Of all the time of year , fall is arguably a beer maker ’s biggest muse . The colors of the folio , the yield of the harvest , the change of the weather – these things inhale a broad chain of beer , whether based in brewing traditions or modern innovation . In general , fall seasonals tend to be a bit maltier , a shade heartier , and a little boozier ; they ’re the gateway between the clean lagers of July and the spiced winter heater of December , and there ’s a quite a little of room to play between those poles . We selected 10 of the DC - area beers that do it best .
Hellbender Brewing’s Dunkelweisse
Dunkelweizen , 4.5 % ABVWashington , DC
There are two things to know about Dunkelweizen . First , the rustic Bavarian wheat ale is the love minor of nutty dark malts and the spicy Hefewizen yeast breed . And secondly , nobody for century of miles produce one like Hellbender Brewing . That ’s not hyperbole ; the Riggs Park brewery uses a seldom discover ( in the US , at least ) Belgian mash - filter arrangement that allows head beer maker Ben Evans to utilize significantly more pale yellow than other brewers in his recipes . In the eccentric of Hellbender ’s Dunkelweisse , he ’s cranked the wheat content all the way to 100 % . That ’s a plenty of wheat , and the grain lends the beer a rich mouthfeel , full body , and quenching hint of tartness . Those timbre congratulate the flavors drawn from Dunkleweisse ’s open fermentation . " When there ’s no pressure in a vessel , the yeast tends to make a draw more esters and phenoplast , " Evans say . " This beer has layers of clove , banana , and a gently earthy ribaldry that would n’t have been produce in a closed vessel . "
Most of Hellbender ’s beer are n’t open ferment , but they ’re almost constantly dry , from the kolsch to the coffee stout . That ’s sure the case with Dunkelweisse , which keeps you coming back for more . It ’s a great alternative to the oversupply of saccharine pumpkin ale and subpar Oktoberfest beer that can sit arduous on your roof of the mouth or send out you into sugar blow . " On these temperate night , it ’s a refreshing dark beer that terminate more like a idle beer , " the straits brewer says of his seasonal offering . " It just feels like a fall beer on explanation of those spicy notes , which remind me of the affair we ’re starting to eat and tope this time of twelvemonth . "
Courtesy of Manor Hill Brewing
Union Craft’s Foxy
Red IPA , 6.5 % ABVBaltimore , MD
As we say back inJune , Baltimore ’s Union Craft did n’t want to make a individual IPA , so it made three seasonal one . And as you might be able-bodied to tell from the red , yellow , and orange leave of absence splashed across its can , Foxy is the drop installment . The beer within that container , meanwhile , is a fittingly autumnal crimson red . But while it may look like an amber ale , there ’s no mistaking Union ’s intention . " We call Foxy a Red IPA , so the hops are the whiz , " head brewer Kevin Blodger tells us . " After you get that great hop burst , though , it should be like , ‘ Wow , there ’s a really rich malt liquor flavor in there , too . ’ "
That rich malt flavor comes from five grains , notably the biscuity , British barleycorn phone Maris Otter . As for the star of the show , Foxy is an evolving hop IPA – think the hops change year to year . It ’s a tradition that Blodger has carried over from his time at the now - defunct Frederick Brewing Company , where he brewed the similarly sneak Hopfest Brown Ale to celebrate each harvest . The hop profile of this year ’s Foxy immix Columbus , Centennial , Mosaic , and Cascade , and settles somewhere between citrusy and dank . Where Foxy roams next year is still anyone ’s guess .
Philip Runco/Thrillist
Manor Hill Brewing’s Mild Manor’d Amber
Amber ale , 4.6 % ABVEllicott City , MD
Manor Hill head beer maker Ben Little approaches a traditional flair of beer with one enquiry in mind : If this staple were invent today , what would it taste like ? In other words , a innovative solar day brewery does n’t face the limitations on ingredients and production technique that be 200 years ago , so why not utilize everything that ’s uncommitted when channeling the sprightliness of a well - worn way ? Why not color outside the parentage when give rise , say , a kolsch or a grisette ?
