What We’re Tasting Now: Fall Beer Seasonals

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.

Sweetwater Crank Tank Rye’d Ale
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

Goose Island Harvest
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