What We’re Drinking Now: Beer Recommendations Fall 2024

Are you a beer enthusiast looking for your next hoppy adventure? Look no further! We’ve scoured the United States to bring you the finest craft beers from all corners of the country. Whether you’re in New England, the Midwest, the Southeast, the Rocky Mountains, the Southwest or on the West Coast, we’ve got you covered. Let’s embark on a flavorful journey and savor the fresh brews that are the toast of the country during the fall months.

Disclaimer: It’s impossible for our judges to review every single beer released by the nearly 10,000 breweries in the U.S. each week. As such, while this story serves as a peek at some of the best beers released recently that have scored highly in our Official Review, it also features beers that rank highly on other beer reviewing platforms, beer that have medaled in recent competitions or have been burning up message boards and forums with immense hype. If you’re in the regions where these beers are available, we hope they become What You’re Drinking Now!

Mountain West Region – Lakewood, Colorado

Old 121 ESB by Old 121 Brewhouse

The Beer Connoisseur® score: 92

ABV: 5.4%

Old 121 Brewhouse in Lakewood, Colorado delivers authentic brews across a variety of styles, including this critically acclaimed ESB that won a World Beer Cup gold medal at the 2024 awards.

Our judge seemed to agree, as he claimed this brew was “a nice strong bitter with appropriate caramel malt and U.K.-style hop flavors, with an interesting big, toasty melanoidin angle that adds some depth and complexity. It’s nice to see an amber ale of character come around. Seek this out and relive some of the early glory days of the modern craft movement.”

When fall rolls around, darker beers become more popular, and a classic style such as this English-style Extra Special Bitter certainly fits that bill. With a toasty, malty backbone and a fairly low alcohol content, this would be an excellent fall sipper as the leaves begin to drift to the ground and temperatures start to subtly lower.

West Coast Region – Escondido, California

Fight On! Pale Ale by Stone Brewing

The Beer Connoisseur® score: 88

ABV: 5.5%

The season of autumn, beyond representing changing temperatures and a changing landscape, also represents the yearly zenith of American culture. That’s right: football and college football are back!

In this case, this zesty and flavorful American Pale Ale from Stone Brewing Co. was brewed as a collaboration with USC (the University of Southern California), and its famed football team, the Trojans.

Stone Brewing are no stranger to collaboration brews, but partnering with a university is an unusual choice for any craft brewery – as the stigma of overindulgence weighs heavy upon many colleges’ reputations.

However, with many CFB stadiums around the country allowing alcohol sales over the past few years – with many more certainly to follow – Stone seemingly picked the perfect time to showcase a beer that goes hand in hand with a notable university. Fight on indeed!

Mid-Atlantic Region – Hawley, Pennsylvania

HelleSent by Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.

The Beer Connoisseur® score: 94

ABV: 4.8%

Helles Lager (and lager in general) might sound more like a summer style of beer, but the joyful part of being a beer fan is that you can drink whatever beer you want – whenever you want it!

Want a boozy, ultra-dark barrel-aged imperial stout while you’re chilling by the pool? Go for it! How about an ice-cold lager during a frigid cold snap? Feel free! The same logic applies for this Pennsylvania-penned Helles Lager from Wallenpaupack Brewing Co.

While fall might be right around the corner, this crisp and eminently quaffable lager will be the perfect pairing alongside the last bit of yardwork you’re doing for the summer – before the leaves begin to fall in earnest, that is – or if you’re watching your favorite NFL team’s first few games of the season, when hope is still sky-high.

Wallenpaupack’s summary of the beer shows the lengths the brewery went to in order to craft such a high-quality lager: “This brilliantly clear lager was meticulously crafted with traditional German ingredients and brewing techniques. Fermented cold with our house lager strain, we decoction mashed and naturally carbonated this beer and let it lager for ten weeks to create an extra crisp pale lager.”

Southeast Region – Charlotte, North Carolina

Vampire Walrus by NoDa Brewing Co.

Untappd score: ⭐3.99 out of 5

ABV: 8.3%

Some seasonal styles rotate in and out throughout the year, but one style that will always be a major player among craft beer aficionados is the beloved Double IPA.

While some veteran craft fans are bemoaning the dreaded “hop fatigue,” this writer thinks the answer to that ginned-up condition is hops, hops and more hops!

NoDa Brewing Co. in Charlotte, North Carolina has just the tonic for such an issue: Vampire Walrus Imperial IPA. A spooky-sounding name is fitting as we approach the spookiest month of the year (October), and this 8.3% ABV brew will shepherd you into the Halloween spirit, much like Greek mythological figure Charon guiding souls across the river Styx in the underworld.

According to the brewery, “this Double IPA heavily leans on the new experimental EXP 17701 hop that gives a tone of tropical and fruity notes and also utilizes Mosaic hops to add complexity and Chinook for sharp, clean bitterness.”

New England Region – Everett, Massachusetts

Dunkel John’s Band by Night Shift Brewing

Untappd score: ⭐3.79 out of 5

ABV: 5.0%

Night Shift Brewing in Everett, Massachusetts has two notable recent releases (the other being Pumpkin Piescraper) that could’ve made this list, but as a card-carrying Deadhead, the one that references one of the greatest American groups of all time gets the nod here.

Featuring artwork that apes the Dead’s famed “dancing bears” motif, this Munich Dunkel is an excellent addition to the fall beer fridge, as this authentic German-style dark beer delivers a plethora of malty and roasty aromas and flavors that are sure to have you tapping your toes – and reaching for another brew!

And as Jerry Garcia and co. sang: “It’s the same story the crow told me, it’s the only one he knows; Like the morning sun you come and like the wind you go; Ain’t no time to hate, barely time to wait; Wo-oh, what I want to know, where does the time go?”

Midwest Region – Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Festbier by Gathering Place Brewing Co.

Untappd score: ⭐3.66 out of 5

ABV: 4.2%

Gathering Place Brewing Co., a buzzy craft brewery based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin delivers the only Oktoberfest beer on this list. Why, you ask? Well, first off, it has amazing artwork of DAS BOOT full of beautiful, sudsy beer.

Secondly, the Midwest is an amazing region for beer, so any number of top-flight seasonal offerings could’ve been mentioned, but Gathering Place seems to truly be something of a local “gathering place,” as it’s website entails: “Our mission is to craft vibrant and unique beers that reflect the vibrant and unique community we call home. We honor the brewing traditions of regions near and far while providing a fresh perspective using new and unique ingredients to create memorable beers.”

Employing the modern Festbier style versus the Marzen version of a German-Style Oktoberfest beer means this lighter-colored brew is easier to quaff by the pintful – something that goes perfectly with friends, family and loved ones at a delightful “gathering place.”

Images Courtesy Respective Breweries