Autumn blues

Now that I've fully enjoyed New England's five weeks of summer, I can start to look forward to the spoils of fall. And with each fall comes a wild card for the Red Sox, fantasy football, and my favorite brew of the year Sam Adams Octoberfest.

It's been available for about two weeks in Boston (and I even spotted it in late August in Reno, Nev., of all places). I've been able to enjoy it a couple times now -- twice out and once yesterday at a Labor Day weekend barbecue.

Oddly, Sam October might be the only beer I find superior in a bottle, as opposed to draught. Draft Octoberfest has an oily feel and an overpowering nose, but in the bottle it's just right.