As fall weather hits New England, the autumn colors come into full effect. The leaves turn from a luscious green into a bright orange and yellow. The temperature drops, football comes back, and the seasonal beers arrive in full effect.
If you’ve been living under a rock, beers such as Samuel Adams come out with different lagers and ales based on the changing seasons every year.
One of the most popular seasonal beers that can be found anywhere during the fall is based on the Oktoberfest tradition. Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany and is also one of the most popular beer festivals in the world. It originally celebrated a marriage in German royalty during the 1800s. Since then, beer gardens and halls have become very popular all around the world.
Today, you can find Oktoberfest-brewed beer, along with other popular fall beers at various breweries and bars around the world.
Locally, one of the best ways to enjoy a crisp fall brew is at the Henniker Brewing Company. Located just 5 minutes from campus, the brewery creates a vast selection of lagers, ales, porters, and IPA’s. For the season, the brewery created a handful of fall themed beers such as the Flap Jack, which has hints of New England maple syrup.
I went in the brewery myself to check out their fall tap list. Inside, I was greeted by the friendly staff, who showed me what’s really popular around this time of year were. Angela, who is one of the tap room employees, was kind enough to grab me some single cans of their most popular brews on them! I tried the flapjack, and it definitely has hints of local maple syrup. It’s light, not too hoppy, and is the perfect brew to enjoy in the fall.
Angela went on to tell me that the “Hop slinger is their flagship IPA”. Trying it out myself, it definitely has notes of tangerine, mandarin orange and pineapple, which is what the description on the tap list promises, but still holds its light hoppiness taste.
On the Henniker Breweries current draft list, they say that the Flap Jack is supposed to be the “un-pumpkin beer” staying away from the various seasonal pumpkin flavored food and drinks we see every year. To find out more about the Henniker Brewing Company, you can visit their website here!
