Great Lakes Nosferatu (Autumn Seasonal)

There are a few beers I keep missing out on that are autumn seasonals. Twice now I've failed to buy Sierra Nevada's Tumbler, the brewery's autumn brown ale. Well, I sort of made up for my mistake by picking up Great Lakes Brewing Co's autumn red ale, Nosferatu, the last time I saw it at my go-to bottle shop say 3-4 weeks ago. I figured if I didn't pick it up then, it wouldn't be there next visit (I guess I'm learning). Not only do I love the name, but I especially love the robustness of the brew.

Nosferatu smells amazing even from the bottle. Fruity hops (berries) & rich caramel malts.

Poured into my Breckenridge Vanilla Porter nonic pint glass, the brew is an appealing reddish-brown. A sticky nougat head sits up top.

The smell is intensely malty; candy-like; caramel and fruit roll-up. Cold milk chocolate; herbal hops. A great aroma.

Taste is prickly; a bit boozy up front (alcohol lingers). Brown and/or chocolate malts show up in the middle. Dark notes start to linger with the alcohol (a welcome addition). This brew doesn't shy from bittering hops or fruity hops flavors.

Remarkably creamy for a beer that grows bitter toward the end; well rounded.

Notes: a big feature to this robust beer is its lingering qualities, which leads me to suggest Great Lakes should continue to release this in the fall, but push it through the winter season due to its warming effect.

Sly Fox Oktoberfest Lager

12 oz can with some digits and a date (presumably the "best before") printed near the bottom of the can: 1/9/12.

Dark-orange-amber looking beer that's highly carbonated and fairly translucent. Head disappeared quick.

Floral in the nose. Peppery yeast. Bread, butter, stale apple juice & dry caramel.

Tastes yeasty with light malts and caramel malts for sweetness. Bittering hops right in the middle. Finishes with a fruity and bitter astringency that hangs on and lingers.

Notable spicy hop flavor shows itself as well as the brew warms up. A touch boozy. A decent oktoberfest.

Goose Island Harvest Ale

Amber-orange in appearance with a moderate sized, light-beige colored head. Translucent.

Fruity and hoppy in the nose. Nutty. Notes of cold melon, grapefruit & caramel as it warms. Subtle, but enjoyable in the aroma section.

Bitter, but not too aggressive. Sweetness pulls forward to balance the hops. A touch of caramel malts builds body.

Feels like a pale ale with a maltier backbone. Medium-bodied with a prickly contour.

Notes: Goose Island's Harvest Ale proves not all fall seasonals are sprinkled with pantry spices.

Franziskaner Dunkel Weissbier

(16.9 oz pint bottle)
Reddish-brown in appearance with a beautiful semi-sticky white head up top. The usual wheat nose w/ cloves, yeast, spiciness & fruitiness. Warm, with a bit of alcohol. Lemons, cinnamon & buttered brown bread.

Prickly up front with a wash-away finish (fairly clean). Bready notes linger with spicy yeast joining in. Peppery; acidic at times.

A fantastic beer to imbibe!