Raise a glass to the heady drinks of fall

"It's deep fall. You can't fake your way through a margarita or bottle of rosé once the chill of November sets in. What you can do is dive into the spice, syrup, and toasty warmth of fall brews and booze. Because New England owns fall flavors, this guide to autumnal libations leans hard into local companies. From beers to bourbon, there's a style and flavor for all fall palates."

"Think you stop drinking pumpkin brew after Halloween? Wrong. Mid-October is when you start; the Monday after Thanksgiving is the right time to put them away. If you're looking for a beer with punch, try Night Shift's Pumpkin Piescraper Pumpkin Pie Ale. The 7% beer has a smooth but deeply seasonal flavor full of pie spice. Wormtown Fresh Patch Pumpkin Ale is a little lighter at 4.5% but has a good body and a nice nose somewhere between fresh pumpkin and a just-out-of-the-oven pie."

"The Boston distillery sent its bourbon barrels to Woodlife Ranch in the Berkshires. They filled them with syrup and let it age. Then they bottled their syrup and shipped the barrels back. For anyone worried this booze will taste like a trip to Ihop, it doesn't. Make your favorite Manhattan with this and taste how subtly-but-wonderful the flavor is - that maple is there in just a whisper of the finish and aroma."

Deep fall favors warm, spiced, and toasty beverages suited to cooler weather. The guide prioritizes New England producers across beers, bourbon, and wines. Pumpkin beers peak from mid-October through the Monday after Thanksgiving, with Night Shift's Pumpkin Piescraper offering 7% pumpkin-pie spice and Wormtown's Fresh Patch at 4.5% providing a lighter, oven-warm aroma. Non-pumpkin options include Jack's Abby Framinghammer, a 10% imperial Baltic porter with toasted malt, and Extra Layer, a caramel Munich-style dark lager. Bully Boy's maple syrup barrel-aged bourbon yields a subtle maple whisper ideal in Manhattans. Local Rhode Island reds are noted as fall-friendly wines.

Read at Boston Herald