The 10 Best Fall Beers in 2024

By Bob Barnes

The Best Beers to Drink During Fall

Fall is a season that has the word “beer” written all over it. Cool nights unleash a craving for hearty beers, whose colors mirror those of the turning leaves. Fall brews are more flavorful and more substantial than summer’s bright quenchers. Colors deepen and flavors get toastier as the tastes of the harvest table call out for malty partners. It doesn’t take much to trade up to luxury in the beer world, so why not live a little?

With GAYOT’s List of the Best Fall Beers, autumn’s finest offerings await: seasonal specialties, solid standbys, innovative American craft brews and international ambassadors of style.

> The selections are presented in alphabetical order.

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1. AleSmith Evil Dead Red

The inside of your pint glass will look like a crime scene when you empty a bottle of AleSmith Evil Dead Red.

Origin: San Diego, CA, USA
Beer type: Red Ale
Price: $6.99 for 22 oz
ABV: 6.66%
Brewed by: Alesmith Brewing Company

This seasonal ale, which boasts a sinister 6.66 percent ABV, pours blood red. Since this beer comes from AleSmith, one of San Diego’s top breweries, the taste is pleasantly balanced, with caramel malts taming the citrusy hops. AleSmith recommends pairing the beer with toffee, caramel apples, or your favorite horror flick.

2. Bell’s Oberon Eclipse

An extension of the Michigan-based brewery’s popular Oberon Ale.

Origin: Comstock, MI, USA
Beer type: Citrus Wheat Ale
Price: $11 for six-pack of 12 oz
ABV: 6.3%
Brewed by: Bells’ Brewery

Introduced as an extension of the Michigan-based brewery’s popular Oberon Ale, which is available March-September, this variation of the wheat ale distributed nationally October through March extends the season, making either of the Oberons available any time of the year. At 6.3% ABV it is slightly stronger and darker than its namesake and is also spiked with bright orange and cozy coriander. It has a strong wheat backbone, balanced with a little bit of sweetness and richness accompanied by the fruit and spice. It features a slightly bitter, clean finish that is medium bodied and slightly warming, making it perfect for the fall and winter seasons.

3. Brasserie Dubuisson Cuvée des Trolls

While trolls are thought to be not-so-nice creatures, these kindly bring us a beer from the historical Brasserie Dubuisson.

Origin: Belgium
Beer type: Belgian Pale Ale
Price: $12.99 for 750 ml
ABV: 7%
Brewed by: Brasserie Dubuisson

Brasserie Dubuisson has been in operation since 1769 — longer than most Trappist breweries and before Belgium became a country. Brewed since 2000, this strong Belgian ale is a balance of bitter and sweet, derived from the use of dried orange peel and natural sugar. Blond malts give it a deep golden hue, and extra carbonation results in a creamy finish.

4. Breckenridge Autumn Ale

Breckenridge Autumn Ale is inspired by brewmaster Todd Usry’s memories of autumn in his childhood home of Virginia.

Origin: Littleton, CO, USA
Beer type: Brown Ale
Price: $7.99 for six-pack 12 oz
ABV: 6%
Brewed by: Breckenridge Brewery

The images of brown leaves, sepia-toned packaging and “After Rakin'” tagline on the label present this beer as a great choice for fall afternoons in the backyard. The ale has characteristics of both a Märzen and a stout, with the nutty malt and subtle sweetness of an Oktoberfest-style bolstered by nuances of roasted grain, dark fruits and a hint of chocolate.

5. Brouwerij Van Steenberge Monk’s Cafe

Belgian Brouwerij Van Steenberge produces this sour ale specifically for Philadelphia’s iconic Monk’s Café.

Origin: Belgium
Beer type: Red Ale
Price: $15.99 for 330 ml
ABV: 5.5%
Brewed by: Brouwerij Van Steenberge

Although it’s a Philly production, we’re thankful that Brouwerij Van Steenberge Monk’s Cafe can also be purchased elsewhere. A traditional blend of young and old beers, Monk’s Café dishes out a sour aroma laced with tart cherry, raspberry and malt, with a dark red appearance and hints of caramel. This 5.5 percent ABV Flemish Sour Red Ale registers lower on the sour scale than other beers in the genre, making it an excellent introduction for novice drinkers. (But if you like to pucker up, check out our guide to the best sour beers.)

