A new season means a whole new crop of things to eat and drink! Sure, you can drink gin and tonics all year long, but cooling temperatures seem to ask for bolder flavor profiles, richer textures and, sometimes, a heftier proof. You know … for warmth. All across Pennsylvania, craft breweries, wineries, cideries, distilleries and meaderies are launching autumnal products, specifically geared with the fall and all its cozy, festive vibes in mind.
Here are 7 to try this year:
Boardroom Spirits New Bottled Cocktails
Boardroom Spirits has been leaning into the ready-to-drink cocktail trend, with delicious results (remember those picnic-perfect canned Moscow Mules?)! Lansdale’s award-winning craft distillery is back at it again with the release of two, new seasonal ready-to-drink bottled cocktails: Vanilla Peartini and Blueberry Blush. Unlike spritzy summer sippers, these combine bold, rich flavors and warming spices, like pears and cardamom.
Blueberry Blush combines citrus-infused vodka and blueberry syrup punched up with fresh lemon juice and a touch of cardamom. Vanilla Peartini starts with Boardroom’s premium vodka with spiced pear syrup flavored with real Madagascar vanilla beans and fresh lemon juice. Enjoy these on the rocks, with a splash of soda or, mixed into a hot toddy, if you’re feeling creative, shaken up with other ingredients of your choosing! Shop online.
Cellar Beast Winehouse Cabernet Sauvignon
Back in May of 2021, we shared the news of this new low-intervention winery and cidery coming to the Poconos. Now, Cellar Beast Winehouse is open and rocking, with its tasting room open to the public Friday through Sunday, pouring plenty of wine and cider. For a crisp evening, there’s nothing quite like a Cabernet Sauvignon, a varietal known for making wines with depth, length and tannic structure. Cellar Beast’s fits the bill a smooth texture and a big body, and aromas of dark plum, ripe stone fruit, violet, smoke and pepper. A glass alongside homemade beef stew or roasted root veggies is pure fall perfection.
Meduseld Meadery Skandi Coffee Mead
Mead, made from fermented honey, doesn’t have to be sweet and intense. Over the past few years, we’ve seen lots of Pennsylvania meaderies produce canned, sparkling meads that are more akin to craft cider or hard seltzer than a syrupy dessert beverage. Of course, sometimes a hit of deep, concentrated honey goodness is just what you want to finish off a meal or amplify a night around the fire. In those cases, give Skandi, made with semi-sweet clover honey with locally roasted coffee beans, a try. It’s made by Meduseld Meadery, a small batch meadery in Lancaster (where you can also go throw axes!). Alluring aromas of fresh morning coffee open up to a floral, slightly sweet palate for a unique and comforting sip. Shop online.
Nomad Distilling Co. Maple Whiskey
Pumpkin gets a lot of play during the fall, but we think maple deserves to be right up there with it! The smooth, robust sweetness of PA maple lends a touch of coziness to everything it touches! It’s no surprise that it plays exceptionally well with whiskey — stirring up a maple Manhattan is a must on the first truly cold autumn night. If you’re looking to add a bottle of maple whiskey to your home bar, choose something local, like Tapped from Williamsport-based Nomad Distilling Co. The base is corn whiskey, infused with real Pennsylvania maple syrup, for a potent potable that can be sipped on the rocks or neat, or incorporated into your favorite brown spirits cocktails! Shop online.
Sly Fox & 2SP’s Dog Will Hunt Hoppy Lager
We love how collaborative the craft brewing communities across Pennsylvania are! A recent example of that spirit is Dog Will Hunt Hoppy Lager, a new release from Sly Fox Brewing Company and 2SP Brewing Company. Though lagers aren’t the trendiest of beers, many brewers prefer them to super-hopped hazy IPAs, and this beer came about after a lager-bonding session between team members of both breweries.
The goal of the collab was to make a beer that straddled lager and IPA characteristics: something with plenty of flavor that’s also sessionable, with a clean, crisp quality, new and traditional German hop varieties and alluring aromatics from the dry hopping process. It’s a great style for fall, when the afternoons are warm and sunny, and a light chill settles in throughout the evening. Curious about the beer’s name? It’s borrowed from Primus song, a funk metal band that both breweries are fans of.
Dog Will Hunt Hoppy Lager is a limited release, which you can find at the four Eastern PA Sly Fox pubs and 2SP’s brewery and taproom in Aston, PA, at Two Stones Pub‘s locations in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and distributed throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.
Spring Gate Vineyard Sweet Pumpkin Spice CDR
You’ve tried pumpkin spice in your coffee (and in who knows how many other things!), but have you tried it in cider? The Sweet Pumpkin Spice CDR from Spring Gate Vineyard — made with juice from Pennsylvania-grown apples — is pleasantly sparkling, with a touch of blackberry juice and a warming spice profile. It’s lovely for sipping at brunch or at happy hour (with a splash of vodka to kick things up!).
It’s a bit confusing that the bottle says “Wine Cocktail” when the product itself is indeed hard cider with a bit of other fruit juice added. This is because of a stingy Federal TTB rule that says anyone with a winery license can only label things “cider” that contain 100% apple juice. Bureaucracy aside, all you need to know is that this “CDR” is a tasty seasonal sip to add to your fall lineup!
Victory Brewing Co. Festbier
Sometimes, you’ve just got to stick with the classics. Victory Festbier has been heralding the fall and its many Oktoberfest celebrations for about as long as we can remember. In fact, it’s this PA stalwart’s oldest beer, which they’ve been making since 1995! As always, it’s a great choice for tailgating or that one last barbecue, this easy drinker is made with whole flower German hops and imported Munich and Vienna malts from Germany for a subtle sweetness and a delicate nose. During the autumn, you’ll find Festbier in distributors, bottle shops and bars across the state, and of course, at Victory’s own taprooms!
What PA craft beverages are you drinking as we go deeper into the fall? Let us know in the comments here or on the PA Eats Facebook page!
- Feature photo: Dish Works
- All other photos: Courtesy of their respective brands
