Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest collaboration brewery is Brauhaus Riegele of Augsburg, Germany

Next you'll want school and football and hockey year-roun... oh, wait...

 

Love how some folks just cannot help bashing a very popular seasonal beer style, in a thread about another seasonal beer style...wow....so, it's ok for Octoberfests to come out in July - August, but not pumpkins ? Holy hell

 

Apparently my wording came across wrong, I'm not meaning to bash anything, in fact I'm a huge fan of Pumpkin ales/lagers/pies etc. I have a collection of 100+ Pumpkin beer empties up on a shelf! I was more trying to just ask the question without making the pumpkin haters upset by addressing the fact that the style seems to irritate a lot of people.

At any rate I don't want to derail the thread, so I'll just pm SNB about it.

 

The only problem I have with the pumpkin beers being out in July is that they are not using fresh ingredients (aka actual pumpkin). This is why Thirsty Dog's Christmas ale is out before their pumpkin because they use some from a local farm (believe Great Lakes does too, but still haven't bottled it). Though my favorite (Schlafly) had a July bottled date last year

 

**insert annual "Oktoberfest is in September, not October" comment here**

 

Little birdie told me...
Started shipping yesterday.
They have made a pumpkin ale for pubs and gift shop (last year I believe & draught only).

 

I want to live in that label. Epic.

 

Oktoberfest beers have started to appear on shelves in Munich as well. So it's not only an American thing to race to the seasonal beer!

 

Next thing you know, people will use Christmas themed avatars year round.

 

Oh, but it is in October -- starts in September, ends in October.

 

B, b, bu, bu, but, I thought it was always the Americans bastardizing German traditions?!

 

I was forthright about my double-standard though

 

Is it bad that I'll stalk this release knowing I'll be able to find it at most local grocery stores within a week of the first release at any store? Looking forward to it THAT much.

 

Agree one thousand percent. I'm looking forward to this as much as any beer in recent memory.

 

Shhhh...get your facts out of here.

 

Yeah, but it was originally held in October, they moved it up because the weather is nicer in September. So there.

http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/articl...t+the+Oktoberfest/Dates+and+General+FAQs/751/

"Why is Oktoberfest called "Oktoberfest" when it actually begins in September?

The historical background: the first Oktoberfest was held in the year 1810 in honor of the Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig's marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festivities began on October 12, 1810 and ended on October 17th with a horse race. In the following years, the celebrations were repeated and, later, the festival was prolonged and moved forward into September.

By moving the festivities up, it allowed for better weather conditions. Because the September nights were warmer, the visitors were able to enjoy the gardens outside the tents and the stroll over "die Wiesen" or the fields much longer without feeling chilly. Historically, the last Oktoberfest weekend was in October and this tradition continues into present times."

 

Thirsty Dog owner John Najeway used pumpkins from his own farm in Suffield, and last year their pumpkin beer came out very late indeed - like right before Halloween....it did not move at stores around his home turf (and mine - Akron), and I saw it at Buehlers and Acme stores late into the winter....hence the problem with "fresh ingredients".....why the double standard here? Are brewers in the winter using "fresh hops"....no, most of the year, brewers are using hop pellets from the previous (or before) year's harvest; ditto with malted barley....this "fresh ingredients" notion is a bit....ummmm,,,,,not well thought out. The vast majority of pumpkin beers do not come out in July - most come out in late August - September....not sure why people are getting all weird about this anyway.
And, I can guarantee that Schlafly is using canned pumpkin, like most all brewers do....it is much easier - I have homebrewed with both "real" pumpkin and canned pumpkin - much easier to use pumpkin puree from a can

 

No worries.....I am a pumpkin lover as well! Just amazes me how worked up some people get over a few of them coming out now.....like, people need some perspective!!

 

They don't mention those nasty rains that often come in that last week of Oktoberfest.

 

I in no way disagree with the canned puree being easier (same reason I use canned tomatoes most of the time. Pain in the ass and huge mess!). I know that Schlafly uses canned for sure. Hence the icon that acknowledged I am somewhat of a hypocrite.

I won't disagree with your point from the rest of the ingredients and frehness standpoint really, although fruits are one thing that I don't enjoy anywhere near as much when not fresh. That is another discussion though. I was coming at this more from the sentimental perception standpoint, I guess I you would call it. Examples. I am usually really excited for some fresh strawberries in June, a fresh peach pie in late July and early August, an apple crisp in September, etc. That doesn't mean I dont enjoy them any other time, or think they should be limited to those times. I am just jacked up for pumpkin stuff a lot more in October and November.

I know Thirsty Dog suffers quite a bit because of their late release. Those sit and collect dust around me too. Mainly because people like me have already gorged themselves on 20 kinds of pumpkin ales, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin rolls, and even my own pumpkin chili by then. Yes. I am definitely on your side. I just think there are many that might feel this like I do, which is why everyone jokes about the July releases (fact, most are indeed August or later). Not all of us are haters. Just creatures of habit. I think most people also understand why they are though. You dont want yours to be the Thirsty Dog 4 packs that have to be picked up to make room for next years batch. There are some that would drink them year round. Just like I would a bock. Works for me. I am not just a pumpkin ale advocate, I am a Ba.