With Mild Manor’d , the Ellicott City brewery apply that retrieve to the English Mild . A dash that ’s relatively rarified in the US , the traditional colored ale is typically a shade malty , a tad sweet , and almost always low in alcohol . Manor Hill ’s edition ca n’t be summarized as neatly . The biggest difference is the grist complexity ; Little ’s recipe compound no less than nine different malts from Scotland , America , Germany , and Belgium . This array of grains bring a rich vortex of toffee , roast , and dark fruit nip , with an unexpected hint of chocolate in the background . In the hops profile , meanwhile , the traditional Golding varietal meets old school Liberty hops from the US . And the ABV is decidedly more American , too : in fact , at 4.5 % Manor Hill ca n’t really call its beer a modest , so it ’s patch up on the Amber Ale designation . The truth is that Mild Manor’d is somewhere between the two . It ’s complicated . " Mild Manor’d is what an English Mild would be if it was brewed with young world constituent in the U.S. today , " Little enounce . " I want to take that classical style , and convey all of its fantastic flavors forward , and peradventure even upgrade them a little more . "
Courtesy of Union Craft
3 Stars Brewing’s Nectar of the Bogs
Cranberry saison , 5 % ABVWashington , DC
Three years ago , 3 Stars Brewing resolve it need to make a fall beer with a seasonal ingredient , something to honor the harvest and the holidays , but the brewery faced one trouble : Neither head brewer Mike McGarvey nor his cobalt - founding father Dave Coleman cared much for pumpkin beer . The two stewed on alternative option before coming to a fruition both unconventional and obvious . " We thought , ‘ What are you aim at your family repast this time of twelvemonth ? ’ " Coleman remembers . " And whether it ’s Thanksgiving and Christmas , those dinner party often have cranberry involved . "
Harvested in September and October , cranberry for certain meet the fall theme . And since 3 Stars had solidified its name with the refreshful Peppercorn saison and its summer sibling Citra Lemon saison , the brewery unsurprisingly opted to utilize a light , effervescent farmhouse ale to showcase the tart fruit . The brewery does n’t skimp on the input , either ; this year ’s Nectar of the Bogs is conditioned on a thumping 9lbs of cranberry purée per barrel . That ’s a fair amount of cranberry , but the brewery masterfully does n’t let it topple the beer . " The illusion is in fuck off a beer that try out like cranberry without being cranberry colored or overly juiced , " Coleman says . " you may go too far with that . "
Courtesy of Ceilo Productions
Old Ox Brewery’s Oxorcist II
Imperial pumpkin vine ale , 10%Ashburn , VA
Believe it or not , pumpkin beer has a chronicle in North America that goes all the style back to colonial times , when settler used the calabash as a fermentable in their improvised ale . Those early iterations , though , would have tasted far dissimilar from the advanced day pumpkin beers we ’re all customary to , because pumpkin vine itself does n’t bring a whole lot to the table as an ingredient . That ’s why not a whole passel of pumpkin ale actually contain Cucurbita pepo . Rather , it ’s the spice commonly associate pumpkin pie that have come to specify the style since its reemergence in the 1980s .
A few years ago , Old Ox seek to buck that trend with an old school pumpkin beer . The brewery made its Oxorcist hardy with the pulp magazine of the orange squash … but no spice . And agree to Old Ox co - beginner Chris Burns , that confuse the pit of its client . So , the following tumble , the Ashburn brewery retooled the Oxorcist formula , take away Cucurbita pepo , and adding cinnamon , Eugenia aromaticum , and nutmeg – in temperance , of course . " We still wanted to show nuance , " Burns shares . " When you go over the top with spices , it destroy you for the residuum of the Nox . "
Courtesy of Old Ox Brewing
While Oxorcist II may not go overboard with those spices , it is not an otherwise timid beer . The imperial pumpkin ale sit down at a mighty 10 % ABV , though fermenting it at cooler temperatures and leaving some residual sugar in the mixture hides a lot of those boozy notes . The spices , meanwhile , are balanced with vanilla noggin and maple syrup . All in all , it ’s a dangerously smooth goody , probable to please both pumpkin beer fanatics and skeptics .
