BEER REVIEWS: Autumnal Beers

My search for the best beer in New York continues….

By now most of the leaves have fallen, we’ve had at least one serving of pumpkin pie, and winter seems to be rearing its snowy face. But I had a handful of autumnal beers the year that let me get a taste of the fall before the winter can intrude. Here are some that I recently tried:

PUMPKIN ALE from Five Boroughs Brewing Co.

Even though the pumpkin beer craze seems to have cooled a bit, New York breweries never fully threw their hat in the ring. Aside from Brooklyn’s Post Road, most local breweries skipped the trend.

Now that more breweries have entered the arena, it seems some have dabbled in the style, but with a restrained low-key quality.

I recently tried TALEA’s pumpkin-less beer and have recently sipped on a Pumpkin Ale from Five Boroughs.

This one also played more like a spiced autumn ale than a true pumpkin style. It was a clear golden and had scents of cinnamon and some baking spices. It was big on the maltiness with some fall spices and a restrained sweetness. There was a bit of a bracing bitter aftertaste that I didn’t relate to hops.

It wasn’t my favorite beer and I would have hesitated to put the word pumpkin in front of it, which might be a good thing for some and a disappointment to others.

APPLE PIE SOUR from Finback Brewery

We popped this one open towards the end of our Thanksgiving meal and many of my family members were impressed by the uniqueness of Finback’s sour.

It looked like a glass of apple juice with practically zero head. Despite that, the aromas of apples and yeast pervaded the air. The beer managed to not be too sweet or too sour with a nice balanced spiced apple flavor and a very crisp refreshing mouthfeel.

I don’t normally think of sours for this time of year, but hopefully Finback will make this a regular seasonal brew and it becomes a Thanksgiving tradition.

HAELSTROM from Fifth Hammer Brewing Company

Leave it to Fifth Hammer to unearth a style I had never heard of before. A Nordic lager? I’ve had Vienna lagers, American lagers, even Italian lagers, but a Nordic one? Fascinating!

Makes me think of Vikings and cold water from the mountains rather than football games and summer barbecues. And so whether this is a traditionally fall beer or not, in my mind, that’s when I want to drink it. And this is when Fifth Hammer brewed Haelstrom.

It pours a clear bright golden color with a healthy creamy head. Sweet malts and fresh grains emerge on the aroma. The flavor is intensely crisp and smooth. Its light body disappears almost too quickly on the tongue. This is a wonderful pilsner-style that elicits fresh bread, crystal clear waters, and those crisp fall mornings that you are dying to hold onto before the weather turns harsh. I wish I could drink this all year long.

TRANSVERSE from Torch & Crown Brewing Company

It doesn’t get more autumnal than a beer named an “Autumn Ale”. Torch & Crown, Manhattan’s only commercial brewery, has released this seasonal warmer and it’s the first brown ale I’ve had in a while and it made me very happy.

The brown color is light with some cola hues and a tinted head. Smells of roasted nuts and hints of coffee reveal themselves. The flavor featured mellow malt notes and a bit of caramel and molasses. It’s a very nicely made easy drinking brown ale that is toasty and flavorful, but still light bodied and easy drinking. Truly the perfect autumn ale, just as the name implies.

Is Five Boroughs Brewing Company’s Pumpkin Ale the best beer in NY? I find it a bit too slight in flavor to be considered a real pumpkin beer. While I appreciated the restraint, I didn’t love the bracing aftertaste and so have to only give it a 7 out of 10.

Is Finback Brewery’s Apple Pie Sour the best beer in NY? This gets an 8 out of 10 for being a real crowd pleaser, walking the delicate line between sweet and sour and bringing all the warming flavors of autumn.

Is Fifth Hammer Brewing Company’s Haelstrom the best beer in NY? It’s a very unique take on a crisp pilsener with bread notes and a very easy drinkability. I have to give it a 9 out of 10.

Is Torch & Crown’s Transverse the best beer in NY? I haven’t had a brown ale in a while and this one reminds me why I miss them. Perfect for the season with roasted nuts and caramel notes and an easy drink. Another 9 out of 10.