6 non-pumpkin Michigan fall beers you must try

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was awash in employees helping to harvest their homegrown hops.

It’s fall y’all, and that means it's time to switch up what's in your glass.

MiBrew Trail Magazine

Fall 2021

Every season brings new brews to try, and old seasonal favorites to revisit. As the weather turns chilly, and the days grow shorter, we tend to move to darker, more robust beers that can warm us up from the inside out and keep our taste buds happy. Here are seven beers to quaff this autumn season, from classic offerings from well-established breweries to seasonal favorites that only come around once a year, and brand-new offerings to try for the first time. And not that there is anything wrong with a well-made pumpkin beer, but these are not that. Happy drinking Michigan.

6 non-pumpkin Michigan fall beers you must try

Short’s Brewing Company Super Delicious Stout is a new, lovely alternative to thick and sticky barrel aged bombs. It is a light option when you are craving those roasty, coffee and chocolate notes, but don’t want all the alcohol that those BA beers offer. Super Delicious comes in at a very mellow 4.4% ABV, which I would consider a session stout, and that means you can enjoy more than one. The other thing I love about this beer is that it’s a nitro stout, so pour it in your pint glass to enjoy that super creamy foam that is the trademark of this style. I’m also planning to keep this on hand throughout the season to add a kick of Short’s flavor to some of my favorite dishes. Add a can to your chili, braise some short ribs in it, or add to French onion soup, you’ll be amazed at the depth of flavor a beer like this can add to your cooking. Balanced with just the right amount of hops, this full flavored, but easy drinking stout is quintessential autumn drinking. Keep on the lookout for two new variety packs from Short’s, a super hoppy holiday pack out in October, and the ‘tried and true’ pack which will arrive in November.

Short's Brewing- Super Delicious Stout is a new, lower ABV nitro stout from Short's Brewing Company. (Short's Brewing Company/Courtesy Photo)

A new offering from Cheboygan Brewing Company is their Oatmeal Cookie Stout, which is going to be available in limited release throughout the state in cans and on draft. The brewery describes this beer “as just like your grandma used to make”, which we can totally get behind. The generous use of malt gives the beer both its deep color and rich body. The addition of flaked oats rounds out the mouthfeel. This beer is a touch sweet, but not cloying. I love the idea having a pint of this stout in the afternoon, and remembering when life was simpler, and all you had to worry about was finishing your after-school snack of cookies and doing your homework. Take me back for just a minute, Cheboygan.

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Cheboygan Brewing- A new offering from Cheboygan Brewing is their Oatmeal Cookie Stout. (Cheboygan Brewing/Courtesy Photo)

A very seasonal, and very Michigan beer is Deer Camp from Upper Hand Brewing. A sister brewery to Bell’s, Upper Hand is Larry Bell’s love letter to the Upper Peninsula, served up in liquid form. Upper Hand opened in Escanaba in 2013, and at first their beer was only available above the Mighty Mac. That changed this year, and you will now find Upper Hand throughout the state. Deer Camp is described “as crisp as opening day” and is a nod to this classic Michigan fall tradition enjoyed by so many. I’ve found it to be very nice, light drinking with its low 15 IBUs, and it’s easy to imagine enjoying one around the fire after a long day in the woods. Also, be on the lookout for the new beer release from these guys with the same camp theme, Red Buck IPA.

Deer camp.jpg Upper Hand Brewing has their seasonal Deer Camp on shelves now. A nod to the classic Michigan tradition of opening day for deer season, it's an easy-drinking ale. (Upper Hand Brewing/Courtesy Photo)

My favorite beer from Founders is their traditional, yet exceptional, porter. I tend to drink seasonally, and I save this beer to be enjoyed only once the leaves have started to turn, and that first autumn chill hits our shores. I’m always excited to crack my first one open, my mouth starts watering just thinking about this excellent rendition of such a classic style. Billed as “dark, rich, and sexy” it lives up to its hype. The porter pours a deep, dark, opaque black, with just a touch of a creamy head. Big notes of chocolate, and lots of caramelly malt contrast so nicely with the robust use of hops. No adjuncts, no extracts, no gimmicks. Another great beer to cook with, the porter will be put to use this season in dishes like milk and beer braised pork, used to enhance a chocolate layer cake, and poured into frijoles borrachos. Lucky for you it is available year-round.

Founders Brewing Co.'s Porter

Another beer you can grab anytime, but one that in my mind is especially suited to fall, is La Roja from Jolly Pumpkin. The brewery is well known for their unique approach to beer thanks to talented founder Ron Jeffries. who creates open fermented, barrel blended masterpieces that are unlike any other beer you will find. La Roja is one of their signature offerings and is a great place to start your journey into sour beers. A gorgeous deep amber color, La Roja is brewed in the Flanders style, and then takes a siesta in bourbon barrels anywhere from 2 to 15 months. The liquid then gets blended together mad scientist style until the perfect combination is reached. This is kind of like wild west brewing, as conditions and natural ingredients change through the process, but under the skilled hands of Jeffries it all turns into magic in your glass. La Roja will draw you in with its aroma of caramel, hints of spice, and a bit of woodsy funk. Take a sip, and you’ll also get fruit notes, a bit of astringency, and some definite sour punchiness. It is wildly unique, and is an interesting, and perhaps unexpected beer to try this fall season. Also, keep your eyes open for a new beer from Jolly that they are rolling out this fall, Kiviuq Saison, which is brewed with lime and blackberry.

As the weather gets colder, we move past the light lawnmower beers of summer, and welcome brews that have higher ABVs. This is time of year when I enjoy cracking open a double IPA, or an imperial IPA, and with literally zero remorse, happily indulge in these lovely little flavor bomb alternatives to the classic IPA. If you are new to craft beer, don’t be alarmed when someone tells you that these beers get double the hops of a normal beer. They do. But they also get about double the malt bill as well, so the resulting beer is round and robust, well balanced, and a bit boozy. These beers are not overly bitter, and even if they say they have an IBU of something crazy like 114 IBU’s, they drink smoother than a regular IPA that might clock in at 70 IBUs.

A great one to try is Brother Benjamin from Greenbush Brewing in Sawyer. Yes, this beer has 114 IBUs, but the addition of more malt, and a generous dollop of local Michigan honey transforms it into a wonderful warmer of a beer. And I do mean warmer, as the ABV on this one is a hearty 10.1%. You will get that honey, and booze, right on the nose at first. Then you will find notes of citrus, grapefruit, and slightly bitter hops, with an exhale of alcohol. A sipper for sure. Many local breweries will offer these big beers during the colder months, so seek them out, give them a try,

We always love to hear what you’ve been drinking and loving from all over Michigan. Feel free to reach and out let me know what is good at amyonthetrail@gmail.com.

Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja

Greenbush Brewing's Brother Benjamin

Cheboygan Brewing- A new offering from Cheboygan Brewing is their Oatmeal Cookie Stout. (Cheboygan Brewing/Courtesy Photo)

Founders Brewing Co.'s Porter

Jolly Pumpkin's La Roja

Greenbush Brewing's Brother Benjamin