September is a unique month in the beer world. We turn more than the calendar between August and September, we end the month in a new season as well. This means that while summer is ending, the fall beer season is just beginning. While we’re still enjoying IPAs, pilsners, and lighter beers, the maltier and darker beers like Oktoberfest-style, pumpkin ales, amber ales, and even stouts are beginning to hit shelves.
With this influx of beer choices, September is a unique month for beer fans of all styles. There’s something available to suit every palate. But the mixing of end-of-summer and beginning-of-fall beers means this month, more so than most others, might seem a bit overwhelming. How can you possibly enjoy all that this epic month has to offer?
Lucky for you, we’re here to help. You don’t have to navigate the gateway to autumn all by yourself. We found the best Oktoberfest-style beers, IPAs, lagers, ales, pumpkin beers, and even stouts to enjoy this month. Keep scrolling to see them all and stock up for tailgate season, the holidays, and beyond. As a bonus, we even ranked them for you on overall flavor and seasonal appeal.
10. Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest
ABV: 5.2%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
This seasonal beer is an elevated version of the classic Oktoberfest-style beer. This 5.2% ABV lager is Weyermann Pils, Vienna, Munich, Cara Hell, and Cara Red malt. It’s more than just a malty lager though, it gets earthy, floral aromas and flavors from the use of Tradition and Spalter Select hops. To add to that, this lager is matured in French oak to give it a unique flavor profile you’ll look forward to every year.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be greeted with fragrant biscuit-like malts, sweet caramel, honey, and floral, herbal hops. The palate continues this trend with toast barley, toffee, honey, floral, earthy hops, and a nice hint of oaky wood that swirls throughout. The finish is a nice mix of caramel sweetness and floral hop bitterness.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a complex, unique, yet easy-drinking version of an Oktoberfest-style beer, look no further than Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest.
9. Von Ebert Fresh Hop Volatile Substance IPA
ABV: 6.9%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
If you’re an IPA drinker, you’ve probably already tried Von Ebert Volatile Substance. This award-winning IPA is a must-try for hop fans. This month, the brewery is releasing its seasonal Fresh Hop version. This elevated version of its popular Northwest IPA features Simcoe and Mosaic hops from Coleman Agriculture in St. Paul, Oregon.
Tasting Notes:
A lot is going on with this beer’s nose. There are scents of pineapple, citrus peels, mango, and floral, dank pine. The palate continues this trend with a ton of papaya, caramelized pineapple, tangerine, mango, passionfruit, grapefruit, and dank, resinous, sticky pine needles. It’s fresh, hoppy, and deserves to be enjoyed as you enjoy the last fleeting days of summer.
Bottom Line:
You might not immediately think about IPAs when you imagine fall or end-of-summer beers. But you absolutely should. Especially one as fresh, hoppy, and memorable as this one.
8. Jack’s Abby Copper Legend
ABV: 5.7%
Average Price: $8 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
There’s a reason this beer is referred to as “Copper Legend”. Available from August through October, Jack’s Abby’s annual take on the classic Oktoberfest-style beer belongs on your fall must-try list. Brewed with a “marriage of caramel, sweet toasty malts”, this is a smooth, malty, balanced beer perfect for the fall weather ahead.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is welcoming yet mild. There are notes of toasted grain, caramel candy, bready malts, and lightly floral, herbal hops. The palate ramps up the flavor a little more with hints of bready malts, sweet caramel, honey, and floral, earthy, lightly piney hops at the end. The finish is sweet, gently bitter, and leaves you craving more.
Bottom Line:
This is an easy-drinking, subtle beer. It’s not lacking in flavor though as everything is working in perfect unison. It’s truly an outstanding take on the Oktoberfest style.
7. Allagash Haunted House
Allagash Haunted House
ABV: 6.6%
Average Price: $13 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
With a name like “Haunted House”, you might assume that this beer is more gimmick than substance, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. This 6.66% ABV hoppy dark ale is brewed with Allagash 2-Row malted barley blend, Victory, Carapils, and Blackprinz malt as well as raw wheat and roasted barley. It’s hopped with a combination of Nugget, Cascade, and Northern Brewer hops.
Tasting Notes:
Nosing this beer, you’ll be met with surprising aromas of roasted barley, freshly brewed coffee, chocolate, and a nice hit of dank pine needles. The palate continues this unique, but pleasant trend. There are flavors of roasted barley, espresso, dark chocolate, light citrus peels, and a ton of floral, resinous pine. The finish is a mix of roasted malts and lightly bitter pine.
Bottom Line:
This is a very interesting beer. It’s dark, malty, and has a ton of roasted barley aroma and flavor. But it’s also masterfully hopped. It has to be tasted to be believed.
6. Southern Tier Pumking
ABV: 8.6%
Average Price: $12 for a four-pack
The Beer:
There are no seasonal beers more divisive than pumpkin beer. Either you hate it or love it. If you’re in the latter camp, one of the best choices is Southern Tier Pumpking. This big, bold, 8.6% ABV imperial pumpkin ale is brewed with 2-row pale, Munich, and C60 malts as well as CTZ hops. It’s fermented with ale yeast as well as pumpkins and various seasonal spices.
Tasting Notes:
Available from August through October, this beer is well-known for its nose of pie crust vanilla beans, ripe pumpkins, cinnamon, and clove. The palate continues this trend with biscuit-like malts, cinnamon sugar, cloves, allspices, vanilla, and pumpkin. The finish is a nice mix of spicy sweetness and gentle bitterness.
