Sam Adams' October Beers Will Help Ease You Into Autumn

As the dog days of summer begin to turn into the cool and blustery days of fall, it's time to put away the crisp pilsners of August and look toward the ales of autumn. And Sam Adams has a couple of seasonal releases that we happen to be pretty big fans of.

The first one is "OctoberFest," a traditional marzen-style lager brewed with two-row pale malt blend, Munich-10 malt, and Tettnang Tettnanger and Hallertau Mittelfrueh noble hops. It's complex and roasty with a rich, malty character that's complemented by a little bite from the noble hops. If you're a fan of Oktoberfest beers, you'll see that this one is right on par with the best ones that are coming out of Munich.

There's no shortage of pumpkin beers on the market, but we're also fans of Sam's "20 Pounds of Pumpkin," which is made with East Kent Goldings and Fuggles hops, two-row pale malt blend, a little bit of smoked malt, caramel malt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and 20 pounds of puréed roasted pumpkin added to each batch of mash. Smooth, full-bodied, roasty, and just slightly smoky from the addition of smoked malt — when we tried it, our first thought was that it tasted like autumn. 

Both beers will be available until the end of October.