How about a smoked beer to go with that backyard bonfire?

Each year I travel extensively at the end of August and beginning of September. I like to say that I leave in the summer and come back in the fall. Big changes occur over those three weeks: Steamy heat gives way to drier, crisper air; the trees begin to take on red and orange hues; darkness comes noticeably earlier.

It’s the perfect season for backyard bonfires — cool enough that the fire’s cozy warmth is welcome, but you don’t sit and shiver as you huddle around the flames. The soothing crackle and smell of woody smoke are a perfect match to fall. And what could be a more perfect pairing to this idyllic setting than a richly aromatic smoked beer?

Smoked beer is like an artifact of brewing history. Prior to the early 19th century, brewing malt was kilned with direct heat, sometimes from wood fires. This gave the grain a smoky character that transferred to the beer that was made from it. Very early beers likely all had some smokiness.

While advances in malting technology largely eliminated smoke flavors, some brewers chose to retain the old malting practices, using beechwood to smoke the grain. The city of Bamberg in southern Germany is particularly well known for its smoky rauchbier.

Hellerbräu has been brewing the Aecht Schlenkerla brand of traditional rauchbier in Bamberg since the 15th century. They are a great starting point for your smoked beer journey.

If you want to dip a toe into smoked beer, try Aecht Schlenkerla Helles. Brewed without smoked malt, the residual smokiness in the brewery kettle and fermenters imparts just a hint of flavor. This is a very well-made example of the Munich helles-style pale lager. Bready malt leads with subtle sweetness. Moderate bitterness and a healthy dose of spicy German hops provide the balance. The very light smoke adds warmth and depth without overwhelming the lager. This is just a lovely beer and worth a try even if you’re already a fan of smoke.

Next in the lineup is Aecht Schlenkerla Märzen. Smoke is prominent in this amber lager, described by some as a campfire in a glass. The underlying beer is a märzen-style lager, commonly known in this country as Oktoberfest. Dark bread and caramel malt provide complementary support for the almost meaty smoke. Low bitterness and a dusting of spicy hop flavor offer a pleasing contrast.

While most rauchbier is smoked with beechwood, Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche is smoked with oak. This imparts a sharper, woodier character than beechwood. It works well with this rich, full-bodied doppelbock. The beer itself features slightly sweet, brown sugar maltiness with subtle hints of chocolate roast. Moderate bitterness from roast, smoke and hops coupled with an off-dry finish leaves it feeling lighter than it is.

Long ago in Norway, every farm was required by law to brew its own beer. Norwegian Wood from Norway’s HaandBryggeriet is inspired by those early farmhouse brews. Hefty, woodsy smoke sits firmly atop toasted brown bread and caramel malt in this rustic amber lager. The old beers were seasoned with juniper, and this one follows suit. It brings a spicy/fruity edge reminiscent of gin botanicals. This is a beer meant for drinking around a fire in the forest.

Austin Lunn, head brewer at Hammerheart Brewing Co. in Ely, Minn., honed his skills as intern at HaandBryggeriet. Deeply steeped in heavy metal music and Norse mythology, his beers have a similar woodsy rusticity to the beers of that Norwegian brewery. One of my most memorable beer experiences was standing with the Hammerheart guys in a snow-covered forest clearing sampling beer on a 20-degree December afternoon. That’s who they are.

If you think that smoke and hops wouldn’t work well together, Hammerheart’s Fimbulvetr will prove you wrong. This robust, 9.3% alcohol, oak smoked, wheat, double IPA is as aggressive as the mythical Norse wind it’s named after. All the flavor components are intense, yet perfectly in balance. Bitterness is high, and coupled with strong resinous, floral and citrus hop flavor. Bready wheat adds sharpness to the ample malt base. It’s full-bodied, but a super dry finish makes it feel light. Though smoky, the aroma doesn’t really hint at the intensity of smoke in the flavor, which never overwhelms the other elements.

Though Schlenkerla makes one, you don’t see smoked German-style wheat beers on local store shelves. Dunkelweizens, dark wheat beers, are almost as rare. Hammerheart’s Dunkelwald brings both in one package. This is a classic dunkelweizen: Crackery wheat is joined by the toasted bread character of more highly kilned Munich malt. The characteristic banana and clove fermentation flavors round it out. The smoke is subtle — almost an afterthought. But it melds beautifully with the clove, making for a deliciously fall-appropriate brew.