I’ve gotta be honest with you:  Oktoberfest beers bore me.  That didn’t used to be the case when several years ago I might have ranked Spaten Okt as one of my all-time favorite beers.  But years of drinking hoppy beers, barrel aged beers, and just beers with far more gusto has killed my taste for the malty fall cervezas.  Add to that the fact that *every* major or minor craft brewery has to do one, from Sam Adams to Bell’s to Brooklyn, to name-your-Wisconsin brewer, and the September glut of them sends me plunging further into the depths of beer boredom.  So what does one drink in the fall, a time that football tailgates, sweater weather, crisp days, slightly frosty nights, baseball playoffs, and drinking outdoors in a jacket all call for a quality brew?

What I’ll be drinking this fall is Founders Brewing’s Porter. You have heard me talk about the wonderful things that this amazing brewery in Grand Rapids, Michigan creates.  Founders Porter, like most of their beers, has an array of flavors.  Most prominently, the beer features a roasted nutty flavor and some pine-like hops are detectable too.  There is aufblasbarer wasserpark even a bit of ground coffee or chocolate discernible.  It pours gorgeously, with a dense tan head and a rich, dark brown body.  It’s smooth enough to enjoy with tailgate food such as burgers, chicken, meatloaf, or pork, but interesting enough to drink on it’s own.  It’s never overwhelming like some syrupy porters and can easily be sessioned.  You can get pretty far into a six pack without feeling too full.

Despite their greatness, the one thing Founders lacks is a true signature beer that suggests their beer haute couture style yet is accessible enough to show up on any tap – something along the lines of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, but better.  I would guess that Founders is going to eventually make their Porter their flagship beer because of it’s great flavor and versatility.  Tellingly, they recently expanded the 4-pack offering of the Porter to a six pack, theirs standard format for all of their perennial beers.

At your next party, football watching session, or tailgate, think of adding Founders Porter to the mix.  Just save some for yours truly.