6. Founders Breakfast Stout

Beer for breakfast? If ever you were to attempt that fraternity-style feat, Breakfast Stout from Founders Brewing Co. would be a fitting choice.

Origin: Grand Rapids, MI, USA
Beer type: Stout
Price: $11.49 for four-pack 12 oz
ABV: 8.3%
Brewed by: Founders Brewing Co.

The Michigan-based craft brewery sweetens a toasty Imperial stout base with two chocolate varieties: Gibraltar milk chocolate chunks and bittersweet Orinoco. Two types of coffee beans, along with Nugget and Willamette hops, help to temper the sweetness. Flaked oats fill out the beer’s body, which includes a frothy tan head. Bonus: A caffeine kick from the coffee infusion means this beer is truly multipurpose and a great find for fall.

7. Iron Hill Pumpkin Ale

While many breweries use actual pumpkin in their fall beers, Iron Hill prefers to stick with pumpkin pie spices, and vanilla instead of flavoring hops.

Origin: Wilmington, DE, USA
Beer type: Pumpkin Ale
Price: $16.75 for four-pack 16 oz
ABV: 5.5%
Brewed by: Iron Hill Brewery

The spices are quite evident in the aroma of Iron Hill Pumpkin Ale and its orange hue will make you think of autumn’s most famous squash. Upon sipping, the spices blend nicely with a moderate malty sweetness that doesn’t overwhelm. The enjoyment continues in the aftertaste, which allows for a dry finish. Available during the fall season, this pumpkin ale is a fan favorite at Iron Hill’s 12 locations throughout the mid-Atlantic.

8. Lindemans Strawberry Lambic

Though you might not think of strawberries as a fall fruit, this lambic proves to be a good brew for the season.

Origin: Vlezenbeek, Belgium
Beer type: Lambic Fruit
Price: $11 for 750 ml
ABV: 4.1%
Brewed by: Brouwerij Lindemans

Lindemans is the top-selling lambic brand in America and Belgium’s largest independent lambic brewery. So it’s fitting that this latest addition to its fruit beer line is the first new fruited lambic in over a decade – and it was developed specifically for the U.S. market. It’s also apropos that strawberries were once widely grown in the Senne Valley, which is where Lindemans is located and the only region where lambic can be produced.

Brewed with barley, unmalted wheat, strawberry juice, aged hops, sugar and stevia, the complex sweetness of the strawberry matches well with the natural sourness of the lambic derived from the wild airborne yeast. This beer offers a unique balance of sweet and sour that goes well with fall’s warmer meals and cooler months.

9. Southern Tier Pumking

Southern Tier, an upstate New York powerhouse, honors All Hallows’ Eve with a beer bearing an insidious logo.

Origin: Lakewood, NY, USA
Beer type: Pumpkin Ale
Price: $6.99 for 22 oz
ABV: 8.6%
Brewed by: Southern Tier Brewing Company

A scowling, snaggle-toothed jack-o’-lantern appears on the packaging, but don’t fear, since this copper-colored ale pats your palate with velvet gloves. Pumking smells like a pumpkin pie, and would pair well with an actual pie at either Halloween or Thanksgiving. A well-balanced blend of hops and malt help mask the power of this beer, which weighs in at 8.6 percent ABV.

10. Two Roads Roadsmary’s Baby

Added complexity makes this brew stand out from the run-of-the-mill pumpkin spice beers.

Origin: Stratford, CT, USA
Beer type: Pumpkin Ale
Price: $13.50 for six-pack 12 oz
ABV: 6.8%
Brewed by: Two Roads Brewing

This beer from the Stratford, Connecticut-based Two Roads Brewery has a name, logo and tagline of “Scary-Good Pumpkin Ale” that suggests the macabre — fitting for the scary holiday smack dab in the middle of the season. What makes it stand out from the run-of-the-mill pumpkin spice beers is added complexity from being aged in rum barrels with vanilla beans. The flavors of oak, vanilla, pumpkin spices and rum intermingle with a robust toasted malt backbone to make this a unique and nontraditional rendition of a pumpkin spice ale.