We’re waiting…
And, breweries, if you’re going to brew a pumpkin beer that ends up tasting like a liquified baked sweet potato anyway, let’s ditch the cinnamony, nutmeggy, sugared rim pint glasses, too. You know who you are. Let’s leave pumpkin spice and everything nice to Starbucks.
This fall, and every fall thereafter, let’s switch out the pumpkin for a cask ale at a British pub or a barleywine at a brewery. Something with apples instead? No problem.
These five local and local-ish beers, sans pumpkin, should treat you well as the weather gets chillier and the leaves start turning all those pretty colors.
Ambleside Pub
Beer: Ambleside Best Bitter
ABV: 4.7%
A pint of craft beer doesn’t necessarily have to have a bunch of fruit in it or be a hazy juice bomb. It can also be something approachable for the masses, like this English cask ale from Mount Kisco’s newest hotspot, the Ambleside Pub. Pony up to the counter at this lively spot and order a 10-ounce half or a 20-ounce imperial pint of the pub’s malty, quaffable house brew. Be forewarned, this hand-pumped brew is served at around 55 degrees or so and is free of any additional carbonation other than what’s natural. At that cellar temperature, you’ll really taste the earthy and floral notes from the English hops.
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Hudson Valley Brewery
Beer: Apple Cider Donut Silhouette
ABV: 5%
Any fan of Hudson Valley Brewery will battle to the grave that they make the best sour IPAs in our area and probably beyond. The brewery’s fruity, puckering Silhouette series has a lot of repeat seasonal releases. One of those, come fall time, is Apple Cider Donut Silhouette, brewed with wheat, Citra hops, and loads of apples and cinnamon to give it a good balance of tart and spice. Take a trip to Beacon to shoot one back, get a four-pack to-go (or order it online to be shipped to you), or keep your eyes open at craft beer stores for limited distribution.
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Soul Brewing Company
Beer: Pleasantbräu Oktoberfest
ABV: 5.8%
Last fall’s list included a Märzen-style lager. This year, there’s no reason to not give you another! This bready, biscuity, malty offering from Soul Brewing just received a major accolade when it took home a Gold Medal at this year’s Great American Beer Festival in the German Maerzen beer category. Listen, if you want to drink Märzens way past the point of the two-plus week run of Oktoberfest, that’s totally justified. Let’s hope they brewed a bigger batch in 2024 so you can try this award-winning beer!
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Marlowe Artisanal Ales
Beer: The Gilded Age
ABV: 11.5%
One of Marlowe’s crisp, clean, refreshing pilsners are always the answer when visiting the taproom, so start there and, for “dessert,” move onto something boozier, something malty, and ultimately, something sweeter and full-bodied. This English-style barleywine is conditioned on toasted hazelnuts and Tanzanian vanilla. Sip it slow and relax. It’ll keep you warm.
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Half Full Brewery
Beer: Flannel Pajamas
ABV: 6.5%
Just a small jump from the Westchester border is the Half Full O.G. taproom or, better yet, its stunning Third Place location not far from downtown Stamford. Third Place is basically for everything. You can work from there, you can bring your family, and you don’t even have to drink beer as it doubles as a coffee shop, too. But let’s not kid ourselves. You have to try at least one pint, don’t you?
Good thing for you, Half Full just debuted this roasty porter that’s balanced out with a hint of sweetness from maple syrup that was added to the boil. And if you’re lucky and the keg hasn’t kicked, there’s a barrel-aged version called Grandpa’s Pajamas that was aged one year in an oak barrel that was once home to Litchfield Distillery’s bourbon, then maple syrup, bourbon again, and Half Full’s Before the Dawn oat milk stout.
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Related: Ambleside Pub Dishes up a Slice of England in Mount Kisco