The colors of the leaves are changing here at Tröegs. As we transition from summer to fall, we’ve been busy brewing up a cornucopia of colorful new autumn-themed Scratch Beers. But we can’t think of a better way to kick off our own harvest season with the release of our perennial fall favorite, Dead Reckoning Porter.

Landing squarely between the warm summer rays of Sunshine Pils and the holiday hysteria of Mad Elf, Dead Reckoning proves to be a perfect beer for the cooler fall months. It’s a rich, robust porter with an assertive hop presence and plenty of coffee and chocolate notes to warm the soul. Dead Reckoning is currently available on draft in our Tasting Room as well as bottles, six-packs and cases in our General Store. You can also look for Dead Reckoning at distributors and bottle shops in your area.

With the change of the seasons also comes a variety of Scratch beers that cover new territory for us.

• We’re excited to announce the release Scratch #76 – Special HOPS today! Special HOPS is an Imperial Red Ale brewed especially for the HydroWorx Underwater Marathon event to be held on Sunday, September 9 to benefit The Eagle Fund. Just like the highly-trained military units used for unconventional, often high-risk missions, Special HOPS is bold, aggressive and sure to sabotage your senses and bombard your palate with hop bitterness. Special HOPS is currently available on draft in our Tasting Room via pints and growler fills, as well as in single bottles, six-packs and cases in our General Store.

• Currently available, Scratch #73 – Fest Lager is our take on the classic Oktoberfest, or Märzen, style… but with a twist. At 35 IBUs, this lager goes against the grain by boasting a fairly hefty hop presence, giving the flavor a moderate bitter twist while still maintaining the classic malt character that you’ve come to expect from a traditional Fest Bier. Scratch #73 is currently on tap in our Tasting Room, and bottles are available in the General Store.

• Other Scratch beers in the works include a pumpkin beer brewed with pumpkins roasted in-house, and a wet hop ale featuring hops delivered straight to the brewery and used immediately in order to retain the fresh hop oils that give the beer its olfactory sensory overload!

And speaking of sensory overload, Chef Christian DeLutis has been working diligently on creating a fantastic seasonal menu perfect for fall. Chock-full of small and large plate dishes, sandwiches, and sweets, the new Snack Bar menu will emphasize fresh, simple, local ingredients. Some of these creations include Mad Elf fondue, pumpkin risotto, duck confit with fig marmalade and white bean ragout, and black bean tacos with pumpkin guacamole.

Finally, Saturday, September 29 marks another “Full Moon Firkin” event. This time, the event falls on the Full Harvest Moon, the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox. To celebrate, please join us in Tasting Room at 3 p.m. for our second take on this event. Last month saw Tröegs employee Shawn Grant and long-time Tröegs fan Dave Vogelsong each tap a firkin of Perpetual IPA at the inaugural event. Sometimes referred to as the “Wine Moon,” we here at Tröegs all agree that the Harvest Moon is undoubtedly the “Beer Moon” for sure!

Look for video updates throughout the month on all these blog items.