DC Brau’s Oktoberfest
Märzen lager , 5.5%Washington , DC
DC Brau is best known as the District ’s resident hop masters , a manufacturer of vaunted dual IPAs like Space Reaper and On the Wings of Armageddon , so it ’s jolly ironic that the man behind those recipes often want nothing more than to make lager . " I have it off the pernicious flavors and easy drunkenness of lager beer , and the way that they can hide and mask the alcohol , " read brewmaster Jeff Hancock . " It ’s not to say that IPAs are n’t a consider man ’s beer , but with lager , you have to touch and find the overnice characteristics . If you have a flaw , you ca n’t hide it . They ’re a examination of the brewer ’s skill . "
While some of Hancock ’s lagers could be considered stylistic hybrids , like the hop - advancing pilsner Brau Pils , DC Brau ’s Oktoberfest is a fairly traditional Märzen made entirely of German element … with the elision of DC urine , of course . The principal of those European inputs is the malt bill , which sport seven different grain and produces a crisp range of yellowish brown , toasty , and biscuity flavors that will warm your soul faster than any sports stadium of chicken soup .
Courtesy of DC Brau
But while the dedication to all - German ingredients has remained never-ending , Hancock riff on the recipe of his Oktoberfest from class to yr . The 2016 reading is almost a full percent eminent in alcoholic drink than its predecessor , which brings it more in line with traditional German Festbier strength . Hancock also sought to give the beer a wide-cut body and a " velvety " mouthfeel , and along those line , he fermented it at a lower temperature to let the malts shine through . The brewmaster says he would drink Märzen all year if he could , but he ’ll get back for every fall . " It ’s just courteous to show the community that we ’re more than a one - trick pony , " he adds .
Handsome Beer’s Strange Charm
Belgian browned ale , 6 % ABVWashington , DC
Handsome Beer ’s Matt Humbard has a wide-eyed philosophical system when it comes to brewing : Only make what you ’d need to drink . Considering that Humbard had been homebrewing for over a decade prior to co - founding Handsome , this make a plenty of sentiency . He got wonted to the freedom of brewing for an audience no big than his acquaintance , his wife , and himself . It also begins to explain how Handsome ’s take on a browned ale , Strange Charm , is n’t much of a brown ale . " Brown ale are belike one of my least preferent styles , " the promontory brewer share . " Most of the beer that I brew for my personal consumption are saisons , so when I try a new thing – like prepare the formula for a chocolate-brown ale – I commonly start with saison barm strains . "
Eschewing a traditional ale yeast , Strange Charm falls somewhere between a brownish ale and a saison , though it is perhaps most distinct for Humbard ’s use of Special B malt . The darkest of the Belgian caramel malts , this somewhat roasted cereal is most often add to Quadrupel ales and imperial stouts , where in small amounts , it give boozier beer notation of dry out yield and tobacco . Over several year homebrewing versions of Strange Charm each fall , Humbard gradually increase the amount of Special B in his beer , finally arriving at a place that captured the unambiguously leathery calibre of the malt . He state it reminds him of a belt or saddle . We ’ve never sample those thing , but we live Strange Charm is plush and delicious .
Courtesy of Handsome Beer Co.
It ’s also the maltiest beer that the " gypsy brewery " has bring about to date , but that does n’t entail it ’s especially sweet-flavored . Special B is n’t a crystal malt , so it does n’t possess the saccharine calibre of those more coarse grains . Combining it with the fruity character reference of Handsome ’s firm saison yeast mental strain , Humbard has produced something that ’s perhaps well approached as a dark saison … and take quickly .
Ocelot Brewing’s Gravity Always Wins
Bourbon Barrel - Aged Wee Heavy , 11 % ABVDulles , VA
panther cat ’s Gravity Always Wins is n’t an homage , but it wear its brainchild on its arm . have ’s step back in time . Back before he founded his Virginia brewery , owner Adrien Widman grow enamored with AleSmith ’s renownedWee Heavy– a very sweet , very boozy Scotch ale that avoids peated and fume malts , unlike a lot of American renditions of the style . " I just fall in love with its texture , the alcohol level , the residuary fragrance , everything , " Widman retrieve . " I always desire to do a big Wee Heavy like them . In my mind , they were the benchmark of what one should be . "
After researching the scientific discipline of Wee Heavies , Ocelot brew and released its own in the leaping . The Cartesian product of a wonderfully complex malt bill , a mix of bare and complex sugar , and the two - hour boil , the 11 % ABV Gravity Always Wins was a doozy . " To my pleasure , one twenty-four hour period somebody actually brought in an AleSmith We Heavy , and they pour it blind for me , " Widman says with the attack of a grin . " They were very , very similar . "
Courtesy of Ocelot
Not all of the batch went to market , however . A significant destiny go into Heaven Hill bourbon barrel , where the beer would mature for the next eight calendar month – until it had picked up not just the whiskey flavor but the wood notes , too . The outcome of this patient drum - aging was to make an already decadent beer somehow more decadent . Or to paraphrase Radiohead ’s " Fake Plastic Trees , ” the song whose lyrics give the beer its name : It tastes like the substantial matter . " You ca n’t drink this beer all Nox long , but you’re able to savour a shabu or share a nursing bottle with somebody , " Widman say .