Bottom Line:
This beer has been described as a “pumpkin pie in a glass” and that couldn’t be more accurate. If that’s your jam, this is the fall beer for you.
5. Troegs Double Perpetual IPA
ABV: 9.5%
Average Price: $15 for a four-pack of 16-ounce cans
The Beer:
If you’re a fan of Troegs’ popular Perpetual IPA, you’ll love its recently released Double Perpetual IPA. This 9.5% ABV double IPA is brewed with Cascade, Citra, Cashmere, Chinook, Bravo, and Nugget hops as well as Crystal, Munich, and Pilsner malts. The result is a tropical fruit, citrus, and dank pine-centric beer.
Tasting Notes:
Take a moment to breathe in this beer’s nose and you’ll be greeted with toasted malt, caramel, citrus peels, and dank, earthy, herbal pine needles. Sipping it reveals notes of caramel malt, toasted grains, grapefruit, pineapple, tangerine, honey, and resinous, prickly pine. The finish is dank, piney, and pleasantly bitter.
Bottom Line:
If you’re a fan of double IPAs (or IPAs in general), this is a beer you will want to add to your September rotation. The folks at Troegs have crafted another memorable beer.
4. Weldwerks Sweet Disposition
ABV: 13.8%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
It might feel warm and sunny in most of the country, but the evenings are growing ever colder as we move into September. This means there is room for a stout or two. Colorado’s Weldwerks recently re-released its popular Weldwerks Sweet Disposition. This collaboration with Mikerphone Brewing is an imperial stout that was matured in Weller 12-year-old bourbon casks for more than 30 months. After aging, the brewers add pure Vermont maple syrup and Madagascar vanilla beans.
Tasting Notes:
This beer has a very inviting, interesting nose. There are scents of chocolate, coffee, vanilla beans, maple syrup, and a boozy, bourbon kick. Drinking it only adds to the experience. Warming and boozy, there are flavors of sweet bourbon, toasted vanilla beans, dark chocolate, maple candy, roasted malts, and oaky wood. The finish is warming, sweet, and leaves you craving more. What else would you want to sip on an unseasonably cool night?
Bottom Line:
If you’re anything like us, you’re more than ready to dive head-first into barrel-aged stout season. Weldwerks Sweet disposition, with its borderline dessert-like flavors, is an epic start.
3. Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest
ABV: 6%
Average Price: $12 for a six-pack
The Beer:
We all eagerly await Oktoberfest season as there are a handful of notable craft options we look forward to every year. One of our favorites is Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest. This isn’t your average American version of the popular German beer style though. Every year, this California-based brewery collaborates with a German brewery to make its beer. This year, it’s Brauerei Gutmann.
Tasting Notes:
On the nose, you’ll be treated to fresh-baked bread, caramel malts, honey, and a nice hint of floral, Noble hops. Drinking it brings forth notes of biscuit and bready malts, sweet caramel, honey, and floral, flavorful Noble hops. The finish is earthy, herbal, and lightly bitter. All in all, this is a very well-balanced take on the classic German style.
Bottom Line:
This is truly an old-world meets new-world beer. Even if you usually prefer to stick to authentic German Oktoberfest beers, give this collaboration a try. You’ll be glad you did.
2. Tailgate Tropic Wizard Juicy IPA
ABV: 6%
Average Price: Limited Availability
The Beer:
There’s still time for hazy, juicy IPAs this month, right? Who are we kidding? We drink hazy IPAs all year long. If you’re like us, seek out Tailgate Tropic Wizard Juicy IPA. This cloudy, unfiltered IPA was launched at the end of August and features a palate of citrus peels, tropical fruits, and sticky pine.
Tasting Notes:
The nose is a classic hazy IPA with a ton of grapefruit, caramelized pineapple, tangerine, lime peel, and various other tropical fruit flavors. There’s a little more balance with the palate. You’ll find a nice caramel malt backbone followed by hints of pineapple, orange peel, mango, guava, and dank pine. The finish is a mix of tropical fruit sweetness and lightly prickly pine.
Bottom Line:
If you spent all summer drinking New England-style IPAs, why not make room for one more before the weather turns cold? This is definitely a juicy, fruity, balanced IPA to stave off the fall chill as long as possible.
1. Left Hand Sawtooth Ale
ABV: 5.3%
Average Price: $13 for a six-pack
The Beer:
Left Hand Sawtooth might not be a new release, but it’s absolutely a beer well-suited for bridging the gap between summer and fall. Brewed with 2-row base malt, Crystal, Munich, Black malt, and wheat, this 5.3% ABV amber ale gets hoppy aroma and flavor from the addition of CTZ, US Goldings, Cascade, and Willamette hops.
Tasting Notes:
This award-winning beer begins with a nose of toasted malts, candied nuts, dried fruit, and floral, herbal hops. The palate is a mix of toasted malts, caramel, dried fruits, honey, orange peels, and floral hops. The finish is a mix of malt sweetness and hop bitterness. It’s a very well-balanced beer that ends with a crisp dryness that leaves you wanting another.
Bottom Line:
If you’re looking for a beer to bridge the gap between summer and fall, this is it. It has the malt backbone needed for colder weather and the hop aroma and flavor that’s suited for summer weather.