By: Damond Flynn
Fall is right around the corner, which means it’s time to prepare for the cool weather and festive food and drinks. Fall in Buffalo means going apple picking with family and friends, visiting the Great Pumpkin Farm, and endless amounts of festive beers from local breweries. From pumpkin flavored IPA’s to Oktoberfest lagers, the opportunity to find your new favorite drink is in your favor.
To kick off the fall season, there is no better place to start than by visiting Steelbound Brewery and Distillery (Ellicottville and Springville) and trying their seasonal Apple Cranberry Cinnamon Wheat. This tasty treat is coming back with new packaging, but is still fruited with 100% all-natural apples, cranberries, and toasted cinnamon. This seasonal wheat is a perfect way to start fall, and sits at a conservative 5% ABV, which is great to pair with a delicious meal from Steelbound, or to enjoy by itself.
Looking for something a little heavier? Don’t worry, Southerntier Brewing Company has you covered with their immensely popular Pumking Imperial Ale. It comes in at an ABV of 8.6%, so a couple of these during a cool fall evening will have you feeling festive to say the least. This ale is only available from August-October each year, so if you are looking for something new or have already tasted the delicious ale with hints of vanilla, pie crust, and cinnamon, don’t waste any time and grab some while you can.
Nothing says fall like pumpkins, and a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Ellicottville Brewing has combined the two and introduced the Pumpkinville Latte to the Western New York area. This ale is brewed with pumpkins from Pumpkinville in Great Valley, NY, and freshly ground coffee beans, and finished with pumpkin spice to create this amazing autumn treat. A great beer that is not too light, but also not too heavy at 6.5% ABV, but a happy medium, which is just one of many great fall beers that Ellicottville Brewing has to offer. I would also like to mention another fall inspired beer from them, which is their Blueberry Maple Pancake Ale. Made with fresh blueberries and local maple syrup, this beer with have you feeling like you just woke up to pancake breakfast on a crisp autumn morning. Similar to the Pumpkinville Latte, this beer is not too light at a 7% ABV and is only available seasonally.
It wouldn’t be fall without Oktoberfest beers from local breweries all across Western New York. With numerous spin-offs of a German style lager, local breweries see success with Oktoberfest releases. From brewing companies like Genesee Brewing who started in 1878, to Big Ditch Brewing which was established in 2014, almost all have hopped on the trend of putting out limited releases of their idea of a great Oktoberfest beer. Breweries such as Thin Man, Genesee, Big Ditch, Resurgence and so many more have Oktoberfest lagers, so whatever you are a fan of, get in the fall mood by trying your favorite breweries take on an Oktoberfest lager, and enjoy the cool weather and beautiful sights of autumn this year.
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