Brewers are marking fall’s arrival with an uber-interesting roster of beers that celebrate the season and then some.

Flannel Friday ( Boston, MA) – Few things say New England quite like a crisp autumn afternoon, a favorite flannel shirt, and the right craft beer And Harpoon Brewery has returned a fall seasonal that captures the essence of all those things. Crafted with a deft menu of Citra, Simcoe, and Cascade hops and Maine-grown malt, Flannel Friday is a 5.7%  ABV Amber Ale that lands somewhere between a hoppy brown ale and a red IPA.

For Harpoon, its return marks more than fall’s arrival. The brewery is celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2026 after first opening its doors in Boston in 1986, the city’s first craft brewery. And at a time when craft beer was still finding its footing in New England, Harpoon helped lay the foundation for the region’s thriving beer scene.

Stein Season (Paso Robles, CA) – For years Firestone Walker celebrated “Stein Season” with its Oaktoberfest release, a full-bodied Märzen-style lager aged in French oak wine barrels. But this year the brewery collaborated with Mahrs Bräu, a legendary independent family-owned brewery in Bamberg, Germany, with 356 years of history and generations of German lager know-how.

(Courtesy Firestone Walker)

Built on a foundation of genuine Bamberger Pilsen malt, the exact same base malt that Mahrs Bräu uses for its own legendary lagers in Bamberg,  Firestone + Mahrs Bräu Oktoberfest is a 6% ABV Fest Bier that is crisp, smooth, and drinkable, thanks to its long, cold lager fermentation process.

Brewed with fully German ingredients, apart from the water in their brewhaus, this year’s Festbier is rooted in centuries of heritage and a shared connection between family-run breweries built on craftsmanship and tradition. Think modern Munich Festbier: full-flavored, balanced, and made for another round.

Prost! (Sausalito, CA) –  Best Day Brewing, the second largest independent non-alcoholic craft brewer in the country, has released something special, an Oktoberfest beer that won’t muddy your head. Delivering the full festival beer experience without any of the alcohol, Best Day Oktoberfest is a Märzen-style lager with a malty nose, a subtly sweet body and delicately hopped character. A beloved style originally enjoyed at Oktoberfest in Munich and now brewed all over the world, Best Day’s version pays homage to the centuries-old tradition.

Haunting (Portland, ME) – The award-winning Allagash Brewing is gearing up for fall with the return of something “grave.” Inspired by a love of pitch-black porters and the brewery’s “House Beer” Allagash Haunted House is a 6.6% ABV American Dark Ale with a coffee-flavored bitterness and hauntingly complex malty palate.

Hopped and dry-hopped with rotating varieties like Cascade, Nugget, Northern Brewer, Crystal, Chinook, or Saaz, this annual release unapologetically leans into its dank, earthy, hop profile. Plus it’s brewed using a smart blend of roasted barley and Blackprinz malt, which gives this unique beer its deep dark hue and rich creaminess.

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