Beer: Beyond pumpkin

“A trip down any American beer aisle will assure you that the pumpkin spice craze is far from over,” said Meredith Heil in Thrillist.com. But craft brewers are also making “ultra-tasty” fall beers from sweet potatoes, beets, and mushrooms. Fullsteam Carver Sweet Potato Lager Local sweet potatoes, “toasty” German lager malt, and two types of hops make this crushable award-winner a fall favorite in North Carolina and far beyond. Crane Brewing Beet Weiss Missouri beets provide a “piquant” base for this ruby-red German-style sour, which is “pretty as a prayer book.” Scratch Brewing Chanterelle Bier de Garde Every element of this crisp Belgian-style beer from Indiana is grown locally, including the chanterelle mushrooms that provide its “curiously fruity edge.” It’s sold in 750 ml bottles.