These days there seems to be a bounty of limited-run beers from all over the country that we’re lucky enough to stock for a few days or weeks at a time, but a few items take the cake as some of the most sought-after beers in America, and many of these exciting Fall releases happen to be based on the same style, Imperial Stout. Imperial Stouts are big, bold, dark, roasty, and perfect for colder weather. Here’s a rundown on some important brews to keep an eye out for this Fall:

Surly Darkness – THE most wanted Minnesota-made beer. Surly brews a small amount of this massive Russian Imperial Stout just once every fall, and it spends very little time on shelves. It’s official release is at the original Surly brewery in Brooklyn Center at a huge event known as “Darkness Day”, where people from all over the country camp out in line overnight for a chance to buy bottles of Darkness.  If sleeping outside isn’t your thing, we will be selling a limited amount of Darkness bottles here at Zipps this Tuesday, the 27th.

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout – Originally brewed in 1992, this bourbon barrel-aged stout was actually the first of it’s kind in the USA. Although many other breweries have followed suit, Bourbon County remains one of the absolute best examples of an American Imperial Stout aged in boozy, oaky bourbon barrels. It’s retail release is on Black Friday, which is November 27th this year. Fair warning, it’s available on that day only, and it will sell out quickly.

Deschutes The Abyss – Deschutes brewery unleashes the Abyss every November. This Imperial Stout is brewed using different additions of complimentary adjunct ingredients every year (molasses, cherry bark, vanilla beans, etc) and aged in combinations of bourbon and sometimes wine barrels. Batches are then artfully blended and bottled for your enjoyment. This is a good candidate for the cellar, as it develops nicely over time and features an “Enjoy After” date on the label.

Founders Breakfast Stout – Out of all of the beers on this list, Breakfast stout is the most easily attainable. In fact, we have it in stock right now! This Imperial Stout is brewed with huge additions of coffee, chocolate, and oats. Yes, it’s as delicious as it sounds. It seems like a great candidate for a breakfast beer, but at 10%ABV, you might want to hold off until brunch.

Hopefully you’ll be lucky enough to track down all of these fine items to warm you up this Fall! For up-to-the-minute info on limited and rare beer releases, follow @zippsbeer on Twitter. Cheers!