Our mission (and we chose to accept it) was to ask knowledgeable bartenders, bar managers and tavern proprietors what beers or wines or cocktails they’d recommend we try this fall. We set off with a good long list of drinking places to visit but barely made it past the Brady Street environs where we started. Here’s a bit of what they told us. More to come, we hope.
Balzac
1716 N. Arlington St.
Stephanie Bennett-
“On tap, we just brought in a farmhouse ale from Surly Brewery in Minnesota called CynicAle. I recommend that through September. Moving into fall, I love Deschutes Brewery’s Fresh Squeezed, an American IPA, also on tap. Those are my go-to beers right now. For wines, we just got a new list. Everything’s changed. It’s been a lot of work for months, but it feels good now. I think our wine on tap is a very cool idea, so for fall I’ll recommend two of those, both American, both reds: Giornata II Campo Red Sonoma County 2013 and Clayhouse Adobe Red Paso Robles 2012.” (John Schneider)
Stubby’s Gastrogrub & Beer Bar
2060 N. Humboldt Blvd. #1
Brad Todd and Grant Willey-
Brad: “We at Stubby’s will not have Oktoberfest before the end of September. Our summers are short enough!” Grant: “An advantage of having 53 beers on tap is that we can offer several Märzen-style beers. They’re great to drink a couple of liters of. My favorite is the Ayinger Oktoberfest from Germany.” Brad: “For an American Oktoberfest, I recommend Great Lakes. Oktoberfest is meant to be carried around in a stein and drunk all day. A lot of American versions are too big, too malty. Great Lakes isn’t overdone.” Grant: “But pumpkin beers can be ridiculous.” Brad: “I like Rumpkin from Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colo.” (John Schneider)
The Standard Tavern
1745 N. Franklin Place
Steve Gilbertson-
“I haven’t made my fall selections yet but I will do a couple of pumpkins. In bottles, for the 22-ounce format I’m thinking of Southern Tier Pumking, a delicious, very rich pumpkin beer, malty and not too sweet; and for the 12-ounce, I’m leaning toward Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale. It plays light on the palate, not so viscous, not so rich, not sugary sweet. On tap, I lean toward the traditional Spaten Oktoberfest, the world’s first Oktoberfest beer, the one they use to kick off Oktoberfest in Germany. It’s one of the best representatives of the style.” (John Schneider)
Pleasant Kafe
1600 N. Jackson St.
Kimberlee Bayer-
“Our special fall wine cocktail is a mulled wine, served warm to warm your innards. In German, it’s called glühwein (glow wine); in Sweden it’s called glögg. I used Grenache instead of pinot noir because it’s a little deeper taste. It’s spiced with almonds, vanilla extract, cinnamon, cloves, grapefruit peel and orange peel. We also offer my ‘adult apple cider.’ I rapidly heat the apple juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel and secret flavorings, then put it in the freezer so the cinnamon settles, then remove the crystalized cinnamon, mix it with Prosecco and float it on top of the drink.” (John Schneider)
Café Benelux & Market
346 N. Broadway
Anthony Lanz-
“For Thanksgiving and fall, one of our most popular beers is Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale. It’s not sugary, and not artificial tasting—it tastes like actual pumpkin. Also this fall, we will have Gulden Draak Brewmaster’s Edition on tap. I’m not aware of anyone else who has it on tap. It’s aged in whiskey barrels for one or two years, which gives it a nice finish. It’s a rare beer—the brewer won’t even tell us what company he’s getting the whiskey barrels from.” (Eric Engelbart)
Sugar Maple
441 E. Lincoln Ave.
Adrienne Pierluissi-
“The Seattle Cider Company’s Pumpkin Spice Cider is a hot item. So many ciders are too sugary, but the Pumpkin Spice Cider is very real, very pure. It’s dry and effervescent with a lovely, light floral flavor. I would also recommend Jolly Pumpkin’s Calabaza Blanca. Jolly Pumpkin is a small brewery with a delicate touch, and the Calabaza Blanca is in the Belgian-style tradition. This fall we’ll also be adding a few beer cocktails to the menu—at this point I’m thinking about a crème brûlée as well as a raspberry beer cocktail.” (Tyler Friedman)
Comet Café
1947 N. Farwell Ave.
Nick Westfahl-
“For this fall, I recommend the Oktoberfest beers from Central Waters, Narragansett and New Glarus. Oktoberfest beers have always been brewed seasonally. The good ones honor traditional style. There are a lot of U.S breweries that mess it up; these guys do it right. For those who prefer a fall ale to an Oktoberfest or Pumpkin beer, I’d recommend Ommegang’s Sythe & Sickle. It’s a harvest brew—it features a whole bunch of grains: barley, oats, wheat and rye.” (Eric Engelbart)
