In search of the perfect fall brew

BEVERAGES | Bruce Rushton

In Munich, more than 4,000 miles away from Springfield, they’ve been partying for almost two weeks now, listening to oompah bands and eating Steckerlfisch (aka roast fishon-a-stick) and sucking down liters of beer inside massive tents that start pouring at 10 a.m. during the week and an hour earlier on weekends.

Springfield doesn’t yet have an Oktoberfest, but the capital city is a much better place for beer lovers than just a few years ago. We have two honest-to-goodness brewpubs now, plus a dizzying array of choices in local supermarkets. And there is no better time of the year to enjoy beer than autumn.

Forget ice-cold Pilsners served in frozen glasses on scorching July afternoons. The perfect ale, bitter and fruity and nutty and golden with a creamy foam pillow on top, is a perfect way to end a crisp fall day. Beer in the autumn is something to be savored, lingered over and, of course, debated. You could spend a lifetime searching for perfection in the art of brewing, and succeed on a fairly regular basis, given the number of choices these days. But no two people will agree on what is perfect. Every palate, like every beer, is different.

And so this isn’t intended to be a best-beer story. There are just so many beers and so little time, not to mention limits on alcohol tolerance and palate capacity. Although no two beers will ever taste the same, the line between good and not-so-good can, at some point, blur substantially as consumption increases. Naturally, we overdid it, with our six-pack of judges sampling 31 fermented concoctions, one for each day in October and considerably more than an optimum tasting slate of a dozen or less five-ounce flight glasses.

In short, this survey is entirely unscientific. We asked distributors for free beer, and they responded with roughly half of the samples evaluated by judges who included both Stag drinkers and high-falutin’ experts who knew what “mouthfeel” means and talked about stuff like banana bread overtones. We paid for the other half of our beer stash ourselves, with selections based on recommendations from trusted friends and personal preference and experience.

We did this in three batches, with breaks between, in a little more than three hours. While 31 five-ounce glasses adds up to a lot of beer, no one drank nearly that much. In most cases, one swallow was enough, and so a lot of suds went down the drain. In some cases, we were happy to see it go.

There is, of course, no such thing as bad beer. But there is such a thing as Colt 45, and that’s what we used as a Mendoza Line of sorts in our blind taste test to differentiate the mediocre from the truly less than drinkable. One beer finished behind Colt 45 and two tied, showing that you don’t necessarily get what you pay for.

“Still better than all the pumpkins, for the most part,” wrote one judge in determining that cheap malt liquor isn’t all bad.

Ah, pumpkins. We sampled no fewer than a half-dozen beers containing pumpkin and were, frankly, less than impressed. With one notable exception, the malted pumpkin beverages proved more gimmick than satisfying as one elixir after another tasted like a variation on a make-beer-tastelike-pumpkin-pie theme. If beer drinkers really wanted their beer oversaturated with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, then taverns would set out shakers of pumpkin pie spice.

On the other end of the spectrum, we sampled some truly wonderful beers, including some made right here in Springfield, showing that locals can compete with the heavyweights. All are available in local stores and taverns. We present the best of the bunch below, in no particular order of finish. You can decide for yourself what’s best.

Angry Orchard Cinnful Apple Cider

The only cider in the sample proved popular with judges who praised the light body, clarity and apple-pie flavor. The maker bills this as a tart cider, but some judges found it on the sweet side, with others praising the balance between sweet and spice. If you like cinnamon with your apples, this is a cider to put on your list. Alcohol by volume: 5 percent.

Rolling Meadows White IPA

While there was some sentiment that this was more a summer than fall beverage, judges praised the citrus flavors in this decidedly light pale ale brewed in Cantrall, just 10 miles north of Springfield. We liked the hop aroma, flavors of wheat and hoppy aftertaste. It was beautiful to behold, with a deep gold color and cloudy appearance. A perfect choice before the weather turns truly cold. Alcohol by volume: 4.8 percent.

New Belgian Tour de Fall

This pale ale, deep gold bordering on copper, drew praise for strong hop character with a subtle caramel malt flavor that some described as earthy. The body is mediumlight and the aroma screams autumn, with the judges using such adjectives as “complex,” “balanced” and “slightly floral.” One summed it up with one word: “yum.” Alcohol by volume: 6 percent.

Sierra Nevada Flipside Red IPA

We loved the deep, rich appearance of this amber ale, which one judge described as a “nice light chestnut brown,” and the white head that lingered lovingly. Hoppy, as is the tendency with IPAs, with underlying sweet malts. The brewer describes this as a beer for “the final flash of summer,” and at least one judge agreed, questioning whether this is truly a fall beer or something to drink during Indian summer. Alcohol by volume: 6.2 percent.

Samuel Smith Nut Brown Ale

Samuel Smith has been brewing since 1758, and two judges correctly guessed this legendary ale’s identity without seeing the label. “Toasty, nutty, malty – smells perfect to drink fireside,” one judge gushed. “Flavors echo the aroma, with an addition of light hops – great balance and richly flavored.” One judge detected a hint of pear in the flavor. Another observed that it tastes better the longer it sits (which may have been a reflection of being served at lower than the optimum temperature of 55 degrees) and opined that this is a good medium-bodied beer for someone who likes Killians or Smithwick and is ready to expand. Alcohol by volume: 5 percent.

Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen

A classic Oktoberfest beer that is brewed in the spring, then cellared until fall, this rated highly among the judges as a go-to beer for the season. Golden and delicious. “A great traditional German beer,” one judge found. “Starts malty, but has a moderately dry finish.” Another praised the balance in the malts while another thought it would pair well with a hearty dinner of meat and potatoes. As one judge found, you could have several back to back. Alcohol by volume: 5.8 percent.

Samuel Adams OctoberFest

A bit heavier than the German version of the lager that starts life in the spring, this was a favorite with the judges. It’s not exactly European, nor is it distinctly American, even though it is domestically brewed. “A little more body and a little heavier, still a very nice representation of the style,” wrote one judge. Another found

the flavor malty and complex, with hops evident. And we loved the way it looked. “Deep, orange reddish in color, creamy head that persists,” according to one judge. Alcohol by volume: 5.3 percent.

Amarillo IPA from Obed and Isaac’s

Call this an IPA for everyman. Even the tasters who aren’t big fans of IPAs appreciated this one brewed in Springfield. “Not for me, but would recommend for a pale (ale) drinker,” wrote a judge who described the flavor as “good middle of the road.” The aroma was described as “zesty” by one judge and “a little citrus” by another who found it “easy to drink for an IPA.” There was praise for a bitter element in the faintly sweet, hops-dominated flavor. Alcohol by volume: 6.4 percent

Upside Brown Ale from Obed and Isaac’s

Rich aroma – think coffee and chicory with a hint of cocoa. Before you drink, behold the deep brown color. You are about to partake of a brew that is perfect for late autumn. The taste is true to the smell, with judges detecting flavors of coffee, chocolate and nuts. “Coffee, toffee, I think I like it,” one evaluator wrote on his scoring sheet. “Only have one,” wrote another. Or maybe not. This is a beer that can carry you deep into a chilly night. Alcohol by volume: 5.5 percent.

Spaten Oktoberfest

Judges on the panel were partial to German beers, and they appreciated this beer’s medium-light body, malty flavor and crisp finish. Bottom line, this representation of Oktoberfest lager is accessible to all palates. “Good taste, classic, perfect finish,” one judge wrote. “Would recommend to anyone for any occasion.” Another compared the aroma to newly mown hay. Alcohol by volume: 5.9 percent.

Red Hook Pumpkin Porter

By and large, brews made with pumpkin – and there were six in our sampling refrigerator – were deemed not far from awful. Let’s face it: Pumpkin is for pruno, the notnecessarily-celebrated prison hooch fermented in plastic bags from whatever purloined mess hall leavings will produce alcohol. If there are great pumpkin beers out there, we missed them, with one exception. While the others tasted like someone sprinkled cloves, cinnamon and other usual suspects in the brewing barrel and kept fingers crossed, this porter by Seattle-based Red Hook rose above. It was well thought out and tasted best when allowed to sit for a bit – this would be best served at 50 degrees or so. Unlike the others, you didn’t initially realize that this was PUMPKIN, despite being an ale brewed with, as per the label, pumpkin, appropriate spices and maple syrup. “A better balance of sweet and spice than any of the others we’ve tried,” decreed one of the fussier judges who declared that he would order a pint and pay for it himself. “For a pumpkin beer, it has characteristics I’d like in just a normal beer.” Alcohol by volume: 5.8 percent.

Warsteiner Dunkel

This is an all-around lager, at least for one judge who found that one would go well with a meal or several would taste fine all on their own (we were fairly well along in the tasting by this point). The aroma of this deep copper brew is complex, slightly nutty with a hint of smoke, in the words of one judge. Another praised the caramel malt flavor that was light on hops. Alcohol by volume: 4.9 percent.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout

Named after an Arctic whale, this stout packs a wallop that is to be expected with an alcohol percentage surpassing 10 percent. High alcohol contents all too often are accompanied by unpleasant alcohol overtones, but not this one. Judges struggled to find adjectives worthy of this near-black brew drippy with roasted malt flavor and aroma. “Full-bodied with velvety texture,” one wrote in his tasting notes. “The best beer ever for fall.” What makes it so good? Just about everything. The dark, creamy head persists. A certain sweetness is perfectly balanced by a medium hop flavor. It titillates taste buds with a rich, creamy texture that one judge declared “velvety.” Another declared it “sexy.” Panelists were able to find something to nitpick with practically every offering on the tasting slate, but not this one. Just a wonderful beer that one judge summed up with one word: “Zounds!” It’s worth stocking up, given that this beer will improve with age inside the bottle. Alcohol by volume: 10.2 percent.

Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale

The golden color, impressive head and hints of banana and citrus in the aroma are only the beginning. This Midwestern (brewed in Missouri) take on Belgian-style ale wowed the judges with its taste, which is, after all, the main point. Judges detected clove and fruit notes while the malt stayed in the background. “Great balance of flavors braced with assertive hop bitterness,” one judge decreed. Alcohol by volume: 8.5 percent.

Contact Bruce Rushton at brushton@illinoistimes.com.