By Brian Beauchemin

Fall typically means pumpkin and spice beers galore, however, this month’s introductions (mostly) pursue a different path. September releases provide a tribute to Frank Zappa, beers brewed for charities, a wide variety of hops, and omnipresent adjuncts including coffee, spices, and vanilla. A list of new and/or limited releases follows. Unless otherwise stated, all products are already available in taprooms and/or in the local market.

Birdsong Brewing

Inspired by the Frank Zappa song, Cosmik Debris is a 6.5% ABV West Coast IPA utilizing Zappa hops. The beer takes you on a flavor journey as twisting as one of Frank’s solos with distinct notes of passionfruit and mango.

Wake Up Porter is a seasonal brew that provides a solid alternative to the pumpkin spiced-beers that dominate fall line-ups. The medium-bodied, malt-forward profile is enhanced by two pounds of vanilla beans and 30 pounds of Sumatra-Lintong roast coffee from local Central Coffee Co. added to each batch. The 5.8% ABV beer promises a velvety sweetness wrapped in a roastedness that both linger on the palate.

Devil’s Logic Brewing

Control Alt is a clean, crisp lager with rich, grainy maltiness balanced by a sturdy hop bitterness. The 5.4% ABV interpretation of the classic Düsseldorf brew provides a rich and complex maltiness in tandem with a dry finish that asks for one more sip.

Horns & Halos is a collaboration with Divine Barrel Brewing. The 7.6% ABV West Coast IPA uses Centennial hops for piney, citrusy enjoyment.

Moving over to the hazy side of things, Silent Noise is a 6.3% ABV New England IPA. Notes of peach, sweet citrus and coconut abound from the additions of Cascade, Cashmere, and Citra hops.

Legion Brewing

In honor of his wedding this month, Legion head brewer, Scott Head, brewed a unique beer inspired by a Japanese soft drink. Samurai Chonk is a 5.5 % ABV melon creamsicle sour utilizing Carolina Malt grains, Zappa hops, honeydew, soursop, and lactose all providing a smooth sour with vibrant fruit character.

NoDa Brewing

Drop Dead Gordgeous is an imperial pumpkin ale clocking in at 8.8% ABV. This pumpkin-beer-on-steroids is made with real pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ginger root, and hand-cracked spices including allspice, cloves, and cardamom.

The annual release of Court Shoes Only is a fruited hazy IPA fermented on mango and guava. The 6.9% ABV draft is part of a city-wide collaborative beer initiative to benefit ACEing Autism.

Banana Split is 6.7% ABV blonde stout that releases September 22. This unique brew is made with flaked oats, flaked barley, and lactose. Banana notes come from the use of Banaza yeast and the beer is fermented on strawberry puree, then rested on cocoa nibs and vanilla beans.

Brewed for Pink Pint Night, Gose Pink or Go Home is a 3.8% ABV gose brewed with pink Himalayan sea salt and raspberry. Releases September 28 in their North End taproom.

The following day SLURP Tsunami, an imperial IPA, will be released. A wide range of hops are utilized in this 9.5% heavy hitter: Experimental 17701, Citra Incognito, Simcoe, Mosaic Incognito, Strata, Citra Lupomax, and El Dorado CGX.

Olde Mecklenburg Brewery

Hornets Nest Sting, a taproom-only release, is a higher alcohol expression of the brewery’s Hornets Nest Hefeweizen. At 7.4% ABV, this spin on the “original hazy” ale is a subtly sweet wheat beer, rich in body, finishing with balanced notes of banana and clove from the unique hefeweizen yeast.

Sycamore Brewing

Small Batch Mids is a 6.7% ABV IPA with a wild ride of fun flavors including tropical fruits, berries, cherries, citrus, and fruit-forward candy all laid over a dank foundation.

Town Brewing

Town celebrated its five year anniversary on September 15 and released five beers in honor of the day. Court Shoes Only is a 5.2% ABV pale ale that is light bodied and crisp with a firm, underlying hop presence. The Charlotte-wide collaboration benefits ACEing Autism.

Emotional Support Badger is an English amber ale. The 5.7% ABV brew is well balanced between the malts and hop bitterness providing sweet malt in tandem with herbal and earthy hop character.

Short Britches is a peach wheat lager. The 4.9% ABV light lager has a soft pillowy mouthfeel with subtle peach flavor and a clean crisp finish.

On the opposite end of a light lager, Legacy Blend is a barrel-aged strong ale. This hefty 11.5% ABV brew is a 50/50 blend of their Rakefire Imperial Stout and Varsity Barleywine. Both beers rested separately in whiskey barrels for almost a year, were then blended and finished in Tawny Port Barrels for another 6 months. The result is a full-bodied brew with a delicate complexity. One beer doesn’t overpower the other while allowing the barrel character of the port to shine.

Last but not least, Quatro Krazy is a 9% ABV blue raspberry-flavored seltzer.

Triple C Brewing

Festbier is a 5.6% ABV traditional German festbier to celebrate Oktoberfest. The lager is golden in color, with aromas of biscuit, toast, and honey. A medium bitterness from German noble hops supports a solid malt backbone. Crisp and dry, and available in one liter stein pours.

Maple Pecan Espresso is the brewery’s version of a fall pumpkin beer. The golden ale was brewed with roasted pecans, praline coffee, and maple. This September 15 release offers flavors of nutty pecan and sweet praline, balanced by the maple and coffee aroma wrapped up in 6.3% ABV.

Kei Truck, a Japanese rice lager, is brewed with flaked rice for a crisp, light, easy-drinking, dry flavor. The 4.2% ABV lager releases September 22.

Brewed in support of the Ales for ALS program, Cure ALS is a 6.9% ABV hazy IPA hopped with a blend of seven hop varieties. Aromas range from bright citrus zest to tropical juicy fruit to cherry candy aromas. Help support a cure for ALS, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig’s disease, through buying a pint starting on its September 22 release date.

Bier, a traditional German pilsner provides aromas of whole grain bread crust with a touch of noble hops. Balanced malt sweetness on the palate with a medium bitterness, this 5.4% ABV pilsner is medium bodied with a crisp, dry finish. Releases September 29.

Wooden Robot

Brewed in celebration of their 1,500th batch, Space Magic 1500 is an amped up version of an old favorite. This 7.2% ABV hazy IPA was double dry-hopped with copious amounts of Citra, Cashmere, and Simcoe hops for uncanny pineapple aroma, and a medley of juicy, fruity, tropical flavor.

The official beer of the South End Shuffle Race, South End Shuffle Blonde Ale, is specially designed to be an ideal post-run beer. This 5% ABV brew is crisp and refreshing while still full of flavor. Moderate hopping provides floral and fruity notes over a background of freshly-baked bread. On tap now at both locations with limited six-packs available at their South End location.

Court Shoes Only — the brewery’s version of this Charlotte-wide collaboration beer, benefitting ACEing Autism — is a double IPA. Loaded with juicy Amarillo, El Dorado, Mosaic, and Zappa hops this beer is surprisingly crushable even with an 8.2% ABV.

Unpretentious People Say...

Other Articles You Might Enjoy