Full Pint: With a change in seasons
comes heightened flavors in the glass

By Kevin Patterson and Tres Watson
KyForward contributors

Noticeably shorter days, school busses making the rounds and grown men obsessing over their favorite football teams all mean one thing: autumn has arrived!

While we can see the summer of ’11 in the rear view mirror, it’s likely that our dinner table and beverage glasses see similar diversity as that found in the change of season. The crispness of summer salads is replaced by a crisp nip in the air and thoughts of savory soups, stews and chili become a staple on the shopping list.

It’s only natural, then, for a greater balance to occur in the pint glass as well. Lagers and wheat beers begin to tab with rich beers of brown ales, porters and stronger ales as the weather cools, our schedules steady and a desire for heightened flavors arise. These fall seasonal releases are certain to usher in the harvest season with zeal and wonderment:

Sierra Nevada, Tumbler. Chores of leaf collecting and fodder shock-building become much less of a chore with this rewarding American-style brown ale in hand. This quick thirst- quenching intermission delivers medium-rich flavor of caramel and pecans, which are balanced with the clean citrus bitterness of hops. Finishing malty-dry and with a brisk nutty linger, this well-deserved brown ale provides all the motivation to finish the job.

Great Lakes Nasferatu. Now that the leaves are meticulously raked and your neighbor’s kids have ravishly redistributed them with the fervor of an infestation of bouncy-balls, you’ll need a stronger ale to properly remove that edge. Paired with a savory dish of German goulash, this strong American ale provides a toasty malt base of toffee, bread crust, and sun kissed barley to complement the sweeter meats and pastas. The heightened resiny hop bitterness cleanses the palate while accommodating the seasonings of the entrée. A few of these and you’ll likely forget you had a yard in the first place.

North Coast Old Stock Ale – And with the early setting of the sun, the perfect opportunity arises to hit that nightcap a little sooner. Throw in a movie and allow this succulent English-style strong ale to settle into the glass for the two-hour duration. As the ale warms and the carbonation releases, a plethora of flavors reveal themselves through a procession of caramelized fruits, port-like barley sweetness, herbal tea-like hops and rummy alcohol warmth. An occasional sip will prove rewarding for a day’s job well done, and without the need to push pause for a return to the refrigerator.

And besides, these tasty beers get you through the chores of the day without any neighborhood kids being harmed in the process. Well done my friend, … well done!

Kevin Patterson is the resident beer guide and manager at the Beer Trappe on Euclid Avenue. He is an Army veteran and formerly worked in the architecture profession before taking his love of craft beer into the occupation ranks. Patterson also is a nationally ranked Beer Judge Certification Program beer judge and a Cicerone Certified Beer Server (Cicerones are to beer what sommeliers are to wine.) Throughout the course of his career, he has reviewed 2,800 different beers, judged in more than 100 competitions and festivals, and co-written many articles on the beer culture. He has lived in Lexington for 17 years.

Tres Watson, a graduate of Centre College, is a senior account representative at Peritus, a public relations firm.  Before moving to Lexington, he created and directed the 2004 Border Beer Bust in Augusta, Ga., which featured nearly 200 beers and drew 5,000 attendees over two days.  Watson is an avid beer drinker and a particular fan of IPAs.  He and his wife Laura live in Lexington, are members of the Lexington Beer Aficionados, and can frequently be found at Pazzo’s or the Beer Trappe.