It does n’t matter how you feel aboutpumpkin beer . The masses have spoken and the frothy gourd - season seasonals are here to stay . However , many brewery are n’t finish there , and have create unique ( and limited ) variations of IPAs and Märzens ( aka Oktoberfest - style beers ) that are perfect autumnal substitutes ifkegs of Cucurbita pepo beeraren’t your matter .
So we exploit Drew Watson , local beer guru and co - owner / laminitis ofHops & Pie , to wax poetic on his best-loved beers hitting the shelf this autumn – many of which wo n’t be around come November !
Superdamp Fresh Hop IPA
7%Comrade Brewing“It ’s just so sticky and fresh , ” Watson say of Comrade ’s beloved Superpower IPA made with organic hop from Paonia that are throw into the brewing process within 24 hours of harvest ( making this a wet hops beer ) . This operation gives Superdamp an improbably hoppy olfactory modality / flavor that IPA lovers will be drawn to .
Fresh Hop Juicy Banger IPA
6.7%Station 26The beer maker refer to their mass of besotted , Colorado - produce Cascade and Chinook hops as a “ hop turkey ” and the leave fresh brew is what Watson can only describe as phenomenal . “ It ’s one of the tastiest IPAs I ’ve had . ” It ’s middling bitter , but is an easy juicer than you ’d carry for a 6.7ABV brew .
More Like Bore-O-Phyll IPA
6.7%Call to ArmsCall to Arms has made an IPA that ’s both blind drunk hop-skip and wry hopped . The result is an extremely flavorsome drinkable with , naturally , a hint of chlorophyll . It ’s also made using the hop bloom ’s best flower petal , give you a hoppy aroma – as well as notes of citrus and pine .
Well Oiled Machine IPA
6.5%Comrade BrewingThis is Comrade ’s Putsch ignominious IPA in a tight hop extravaganza that ’s only uncommitted on tap . In spite of its blackness , the brew has a distinctly citrus aroma and is accented by roasted German specialty malts and flaked rye whiskey .
Pumpkin Porter
5.7%Strange CraftPumpkin - y with partial tone of toffy and burn burnt umber , Strange Craft ’s Pumpkin Porter holds a special place for Watson . The brewery used it to make the house beer at Hops & Pie in the early days and would roast pumpkins for its fall brew in Watson ’s pizza pie oven . These years Pumpkin Porter bombers can be found in stores all over the Front Range , and the pumpkins are now jest at in an industrial - sized convection oven .
Stay Gold Oktoberfest
5.3%Ratio BeerworksWhen it comes to the clean and roasty fashion of a good Märzen , Watson had this to say : “ There is a fortune of mediocrity out there . They have to be well - vetted before we put them on . And this one is lovely . ” Ratio pose its formula from classic Bavarian Märzen , aiming not for spicy and heavy , but for “ quenchable ” and “ malt - forward . ” The result is a golden beer with a average torso that sits large in an Oktoberfest liter .
Imperial Pumpkin
9%Dry DockSporting a Halloween - friendly label complete with a frame sea rover and sinister Jack - o'-lanterns , Watson place Dry Dock ’s pumpkin beers on his “ always dependable ” inclination , peculiarly this high - alcohol variety rich in cinnamon , ginger , nutmeg , and clove , which give the brew a peculiarly racy perfume that mutes some of the pumpkin taste , so what you ’re getting is n’t too overwhelming on the palate .
Pumpkin ale
7.7%UpslopeWatson is n’t the only beer partisan to name Upslope ’s circumscribed fall dismissal as a rarified standout . The Boulder brewery ’s formula feature of speech freshly harvest baby bear pumpkins specially grown at neighboring Munson Farms and is the only Colorado beer to have won a Au decoration at the bang-up American Beer Festival ( 2011 ) . The end product is an ale with hints of nutmeg and pumpkin vine that wo n’t overmaster the taste bud .
Rumpkin
18%AveryThat is not a typo . This heavy - hitter really does clock in at 18 % . Made with locally grown Boulder pumpkins , the Rumpkin get its spicy oak smell from six month of aging in rum barrels . Watson ’s got one rule for it : “ Here ’s the matter . A draw of pumpkin beers issue forth out in July or August . It ’s become a race to come to the shelf for a lot of company , ” Watson enjoin . “ But I wo n’t even pullulate one until mid - October . I need to drink that stuff when I ’m fatigue a hooded sweatshirt and a beanie . ”
Sign up herefor our daily Denver email and be the first to get all the food for thought / crapulence / play in town .
Courtesy of Ratio Beerworks
Candace Marie Peterson
Nathaniel Roberts Photography
Candace Marie Peterson
Courtesy of Ratio Beerworks
Courtesy of Avery Brewing
