Each month, as part of this 366-day BC craft beer extravaganza that I will be sharing with you throughout 2016, I will highlight a specific style or theme of beers for a whole week of articles. The season of pumpkin-spiced everything is upon us… and things are no different in the craft beer world. Let’s see what BC has to offer for fans of the flavour.

The days are getting shorter and waking up to darkness is getting all too familiar. It’s that time of the year and the pumpkin beers continue to take over the Sip Advisor’s fridge with this fall release from Russell Brewing.

The Happy Jack Pumpkin Ale is brewed in a single batch with spices and then aged with oak. At 5.5% ABV and 25 IBUs, this beverage is stronger and hoppier than many of the other pumpkin-flavoured offerings out there, which is refreshing.

Available in bomber-sized bottles at BC Liquor Stores, as well as private locations, this seasonal release is well-balanced, allowing the flavours to tackle the tongue, but not pin it down. Then again, spices can hold me down anytime.

Also fit for the season, Russell has a Marzen Oktoberfest Lager, which will have drinkers strapping into lederhosen and filling steins to the brim with the elixir. There aren’t many Oktoberfest brews on the BC landscape, so check this one out.

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