8 Best Fall Beers of 2024
Refreshing, fruity beers tend to be all the rage in the summertime, but a change in season is the perfect excuse to switch up your beer rotation. Forget juicy radlers and light ales, the best fall beers are deeper, more complex offerings that pair perfectly with a hearty meal and a long conversation.
"Most of the beers I drink during summer are lighter, easier drinking options that work better at the beach or just for hot weather in general," says Karl Klockars, author of 2017's Beer Lover's Chicago and co-founder of GuysDrinkingBeer.com. "When things start to cool down I gravitate towards beers that are a bit heftier, a bit stronger and oftentimes a bit sweeter, too." Think porters, stouts, brown ales, or English-style pale ales that are warming, slow-sippers.
Don't forget to consider the meals you'll be drinking, too. "As temperatures drop, we tend to change our eating habits from things that are light and refreshing to comfort foods like stews or root vegetables," says master beer sommelier Roger Mittag, creator of Canada's Prud'homme Beer Certification program. "Food and weather seem to be the pivotal part of choosing beers for the fall."
For this reason, Mittag recommends beers with more depth, including porters, stouts, Belgian-style Dubbels, and Scotch ales. "These beers are all more complex with a variety of flavor profiles that match perfectly with the flavors in comfort foods," Mittag says.
And while summertime beers are typically light in alcohol by volume (ABV), beers suited for fall drinking tend to be higher. "When we get into the fall and the winter, having something that has a slightly higher alcohol content is soothing," Mittag says. "It makes you want to sip it, not drink it quickly."
Here, I asked multiple beer experts to share their go-to fall beers for 2024. Read on for their top fall-friendly beers.
KC Bier Co.'s Festbier
"Right now, the fall beer I'm drinking the most is KC Bier Co.'s Festbier," says Neil Witte, master cicerone and associate director of exams for the Cicerone Certification Program. Classified as a Vienna-style lager, the festbier has notes of biscuit and brioche bread. "It's got such a beautiful, full, rounded malt character," Witte says. "There's a light, pleasant floral, herbal hop character and just enough bitterness to give it a nice crisp finish. It's not big and full-bodied—but it's just full enough to remind me that cooler temperatures and fall flavors aren't far away."
Pumking Imperial Ale
"I am not seeing as many pumpkin ales as I used to, but every year I treat myself to at least one Pumking Imperial Ale from Southern Tier Brewing Co.," says Klockars. Available between August and October, this seasonal brew is a nice deep copper color that smells like pumpkin pie in a glass with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, allspice, and vanilla. This is a medium-light bodied ale that has an ABV of 8.6% (By the way, for those who love some caramel sweetness, Southern Tier also brews up a seasonal Caramel Pumpkin Imperial Ale.)
Westmalle Dubbel
"It's such an easy beer to drink," Mittag says of the Westmalle Dubbel, a classic Belgian ale that is derived from a recipe first brewed in 1926. Mittag calls this dark red-brown Trappist beer "amazingly complex" and considers it a fall favorite. Expect a creamy head of foam and flavors of caramel and dark fruit. "With a dark brown Belgian ale like this, you're going to get flavors like raisins, dates, figs—those darker fruits that tend to have a little bit more sweetness," Mittag says.
Bob's '47 Oktoberfest
"Another beer I always gravitate to this time of year is Boulevard Brewing Co's Bob's '47 Oktoberfest beer," says Witte. "I've been drinking this every year for over 30 years now." Described by the brewery as a medium-bodied, dark amber brew, this Munich-style lager is perfect for fall. "It gives me the same anticipation for fall and heartier fare that KC Bier's Festbier does but brings with it a bit more of a toasty, bread crust malt character and a touch more fullness in the palate," Witte says. "The balance is solidly malt-focused but there's enough hop bitterness to balance it out in the finish."
Bell's Brewery's Best Brown Ale
As soon as there's that distinct fall chill in the air, Klockars says he will reach for Best Brown Ale by Bell's Brewery in Michigan. For those who want to ease into fuller-bodied, maltier beers, this is a great option. Compared to a super full-bodied stout, for example, this brown ale is easy-drinking, yet still offers good depth and complexity on the palate. A touch of sweet nuttiness and toastiness makes it a great pick for fall, and hints of caramel and cocoa seal the deal. Many reviewers note that this one goes down smoothly.
Guinness
"Guinness is always a favorite in the fall," says Mittag. "Stouts are typically a great way to go into the fall, and I happen to really enjoy Guinness—I like how it pours and cascades, and it's fun to watch everything settle out." Mittag notes that Guinness is a bit lighter than most other stouts in the marketplace, with an ABV of 4.2%, making it a light-tasting, easy-drinking beer. "People have said, Oh, it's like a meal in a glass," Mittag says. "But Guinness is actually a light beer—it's got a similar calorie content as Coors Light, but it's got a little bit more body, more flavor, and it doesn't have very much carbonation, so it's really soft and gentle when you drink it."
Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
"Every fall I look forward to a few Edmund Fitzgerald porters from Great Lakes Brewing Company around the campfire," says Klockars. A porter is the style of dark beer popularly brewed in England that's meant to be savored, making it an ideal sipper for cooler months. This one from the Ohio-based Great Lakes Brewing Company is rich, dark brown in color, and offers a hint of chocolate and coffee. Reviewers note that it's an easy-sipping porter with a velvety smooth mouthfeel.
St.Bernardus Abt 12
For those who love a strong beer, the St.Bernardus Abt 12 is a classic dark quadrupel, meaning it's a strong and complex Belgian ale with a high ABV—in this case, 10%. "The thing I like about the St.Bernardus is it has all the flavor profiles of the other beers I mentioned, but it's not highly carbonated, so it makes it a bit smoother and easier to drink," Mittag says. With a robust ivory foam and a dark fruit aroma (like fig and plums) expect a bittersweet finish that goes down easy. The brewers recommend pairing the Belgian beer with rich beef dishes, blue cheese, and chocolate.
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