September may be off to a blazing hot start, but breweries across the country are already gearing up for a seasonal shift with their fall releases, and we’ve been receiving some interesting samples at the Imbibe office lately. From a malty märzen to an imperial IPA, here are five bottles that have us warming to the idea of the cooler temperatures ahead.
Not too malty or bitter, this easy-going rye offers citrusy aromas and a quick burst of floral flavors—a perfect match for fish and chips.
6.2% ABV, sweetwaterbrew.com
Brooklyn Oktoberfest
Not headed to Munich’s famed fest this year? This märzen-style beer from Brooklyn Brewery will get you close with its caramel malty aromas, yeasty flavors and slight bitterness on the finish. And while some märzen-style beers can be a little too sweet, this one stays deliciously light and crisp.
5.5% ABV, brooklynbrewery.com
Stone Escondidian Imperial Black IPA
Leave it to San Diego’s Stone Brewery to toast their 15th anniversary with this blockbuster of a beer. Each sip takes you further into it complexities, from smoke to malt to coffee to blackstrap molasses—it’s all there and then some.
10.8% ABV, stonebrew.com
This copper-colored ESB is pretty much everything you’d expect from a flavorful fall seasonal—rich malts, supporting bitterness and an overall tastiness primed for the cooler weather ahead.
5.7% ABV, gooseisland.com
Alaskan Perseverance Ale Russian Imperial Stout
They weren’t kidding when they named this stout—a bold smokiness perseveres from first sniff all the way through the final sip, offering up a velvety mouthfeel and notes of savory herb and hazelnuts along the way.
9% ABV, alaskanbeer.com
