Eight hearty autumn beers coming to LCBO shelves this fall

Eight hearty autumn beers coming to LCBO shelves this fall

LCBO Fall Releases

Along with crisper air, chillier nights and overflowing farmers’ markets, autumn means bigger, bolder brews. This fall’s lineup, hitting LCBO shelves throughout the month, includes malty porters, creamy milk stouts and festive ales laced with pumpkin and cozy baking spices. Here, our top eight picks.

Amsterdam Autumn Hop
$4.75 | 500 mL | 6.5%

Most beers are made with dry hop pellets. This wet-hopped pale ale gets its clean, floral aroma and citrusy backbone from freshly harvested hops, which are added to the brewing process just hours after leaving the vine. Best consumed fresh, preferably on a warm autumn afternoon.

Deschutes Black Butte Porter
$5.30 | 650 mL | 5.2%

The popular Oregon brewery’s flagship porter, available for the first time at the LCBO, balances sweet roasted malts with coffee, dark chocolate and a dry, hoppy finish. At only 5.2 per cent alcohol content, it’s a highly drinkable option.

Dieu du Ciel Pénombre
$12.25 | 4 x 341 mL | 6.5%

Black IPAs blend the toasted malts you’d expect in a porter with the stronger, hoppier flavours of an American-style IPA. The dry, herbal finish is beautifully balanced with notes of dark chocolate, sweet dried fruit and strong black coffee.

Great Lakes Brewery Saison Dupump
$5.95 | 650 mL | 5.2%

Pumpkin beers are polarizing among beer geeks: some love them and some can’t stand them. This take on the Belgian saison should satisfy even the haters. Peppery yeast and bready malts dominate, while nutmeg, clove and other sweet spices stay soft and subtle on the palate.

La Vache Folle Imperial Milk Stout
$5.65 | 500 mL | 9%

Milk Stouts aren’t too common in Ontario, so we’re excited to find this option from Quebec’s Microbrasserie Charlevoix. Lactose gives the beer its characteristic sweetness and silky texture, like adding cream to coffee. Here, malty stout flavours give way to a slightly bitter finish with just a hint of licorice.

Lost Coast 8 Ball Stout
$4.80 | 650 mL | 6.3%

A rich oatmeal stout that delivers an instant hit of milk chocolate and toasted oat, complemented by underlying notes of coffee and sweet caramel. A thin mouthfeel and hoppy finish make for an easy drinking stout.

Sawdust City Long Dark Voyage to Uranus
$7.95 | 650 mL | 8.5%

Full bodied and robust, the Russian Imperial Stout hits the palate with notes of dark chocolate, roasted coffee, smoke and anise. The finish, though, is bone-dry with an uncharacteristically bracing bitterness. Despite the 8.5 per cent alcohol content, it doesn’t actually taste that strong, which means it can creep up on you quickly.

Southern Tier Pumking Ale
$9.05 | 650 mL | 8.6%

Sweet and spicy, the festive ale tastes exactly like a slice of pumpkin pie with intensely aromatic notes of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. It’s a fun beer to share on a chilly autumn evening, but you’ll probably want to stop at just one.