Take a look at just about any beer aisle, and you'll see the selection change with the season. For many a beer lover, autumn is prime season for beer, thanks to the release of Oktoberfests, pumpkin ales and other warm, rich, dark beers made especially for drinking on a cool autumn day.
We asked a panel of craft beer experts to nominate their favorite fall seasonal releases, and for the past four weeks our readers have been voting for their favorites.
The top 10 winners in the category Best Fall Seasonal Beer are as follows:
- Pump Action Imperial Pumpkin Ale - Four Noses Brewing Company
- Hazelnut Brown Nectar - Rogue Ales
- Hopzeit Autumn IPA - Deschutes Brewery
- Mop Water - Cape May Brewing Co.
- Festbier - Victory Brewing Company
- Midnight Autumn Maple - The Bruery
- Great Lakes Brewing Co. Oktoberfest - Great Lakes Brewing Co.
- Punkin Ale - Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
- Harvest Ale - Founders Brewing Co.
- Pumking Imperial Ale - Southern Tier Brewing Company
A panel of experts partnered with 10Best editors to picked the initial 20 nominees, and the top 10 winners were determined by popular vote. Experts Nick Costa (The Hop Review), Julia Herz (CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course), Rich Higgins (Beer Immersion) and Gary Monterosso (What’s On Tap) were chosen based on their knowledge and experience of the American craft beer scene.
Congratulations to all these winning beers, and be sure to pick up a couple this fall season.
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The Experts
Nick Costa
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and... Read More
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from around the globe. As a contributing writer and photographer to The Hop Review since 2014, Nick has spent the better part of a decade curating his love for craft beer, yet always falls back to his favorites from his home state of Michigan with brews like Founders Breakfast Stout and Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calablaza.
Nick Costa
Focusing on long-form editorial style content and aesthetic, The Hop Review aims to deliver the industry’s best stories–with an approachability to beer enthusiasts of all types. Since inception in 2012, THR has been fortunate to sit down with some of beer’s best brewers, shop owners, distributors and brand managers from around the globe. As a contributing writer and photographer to The Hop Review since 2014, Nick has spent the better part of a decade curating his love for craft beer, yet always falls back to his favorites from his home state of Michigan with brews like Founders Breakfast Stout and Jolly Pumpkin’s Oro de Calablaza.
Julia Herz
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for... Read More
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, co-author of the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course, as well co-author of Beer Pairing (Voyageur Press). She is a life-long homebrewer, BJCP beer judge and Certified Cicerone. Despite her extensive experience, she will always consider herself a beer beginner on an unending journey to learn more about craft beer.
Julia Herz
Julia Herz is the Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, co-author of the CraftBeer.com Beer & Food Course, as well co-author of Beer Pairing (Voyageur Press). She is a life-long homebrewer, BJCP beer judge and Certified Cicerone. Despite her extensive experience, she will always consider herself a beer beginner on an unending journey to learn more about craft beer.
Rich Higgins
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer... Read More
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer travel operator, author, public speaker and a consultant to breweries and restaurants. He is one of 18 Master Cicerones in the world, and additionally is a Certified Sommelier. He runs Beer Immersions educational beer tourism trips to Belgium and Germany. To offer an organized approach to blind beer tasting, he is the author and developer of the Deductive Beer Tasting Method. He teaches public classes, industry trainings and is a public speaker and coordinator of events across the world. He spent over a decade as a professional brewer and brewmaster, three years as the President of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and three years as Event Director of San Francisco Beer Week. Contact him at www.richhiggins.com.
Rich Higgins
Rich Higgins is all things beer: brewmaster, beer travel operator, author, public speaker and a consultant to breweries and restaurants. He is one of 18 Master Cicerones in the world, and additionally is a Certified Sommelier. He runs Beer Immersions educational beer tourism trips to Belgium and Germany. To offer an organized approach to blind beer tasting, he is the author and developer of the Deductive Beer Tasting Method. He teaches public classes, industry trainings and is a public speaker and coordinator of events across the world. He spent over a decade as a professional brewer and brewmaster, three years as the President of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and three years as Event Director of San Francisco Beer Week. Contact him at www.richhiggins.com.
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who... Read More
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular radio show, What’s On Tap heard on 99.9 FM, 1240 AM in southern New Jersey, and online at snjtoday.com. He can be seen on the two-hour History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers. Gary is currently teaching beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients
Gary Monterosso
Gary Monterosso is an award-winning critic, who has written for national and regional publications. He is the host of the popular radio show, What’s On Tap heard on 99.9 FM, 1240 AM in southern New Jersey, and online at snjtoday.com. He can be seen on the two-hour History Channel show called “The Epic History of Everyday Things.” He is the author of the book, Artisan Beers. Gary is currently teaching beer appreciation classes at Wilmington University. In 2014, Gary was selected by Chilled Magazine to be a member of the “Chilled 100,” signifying him as one of the top 100 beverage personalities in the United States. He continues to be a fixture at regional beer events by hosting dinners and tasting seminars. He has qualified as a Certified Beer Server, a part of the Cicerone Certification Program, recognizing his knowledge of beer styles, culture, the brewing process and ingredients
