Chocoholics have their Whitman’s Samplers; beer connoisseurs have their variety packs. — Washington Post Beer Writer Greg Kitsock, May 2011 column

I’ve been on the hunt for fall seasonal mixed 12-packs. I loved the flavors of fall beer – the rich Märzens and Pumpkin Ales. Fall brew and football are the perfect weekend combination.

My first fall 12-pack of the year was the 2012 Sam Adams Harvest Collection, which is Beth’s favorite. But I found three more — so here’s the first of my three-posts-in-three-days report on fall 12-packs.

First up: Harpoon Brewery Fall Tailgater

Easily the best thing about the fall is football. I love both college and pro football (Go ‘Noles and go Ravens!), so I spend a lot of time watching games in the backroom beer bar. And what better 12-pack to have with a weekend of football than the Fall Tailgater from Harpoon Brewery.

This 12-pack features:

• IPA, Harpoon’s best selling beer is one of my favorite session IPAs (5.9%)
• Rich and Dan’s Rye IPA, a delicious and well-balanced Rye IPA (6.9%, 70 IBU)
• Octoberfest, I would love to drink this “malty tribute to fall” at one of the annual Harpoon Octoberfests held at their breweries in Boston, MA and Windsor, VT.
• UFO Pumpkin, this unfiltered pumpkin ale goes down as easy as pumpkin pie (5.9%)

I went to the Ravens home opener this year with old friends. I wish I had a Harpoon Fall Tailgater 12-pack with me, but Natty Boh ain’t bad either, not when you’re tailgating in Baltimore with Mr. Boh and The Bird!

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