Port City Brewing’s Long Black Veil
Black IPA , 6.8 % ABVAlexandria , VA
Two hundred year ago , a woman died under deep circumstances inside Alexandria ’s Gadsby ’s Tavern . She was never publically identified , but she was bury in the town ’s St. Paul ’s Cemetery with an elaborated headstone . It ’s still there . Both the tombstone and present day historians refer to her as the " Female Stranger . " And one solar day , by fortune , former Port City Brewing brewer Josh Center descend across herlegend . " I ’ve always been really concerned in non-white , macabre stories , " he admit . " I ’m a huge consecutive killer whale and true criminal offence devotee . To me , her story was captivating with just the ripe amount of good historical tidbit . "
At the time , Center and fellow beer maker Adam Reza had recently piloted a black IPA , so they pitched Port City possessor Bill Butcher on the idea of calling it Long Black Veil , a reference work to the Female ’s Stranger ’s rumored garb . He bit on the name , and the thought of a Halloween release , too . It did n’t hurt that the hop - forward-moving ale was also great . " It was a very simple formula , " Center says . " We wanted to keep it a siccative IPA . "
Courtesy of Port City Brewing
One of the tricks of brewing Long Black Veil is the plus of a dehusked sour roast barley at the very end of the mash , which leaches dark colour into the beer , without add too much roast lineament . The beer is then turn with the same Belgian yeast melodic phrase that Port City use for its Optimal Wit , adding a soft fruitiness and spice . And , finally , it ’s dry - hopped with Centennial and Citra , which , respectively , give off floral and citrusy aromatics that play nicely with the joint . The process does n’t vocalize so elementary , but maybe as with the Female Stranger , thing are n’t always what they seem .
3 Stars Brewing’s Starsky & Dutch
Double chocolate milk stout , 8.3 % ABVWashington , DC
Starsky & Dutch is a chocolate lover ’s beer . The imperial stout sprang from the mind of former 3 Stars Brewing lead beer maker Nathan Rice , who was tasked by Centennial State - laminitis Dave Coleman with prepare a beer that tasted like a coffee milkshake . Coleman had an unconvincing generator of stirring : the deceptively boozy and well-to-do sippingGrapefruit Crusheshe drinks at the beach during the summer . He jokingly bring up to these cocktails as " grown - up black out succus . " And he want a fall edition .
The challenge for Rice was developing a chocolatey beer that was n’t too treacly or malty . His solution was three - fold . First , he resolve to add Dutch process cocoa powder directly to the mash , which imbued the beer with an essence of coffee , but none of the acrimony that would result from introducing it during the boiling point . Then , he balanced those chocolatey flavors with lactose ( otherwise know as Milk River loot ) , which bring a slight sweet and creamy grain to the liquid . And , finally , he conditioned the Starsky & Dutch on cacao pecker and vanilla extract beans for one last layer of complexness . " I think it ended up as less of a shake than a brownie in a glass , " Rice jokes . " That chocolate flavorreallycomes through . "
It ’s always a good time for a chocolate milk shake , but Rice say the fall seasonal is idealistic on a spanking eve . " One of my favorite things to do when the weather starts turn is to sit out on the back porch with a loving cup of live umber , " the brewer portion . " Starsky & Dutch is perfect for when it ’s still a little too warm for the hot deep brown , but you require that similar flavor . I kind of like sit alfresco , determine the leaves turn , imbibe my cup of hot burnt umber beer . "
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