It is time to put down the 12 oz. cans of session IPA, the gose and Berliner weisse. Trade your coozies for gloves and pack away the beach cooler. Gone are the days spent sipping low-alcohol crushers while a baseball game plays in the background. It's time for football, flannel and malty notions.

Here are a couple of the summer beers I will miss most (some of these are available year-round, but I'm a seasonal beer drinker and I'll catch back up with them late spring):

Rising Tide Maine Island Trail Ale - Truly a seasonal beverage, Rising Tide just shipped the last of this hoppy session ale's seasonal run, so stock up now.

Sebago Brewing Simmer Down Session Ale - Simmer Down is the perfect beach/camp beer. It is light, comes in easy-to-transport 12 oz. cans and it just tastes so darn good. I'm always sad to see it go, but Sebago has more deliciousness on the horizon (more on that to come).

Here are a couple fall beers that I am very much looking forward to drinking:

Sebago Brewing Bonfire Rye - I look forward to this rye ale so much each fall because it has great complexity while still exhibiting perfect balance. The malts are present and flavorful, but not at the expense of a gorgeously aromatic hop profile. This is a great crossover beer for switching seasons.

Samuel Adams Octoberfest - Some people go crazy for their first Shipyard Brewing Pumpkinhead of the season, but for me, it's the Octoberfest from Sam Adams that has me counting down the days till fall. This authentic Mrzen-style lager is made in the same traditional manner as the German Octoberfest beers. While you can probably find better examples of the style in the import section, there is something about the Sam Adams version that speaks to me; I will certainly be hosting a few steins of this before the last leaf is on the ground

Goodbye summer, you were wonderful and we will miss you so much. But I rest easy knowing that we are in good hands with fall and the tasty beverages that come with it.