(Courtesy Schlafly Beer)

Fall is ON and the winter holidays closer than you think. And brewers are addressing the changing seasons with new variety packs that are making buying in bulk cool again.

Schlafly Hall of Fame Stout Bout Sampler

Schlafly Beer, St. Louis’ original craft brewery, has released a cold-weather all-stout sampler that’s perfect for the season. And this year’s variety pack features four different hand-picked fan favorites.

The 2020 Stout Bout Sampler included a ballot where beer fans could vote for their favorite Schlafly Stout, and the top four beers are included in this year’s Hall of Fame. Apart from Oatmeal Stout, all of the beers are exclusively available in the variety pack.

Schlafly’s Stout Bout Hall of Fame features three bottles of four beer styles including…

• Mexican Chocolate Stout (6% ABV): A classic American stout inspired by all the characteristics of real, Mexican-style hot chocolate. Creamy, roasty, sweet elements provide a perfect base for the addition of cocoa nibs, which the brewers add directly to the fermenter to age until their finest flavors blend with the stout.
• Vanilla Milk Stout (5.2% ABV): Brewed with vanilla and lactose, this stout packs a punch of sweetness backed up with a solid, malty base.
• Salted Caramel Stout (6% ABV): This all-American stout is rich and creamy. Using sea salt and caramel for a smooth, sweet, and bold declaration of decadence.
• Oatmeal Stout (ABV: 5.7%): A classic that delivers exactly what you’d expect in a British-style stout. Brewed to bring out the smooth, roasted malt and a touch of sweetness, Schlafly Oatmeal Stout has been a fan favorite since 1991.

Additionally, this year’s sample pack packaging will have a QR code where fans can send in their own stout suggestions for new brews in next year’s Stout Bout.

(Courtesy Short’s Brewing)

Short’s Super Hoppy Holidays Variety Pack 2021

Leaves and temps aren’t the only things dropping in much of the country this weekend.

Short’s Brewing is once again upping the ante on the traditional holiday 12-Pack concept by offering an even more bountiful package with 18 uber-hoppy beers for the holidays…A huge undertaking for the Elk Rapids, Michigan-based brewery that takes up tons of tank space and two days spent hand-packing each individual case.

Short’s most ambitious pack to date, the 18 pack of six varieties returns this year with fan favorite IPAs like…Juicy Tree, a 9.3% ABV experimental IPA featuring hand-harvested spruce tips, juniper berries and cranberries; the triple dry-hopped 9.1% ABV Double Psychedelic Cat Grass IPA, and the 7.4% ABV Yoda’s Blend IPA.

Available starting in November in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and Colorado Short’s Super Hoppy Holidays 2021 also features three brand new beers that are exclusive to this uber-cool variety pack;  Humongous Huma, a 12.7 % ABV Triple IPA, Double MMMKay, an 8.9% ABV Double India Pale Lager and Snow Globe; an 8.1% ABV Double Hazy IPA.