little too drinkable for its strength.
5. Vault City - Apple Maple Pecan - 8%
You can always rely on Vault City to bring something fun and different to the beer scene any time of year. We particularly love the creativity shown with the releases during autumn, giving scope to showcase all manner of ingredients.
Apple Maple Pecan pretty much does what it says on the can. It’s like drinking a hot toddy of sorts, but in the form of a cold beer. Thick, pulpy apple juice is the primary driver here, joined by those typically autumnal flavours of maple and pecan. It’s both sweet and sour and possibly unlike any beer you’ve ever had.
Vault City also has a whole range of autumnal delights, including Boo-Berry Pumpkin Spice Latte and All Things Nice, a maple pecan brown sugar pumpkin pie dessert sour.
6. Duration - Harvest Bier - 5.5%
Lager lovers needn’t lament the passing of summer; there are still beers for you. Let me introduce you to the Märzen. Until the 1970s, it was the traditional style of beer served at Oktoberfest before the modern pale Festbier arrived.
While a Festbier has its place, it’s the Märzen with its more malt-forward profile that suits this time of year best. Harvest Bier is Duration’s annual release and it's definitely a modern classic at this point, having won multiple awards.
It’s a lovely rusty amber colour with delicate flavours of flour-dusted bread, and hints of digestive biscuit and caramel. By no means is it sweet though; in fact, it’s very crisp with a dry finish that repeatedly draws you back for more.
7. Elusive Brewing - Progress - 4.5%
If the typical beers of this season are too rich or malty for your taste, then there is an autumnal beer suited to those who prefer a paler libation. Autumn means harvest time and that’s true for hops, giving brewers an opportunity to use them fresh from the bine. This is called a ‘green hop’ or ‘fresh hop’ beer and typically means the hops are added to the brew within hours or even minutes from being picked.
This Golden Ale from Elusive Brewing is a great example. Brewed in collaboration with Women in Beer, the Progress hops are allowed to shine, bringing grassy, herbal tones with a spicy edge. This beer is also honey-sweet, which brings balance, and has a nice dry finish. It evokes the feeling of the fading bloom of summer, when you realise you’re a bit chilly for the first time in months.
Also look out for Elusive’s other green hop beer, brewed with Harlequin hops.
8. Thornbridge - Old Badequella - 6.5%
Old Ale was made for the winter months, and Thornbridge has teamed up with neighbours St Mars of the Desert to brew this beer on the Burton Union kit, rescued from Marston’s a couple of years ago.
Old Badequella is stronger than the traditional Old Ales you’ll find from the likes of Harvey’s, but we’re not complaining. It’s warming, with delicious flavours of brown sugar, fruitcake and subtle spice. This beer will continue to develop as it’s been can-conditioned, plus you should keep an eye out for it on cask in your local pub.
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