OTHER AUTUMNAL ALES TO SEEK OUT

Looking for brews that don’t come with a side of scares? Austin-area breweries have you covered.

4th Tap’s Bat Country Cold Brew Coffee Stout. The House of Torment beer isn’t all this North Austin brewery has planned for fall: Bat Country, named for one of Austin’s unofficial mascots, releases at the beginning of October as a collaboration with Wild Gift Coffee.

Austin Eastciders’ Spiced Cider. No, it’s not a beer, but it’s certainly a quintessential fall beverage you can get cozy with. The Spiced Cider is crafted with a mixture of seven sweet and zesty spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger, and it’ll make you feel as though color-changing leaves and sweater weather in September are really possible in Austin.

Celis Brewery’s Wiesn. Oktoberfest originated in Munich, Germany, where it’s still a massive two-week celebration of fall. But while märzen lagers have become the de facto fest biers in the U.S., wiesns — lighter-colored, lighter-bodied cousins — dominate there. Celis has chosen to introduce the rare style here, keeping it on tap at the North Austin brewery through October.

Strange Land Brewery’s Headless Gentleman Imperial

Bourbon Pumpkin Porter. The Westlake-area brewery has canned this decadent seasonal offering for the first time. An imperial version of the Entire Porter with pumpkins and aged on bourbon-infused American oak, it’ll taste like a rich blend of spice and vanilla, held together by a backbone of roasted malts, that makes for a perfect accompaniment to all the cool evenings we hope are ahead.

Zilker Brewing’s Wet Hop Heavenly Daze IPA. During the hop harvest in the Pacific Northwest, breweries get shipped the hops fresh and make wet-hopped versions of some of their beers, which often taste very different from their regular counterparts. Zilker has had a couple wet hop beers in the taproom and will have a final, the Heavenly Daze, release on or about Sept. 28.