Fall Beers Have Arrived!

It’s late August and that can only mean one thing in the beer world- it’s time for fall seasonal brews! Let’s hear it for FALL BEERS… in August...

Anyhow, the two that I’ll be testing out today come from a pair of my favorite breweries: The Vermont based Magic Hat Brewing Company and the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. out of California.

The latest concoction from Magic Hat, Hex, is supposed to be its autumn seasonal, or what they’re describing as Ourtoberfest (ha-ha clever). An amber lager with an impressive 5.4% ABV, they describe the idea behind Hex and Ourtoberfest as follows:

Ourtoberfest is a celebration of the kindred spirits from seasons past. As they rise from their wooded underworld, a Hex is cast across the land, and song and dance and celebrate the low-slung sun.
To the fallen leaves, barren branches and frosted fields they toast: To the gateway of a new season as it opens. The Hex falls upon us all, a want for warmth within the season’s change.

Ok, so right off the bat, this is NOT an Oktoberfest, it’s an Ourtoberfest? Got it. So I should be expecting an autumn style, dark-but-not-too-dark, warmer beer instead of the heavy and spiced up Oktoberfest brews; sounds good to me.

To cut in real quick, last fall Magic Hat released Roxy Rolles as its autumn brew, a 5.1% ABV amber ale that was pretty damn good. It was a bit on the hoppy side but it will surely be missed, if not because of the taste than because of the awesome motorcycle label design slapped across the bottle. Hex is its replacement and (not surprisingly) it fits in perfectly.

A tasty amber ale, Hex is wicked from the get go. It’s almost sweet at first (these are the guys who brought us #9), but the finish is unmistakably dark. The website describes the brew as “A malty amber ale with hints of toffee and caramel and a slightly smoky finish,” and the description is right on the money. It starts off incredibly sweet and finishes like an autumn-based ale should- a nice, warm feeling. Not much else to say about Hex except go the fuck out and buy some right now! It could go the way of the Roxy Rolles…

Next on the menu is Tumbler from Sierra Nevada. An autumn brown ale, Tumbler boasts a 5.5% ABV and is significantly more bitter than the Magic Hat autumn ale- Hex came in at 25 while Tumbler is up around 37 (all this means is while Hex is a bit on the sweet side, Tumbler has some kick to it).

The Sierra Nevada website describes the beer:

As the nights grow cool, the leaves on the valley oaks begin to turn and fall. In honor of this yearly dance, we bring you Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale and invite you to enjoy the show. We use malt within days of roasting at the peak of its flavor to give Tumbler a gracefully smooth malt character. So pour a glass, and grab a window seat to watch as the leaves come tumbling down.

Another major difference between the two is color. Tumbler has a much darker color, not as dark as a Guinness would be, but not nearly as light as Hex, which almost had a reddish hue to it. This brew is also much more aromatic and has an almost chocolaty/coffee taste to it, similar to Hex but not nearly as sweet and much heavier on the end. While yes, it is more bitter, the bitterness gives it a stronger body than Hex- this is the shit lumberjacks drink... well, besides maple syrup and whiskey (they call it waffler).

My overall opinion of the two beers is positive. I could see myself drinking more Hex than Tumbler simply because Hex has a great start taste and good finish, while Tumbler is a bit on the heavier side. Hex is a sit-at-the-bar-and-pound type of beer, while Tumbler is a sit-by-the-fire-and-sip brew. Despite my favoritism to Hex’s taste, I think Tumbler is the better tasting AUTUMN beer- I could certainly see myself drinking a few as the weather cools down and I feel like it represents the fall season better than the Magic Hat beer does.

Hex 7/10
Tumbler 7.5/10