As the weather is changing, so is the line-up of seasonal beers at your local restaurants and grocery stores. These fall brews have unique flavors and styles, and you can pair them with your favorite fall foods or even cook with beer.
Here are a few suggestions to inspire you – and you can watch Lauren Sampson from our team talk about them on WVLT Local 8 Now via the video clip at the bottom of this post.
First is Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. If you love everything “pumpkin spice” this time of year, this is the fall beer for you. It’s usually gone by Thanksgiving, so you’ll want to get some now. It’s a full-bodied brown ale that is brewed with real pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices.
Since this beer has a lot of flavor, it pairs well with straightforward flavor profiles like sweet potatoes and roasted turkey. Or, for something sweeter, you can pair it with a piece of carrot cake for dessert.
Sam Adams Octoberfest beer also is a very popular fall brew. Brewed in honor of the famous German festival held each fall in Munich, this is a classic take on the lager-style brewed there called Marzen. It has a deep, smooth flavor with notes of caramel.
This beer is perfect to pair with fall comfort foods. Think Mac n’ Cheese, pot roast or a big bowl of sausage chili – as well as with apple pie for dessert.
Finally, try a selection of Angry Orchard Hard Cider. A hard cider with crisp apple flavor is perfect for fall, but you also can get the Autumn Sampler pack with special flavors like Cinnful Apple with light cinnamon heat.
Cider is a great ingredient for cooking. You can find lots of recipes on the Angry Orchard website.
We love the Crispy Pork Meatballs in Apple Jelly Cider Sauce. The glaze uses Angry Orchard Crisp Apple cider to complement the apple and pork flavors and cool the zesty spices. This is a perfect fall appetizer for tailgates and other parties.
You can find the recipe for the meatballs here, or use pork meatballs of your choice.
The sauce is really easy to make. You take:
- 1 Cup Angry Orchard Crisp Apple
- 1 small jar apple jelly
- 1 bottle Heinz Chili Sauce
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Add all the ingredients to your crockpot, bring to a simmer and then lower the heat. If you’re making your own meatballs, you can finish them in the sauce in the crockpot so they’re hot and ready when guests arrive.
There are so many delicious beer, cider and nonalcoholic beverages for fall. Most importantly, we remind everyone that the best recipe for a safe and happy season is to drink responsibly and designate a sober driver.
Have a safe and happy Autumn!