13 Beers To Try At The 2025 The Autumn Brew Review
The Autumn Brew Review is happening at Boom Island Park on Saturday, October 11th. Tickets are still available if you don’t have yours yet! It is a fine showcase of craft beers put on by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. This festival is a goodbye to summer and a welcome to fall. In fact, this year will be my 14th Autumn Brew Review. I love connecting with friendly faces in the local craft beer community at this event. The beers being poured at this festival lean heavily into Okotberfest options and fresh hop beers. What a time to be alive. I have perused the list and found some beers that I am excited to try in hopes of pointing people in the right direction. If you want to create your own list, the full list of beers being poured is available here.
The beer list
I think that sometimes, finding beers in a big list can be daunting, so below is my list of beers I am really pumped to try.
Are you getting fresh with me???
It is fresh hop season in Minnesota, and I love how these beers present the bright and palate-titillating hop essence. Luckily, there are some great options available at the Autumn Brew Review for the hopheads to celebrate and enjoy.
“Anytime I see Idaho 7 hops in a beer, my heart starts beating a little faster, and Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On starts playing in my head.”
Local Beer Enthusiast
The Freehouse-Idaho 7 Fresh Hop
Anytime I see Idaho 7 hops in a beer, my heart starts beating a little faster, and Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On starts playing in my head. The Freehouse often gets lost in the shuffle. I know I am guilty of overlooking the fact that they churn out great beers and are a decorated brewpub in the North Loop. I am hoping that the citrus notes and pine resin finish really shine in this beer.
Castle Danger Brewery-Fresh Hop ’25
I look forward to this Castle Danger Brewery offering every single year. This year, the beer utilizes PINK Hops (ID-158). I have never had these hops before. A great thing about fresh hops is that it is a phenomenal way to showcase a hop’s characteristics.
Lakeville Brewing-Fesh Hop Ale
Lakeville Brewing is a brewpub that knows their way around any style, thanks to their brewmaster Randy Clay. So, I will definitely be lined up to try their version of a fresh hop beer.
Pryes Brewing-Fresh Hop Glamorama
Pryes Brewing, in addition to bringing a fesh hop beer, is probably going to be a popular place after the fest considering it is a hop, skip, and a jump from Boom Island Park. I am excited to try this beer. It looks like it will be a nice combo of pine and citrus.
Clink em’ and drink em’ at the autumn brew review
It wouldn’t be a craft beer festival in the fall without the beer styles that many of us beer geeks associate with the season: Oktoberfest. I am so giddy that there will be the three, yes, three beers that make up the Oktoberfest style category, represented at Autumn Brew Review.
Town Hall Brewery-Oktoberfest Wiesn
This is akin to what you would find if you went to Germany for Oktoberfest. Town Hall Brewery is actually bringing so many great options, but this is a unique offering to try. Heck, if you really like it, head over the the brewery after and have a full pour along with some delicious food. But don’t take my word for it, Kelly Ripa loves their burger, too.
Spiral Brewery-Foxtoberfest
Given how wonderful all the other Spiral Brewery beers are, this one is definitely in my craft beer crosshairs. Foxtoberfest is a Marzen-style oktoberfest and will run a bit more into the caramel-realm of malty goodness. If the temperatures are crisp, this will be the perfect drinker for the day’s festivities.
Lupulin Brewing-Festbier
It isn’t that hair-brained an idea to just set up a lawn chair at Lupulin’s booth at the Autumn Brew Review. They are bringing a list of beers that would have the ghost of Michael Jackson agog with craft beer FOMO. Their festbier is a thing of beauty. I drank several delicious pours of it a few weeks back at their Oktoberfest party. I think you should absolutely try it because I know you’ll like it.
Beers that David S. Pumpkins would love at Autumn brew review
Remember that one time when people used to think pineapple on a pizza was a great way to divide the country? Then, pumpkin beers absolutely flooded the liquor stores shelves. I remember trying 33 different pumpkins beers in 2016. Those days are long gone. The next year, pumpkin beers just sat on the shelves, signaling the over-saturation of one of my favorite beer styles. Well, if you are one of the 8 people who checked the pumpkin beer lover box on the 2020 US Census, I have some good news. There are some pumpkin beers pouring this year at the Autumn Brew Review.
Boom island Brewing-punkin’ pie
Don’t worry, Boom Island Brewing did not harm any pumpkins in the making of this beer. In fact, there is just a really deftly curated use of pumpkin pie spices in the beer that evoke the best of fall memories. This beer won Best in Show at the MN Brewers Cup Awards last spring, so give it a try!
Town Hall brewery-Petunia’s Pumpkin
This is, by far, my favorite local pumpkin beer and it shouldn’t shock anyone that it is a Town Hall Brewery beer. This, to me, is the perfect pumpkin beer because each sip is a confluence of pumpkin spice, malt flavor, and drinkability. If you don’t want yours, I will drink it.
wandering leaf brewing-pumpkin queen
Wandering Leaf Brewing does a lot of envelope-pushing when it comes to flavors and concepts in their beer. One of my favorite things on the beer calendar is when they release all of their fantastic Halloween beers. Erica, the Head Brewer, just knows how to have fun with the beers she brews. The Pumkin Queen is no exception. This is the third year that this beer has been brewed with fellow brewer, E., from Bad Weather Brewing. I can’t wait to try it!!!
Dark Beers at Autumn Brew Review
For me, Fall also means the start of the spookiest time of the year; when I take a Bikram yoga class… Just kidding. I am talking about Halloween. I also like the turnover from the lighter beers of summer to the darker beers of fall. Remember, just because a beer is dark in color, doesn’t mean it is heavy.
Padraigs Brewing-Dullahan’s Dark Dry Irish Stout
This is a fantastic homage to the iconic Irish style that is synonymous with pub culture. If you have been to Padraigs Brewing, you know why this beer does so well. It is roasty, dry, and the perfect sipper to accompany some great Irish music. If you can’t get to Ireland, this might be the next best thing if you can’t catch a leprechaun to play Yahtzee with.
Heavy rotation-Cold stout
Heavy Rotation Brewing always has great beers on tap. I like that the taplist is quite a cornucopia of styles that take inspiration from Josh’s (Head Brewer) travels and passion for craft beer. This is a stout fermented with lager yeast. I cannot say that I have had many beers like this and I am excited to try it!
wooden ship brewing-Hey Mr. Belvedere
Wooden Ship Brewing debuted this beer a few years ago. Hey Mr. Belvedere is an English Mild Ale and clocks in at 3.1% ABV. It is a fantastic beer for anyone who appreciates flavor and a sessionable ABV. This beer is tremendous and I plan on drinking a lot of it.
I hope that helps get your wheels turning when it comes to what you want to drink. There are going to be a whole ton of other things to do at the Autumn Brew Review. If you want to hear all about it, below is the link to the podcast I did with Bob and Lindsey from the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild. Cheers!