Cheers to the Beers of Fall

Abita.com

This post is in honor of my new home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Also known as Brew City, there's a big beer culture here. Hey - the baseball team isn't called the Brewers for nothing!  As the seasons are changing and temperatures are dropping, so are the beers on tap.

We all know about seasonal beers.  You want something light and refreshing in the summer, and heavy and comforting in the winter.  Sometimes it's nice to drink based on what's in harvest.  Abita Strawberry uses real Louisiana strawberry juice, and I look forward to it every year.  And, of course,
you can't go into a bar without seeing pumpkin beer in the fall.

In fact, right now, we're in the midst of autumn, and the spicy flavors are becoming more popular.  I think an article in The Guardian says it best - "Autumn brings something darker, auburn like the leaves, toffee and bonfire flavours, earthy and spicy."  It lines up perfectly with the way we feel, what we're wearing, and how we're spending our time.  They say we're "buckling in... preparing for winter, gradually warming ourselves."

liquidbreadmag.com

That said, not everybody likes to jump on the pumpkin craze in September and October, so Thrillest.com ranked the best non-pumpkin fall beers.  One of them is made in Wisconsin.  Central Waters Mudpuppy Porter is brewed in Amherst, WI.  Thrillest says it's a good way to start your transition into the heavier beers.  Instead of pumpkin, it's got the warm flavors of roasted coffee and chocolate.  Recommended for tailgating!

Before modern technology gave us options, though, kitchn writer Emma Christensen says brewing was historically more of a fall and winter activity.  That's when barley was ready for harvest, and the cooler weather made it possible to store ingredients (and the finished product) without it going bad.  If there was extra barley in the summer, the lighter beers came into play.  Supposedly, they're quicker to ferment.

German Beer Institute

The German Beer Institute goes into more history and science, explaining that different types of yeast prefer different weather.  Ale yeast likes to do its thing in a warmer environment - between about 60 and 77°.  That's when the yeast is more active and makes better tasting beer.  When the temperature drops, ale yeast essentially goes to sleep for the winter.  Lager yeast, on the other hand, works best at temperatures in the 40s or below.

It was the mid 1500s when authorities in Germany realized the cold weather fermentation produced a purer beer that lasted longer.  Bavaria outlawed summer brewing in 1553 to help prevent the spread of bacteria.  The "official brewing season" became September 29th to April 23rd, and Bavaria claims to have mastered lager in a way that's still unsurpassed.

Although we can find almost any type of beer year-round nowadays, it seems like drinking based on the weather is still deep within us.  So... Cheers to the beers of the season!