Southport Magazine

Ray Williams is a contributor to Southport Magazine and owner of Southport’s The Wine Rack.

From the first chilled breeze of September, one thing is for certain: The thought on everyone’s mind—and tastebuds—is the tantalizing flavors of autumn. From that one comfortably cool day, it’s impossible to ignore urges to sprinkle the hint of pumpkin in everything we consume. Spices emerge from their dusty places on cabinet shelves, from cinnamon to nutmeg, to add a dash of warmth to our meals. If a pumpkin spice latte just isn’t enough to satiate your need, never fear—we have you covered.

Ray Williams, owner of The Wine Rack in Southport, offers up four autumn choices in craft brews. His selections range from North Carolina’s Highland Brewing Company in Asheville to as far across the globe as Germany.

Clawhammer Oktoberfest
Highland Brewing Company
Asheville, North Carolina
A Märzenbier
ABV: 5% • IBU: 25
Brewed with: five malts, Hallertau Mittlefrue and German Spalt Select hops.
Brownish orange in color with aromas of caramel and fresh-baked bread. Flavors of toasty malts that begin slightly sweet and end with a slight hoppy bitterness, indicative of an American craft beer. The only negative is it’s a little thin. Nonetheless, this is a very nice beer—I could easily drink more than one.

Oktober Fest-Märzen
Brauerei Ayinger
Aying, Germany
A Bavarian Märzenbier
ABV: 5.8% • IBU: 21
Deep gold with a rich, malty aroma. The slightly sweet, savory flavors of caramel malts, honey and bread make the hops barely noticeable. This medium-bodied beer is an excellent choice for most Holiday fare.

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Milton, Delaware
ABV: 7% • IBU: 28
Brewed with: pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices
This craft beer offers a nice, deep copper color with aromas of pumpkin pie and brown sugar—this is one of the few pumpkin beers that actually taste of pumpkin. A mild bitterness gives it good backbone without being harsh on the finish. Don’t serve too cold or you’ll miss out on wonderful complexities.

Crème Brûlée Imperial Stout
Southern Tier Brewing Company
Lakewood, New York
An Imperial stout
ABV: 9.5% • IBU: Unknown
Brewed with: vanilla beans, brown sugar
A thick and dark beer that is sweet and decadently rich. Taste is heavily saccharine with vanilla and brown sugar. The alcohol at 9.5% is hardly noticeable. For what it is, this is a very good beer. I would drink it as or with dessert.

TAKE SOME NOTES:
• Märzen is beer brewed in March to be ready for the September and October beer festivals. This style is characterized by a medium to full body, a malty flavor and a clean, dry finish.
• ABV = Alcohol by Volume
• IBU = International Bitterness Units; official scale for assessing a beer by its perceived bitterness