There are still a few days left before fall officially turns to winter, so I am posting this at the last minute… but I assure you these beers are great choices for winter as well! Let’s be honest, in Canada winter kind of starts in October. Even if we have had a mild season so far, there are cold nights and snow on the ground, making these beers the perfect solution to warm up with!

In the fall and winter I always tend to lean towards the brown ales, harvest ales full of flavour and spice, stouts and porters. This fall I picked up seven different beers that I think every beer lover should try! Here are the reviews of what I have been sipping on this fall! 

Yukon Brewing Belgian Gothic Saison 

Saison’s aren’t typically fall types of beers since they were originally brewed to cool the summertime thirst and let the farmhands relax. When I thought of this, it made me think of September, with farmers harvesting their fields at the end of the season, so I consider it a borderline fall beer. Yukon Brewing’s Saison is a beer that will refresh the palate after any long day of work, whether it is in the fields of your farm or at the office. 

A – pours a clear, honey yellow colour with a long lasting foamy lace of head

S – smells weedy, like fresh cut grass with some banana fruit and citrus hops

T – has herbal and citrus hops flavours balanced by the banana sweetness

M – fizzy carbonation, medium bodied, sweet and sour flavours balance together

O – lots of flavours going on in this beer, good carbonation and really is refreshing

Prohibition Harvest Pumpkin Spiced Ale

What says autumn more than pumpkin? The Prohibition Harvest Pumpkin Spiced Ale has the warm fall feel with all the harvest spices. It was a no-brainer for me to try this season!

A – very little head, yet pours fizzy; clear pour with a light golden yellow colour

S – smelled bready, yeasty, and light notes of pumpkin spice

T – pumpkin spices complimented by bready malts

M – fizzy beer, light bodied, lingering pumpkin spices

O – overall a decent, easy to drink pumpkin beer with very noticeable pumpkin spices that taste like fall should

Yukon Brewing Up The Creek Birch Sap Ale

 Something about tree sap sounds autumn to me which is why I picked up this birch sap ale from Yukon Brewing to try during the fall season. 

A – pours a caramel colour, slightly hazy, with a light line of fluffy white head

S – bready, caramel malts and some citrus hops

T – tastes similar to the smell with earthy citrus hops rounded out by the sweetness of the birch sap

M – bubbly, medium weighted beer with great citrus hops balanced by sweet birch sap

O – a very balanced beer with great flavours that go down smooth

Howe Sound Pumkineater Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Another pumpkin beer, this time in a strong dark form by Howe Sound, brings the flavours and aroma of fall right to your palate. 

A – pours dark, golden, copper colour, slightly hazy with fizzy, white head

S – pumpkin spices come to the nose right away – cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and clove – some scent of the pumpkin fruit itself as well

T – same as the smell – lots of pumpkin spice flavours with cinnamon really noticeably lingering

M – medium bodied, smooth finish with lingering cinnamon

O – a good pumpkin beer that holds true to pumpkin spice

Okanagan Spring Chili Porter

When it’s cold outside, warming up to a spicy meal is often a good choice – so why not warm up to a spicy beer? What a great idea Okanagan Spring had to add chili to its porter! 

A – pours clear, dark brown/black with a thin line of fluffy tan coloured head

S – smells of cold coffee and some chocolate notes

T – tastes of some coffee with chocolate, rich malts and light chili notes at the end

M – the smoothness of the porter makes it easy to drink with a nice heat at the end that warms you up

O – very interesting beer, easy to drink, and great to warm up with on a cold winter night

Saugatuck Brewing Neapolitan Milk Stout

I first tried this beer at a beer tasting event and fell in love with the flavours and creaminess of this beer immediately. Saugatuck Brewing has a lot of other interesting craft beers that I will have to seek out and try in the future!

A – pour black with a creamy, frothy, tan thick line of head that lingers for a long time

S – smells of the strawberry, vanilla and chocolate in neapolitan ice cream

T – tastes just like it smells – like neapolitan ice cream – letting the strawberries, vanilla and chocolate shine through the creamy milky, maltiness

M – creamy, milky, smooth, almost like melted neapolitan ice cream

O – a very balanced, solid stout that I love to drink! It’s heavy bodied and full of sweet milky flavours, tasting just like neapolitan ice cream. 

Hub Survivor Stout

Hopworks Urban Brewery (Hub) make this stout with coffee and ancient grains (amaranth, quinoa, spelt, kamut, oats, wheat and barley) – I am not sure if it is the grains that they are alluding to for human survival in the name of the beer, or if it is the coffee – both are necessary! Either way this beer can help you survive the fall and winter cold nights! 

A – pours black, with a line of tan head that lingers

S – huge notes of coffee with some malts and chocolate 

T – tastes bready, lots of malts and some chocolate flavours with a large coffee finishing that lingers

M – smooth, heavy bodied, filling beer

O – if you only had this to survive on, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing – it’s heavy, filling, has coffee and all the grains you need! A great beer that I can enjoy more than one! 

What are you drinking this fall and winter? Have you tried any of these beers?