The best, boldest and spiciest pumpkin beers to drink this fall

Fall is officially still weeks away, but the pumpkin crop is starting to land on the beer aisle.

State of play: It's never too early for pumpkin beers. The seasonal specialty is now debuting in August and often sells out by the time autumn's chill arrives.

• The style showcases spices of the season, like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and comes in varieties from lagers to stouts.

Here's a guide to some of our favorites:

Colorado favorites: For true pumpkin beer with just the right amount of spice, Four Noses' Pump Action and Upslope's Pumpkin Ale are award-winning go-tos.

Over-the-top: If you want even more pumpkin spice, Southern Tier's Pumking rules the day. It's a flavor bomb.

• For a local treat, taste the Fluffy Pumpkin, a porter with marshmallow and spices, from Odyssey Beerwerks in Arvada or Left Hand's super smooth Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro.

Standard bearers: Among the dozens of pumpkin beers Dogfish Head's Punkin, Rogue's Pumpkin Patch Ale and Elysian's Night Owl rise to the top with just-right flavors and a not-too-heavy body.

Dark beers: Great Divide's popular Yeti gets dressed in a fall scarf and furry boots for its pumpkin spice edition in the imperial stout series. Utah's Wasatch makes Black O' Lantern, a stout with molasses and vanilla notes to complement the pumpkin addition.

Spicy: For a kick, New Belgium makes Atomic Pumpkin with habanero chili peppers and Copper Kettle's adds pumpkin to its much-loved Mexican Chocolate Stout.

Related: A guide to Marzen, Oktoberfest and more fall beers