Are Pumpkin Beers losing popularity?

Without question fewer breweries are producing pumpkin beers because sales have been declining in recent years, and now that there's much less shelf space available they're being squeezed even that much more. There's also been a decline in pumpkin spiced products on the grocery shelves as well (hand soaps, shower gels, breakfast cereals, coffees, non-alcoholic packaged drinks, butter, yogurt, dog treats, air fresheners, bubblegum and candies, etc.).

Next up: Apple Pie Spice which is a little softer on the cinnamon and has a vanilla component to it.

 

Yes, they were popular a few years ago. I discussed this in the other pumpkin beer thread:

“I have no specific sales figures to share with this beer so all I have is anecdotal observations to share. Pumking used to be a big seller at my local beer retailers a number of years ago (5-ish years ago?). There used to be HUGE stacks of this beer at my local Wegmans and over the course of the season they would sell out. Then over a period of a few years these HUGE stacks would still be around during the Christmas season. It seemed very evident that the 'bloom is off the rose' as regards both Pumking and Pumpkin beers in general. This year there was just a very modest amount of Pumking on the shelves - not even close to how it was 5+ years ago with case stacks everywhere.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...-flogging-a-dead-pumpkin.624894/#post-6661416

Cheers!

 

Haven't sales of every beer style except New England IPAs and sours been dropping the last few years? These styles take up the majority of shelf space.

 

For all of the non pumpkin beer haters out there, Anne Becerra just filmed a video for Food & Wine where she tasted 12 of the top pumpkin beers.

 

oh Darn

Take the over the top spice out and I will try a few.

None taste like pumpkin, just the spices

Enjoy

 

Anecdotally, a few years ago there would have been shelves of pumpkin beers when the season hit, to the point of annoyance, but they've been pared back quite a bit since then.

Waiting for sun dried tomato everything to come back.

 

Was always really Pumpkin SPICE beer anyway.

 

Pumpkin beers peaked a few years ago.....is that new news? There are still some good ones that come out each year, and which I enjoy
Speaking of "dead trends".....kind of over hazy, overpriced IPA's, that are about as imaginative to brew as an overly spiced pumpkin ale with no pumpkin......just saying

 

Haha. I went the first week of september looking for an autumnal spiced beer. Guy scratches his head and leads me to a selection of 4 or 5. None of them new to me. Says that they should really be pouring in mid-September. I returned last week of September. Still 5, albeit totally new selections.

Stores are ordering smarter especially with shelf space at a premium, and especially when a beer like pumpkin sees its popularity plummet literally overnight. Who wants a pumpkin beer after Halloween? At least someone. Who wants a pumpkin beer after Thanksgiving? Probably no one.

 

Ha. Elysian never got that memo.

 

Don’t forget big pastry stouts.

 

I see a bunch in my area of NJ. Pumking alone has like four different versions this year.

 

If anything i've seen MORE of them and seen them EARLIER (in florida). Local breweries are especially doing them

 

The smaller retailers got tired of losing their ass on this stuff, it’s minimal right now. As it should be imo.

 

One can only hope

 

Anyone know if Shipyard's is still their biggest seller by far?
I've definitely noticed fewer pumpkin beers out there, and the stacks of those there are, are smaller than they were.
I've only had a couple that I've ever enjoyed - one was at a Smuttynose beer dinner, must have been 15 years ago - it was paired with a butternut squash ravioli. I typically don't like either of those things, but that pairing was great.
The other is Allagash's Ghoulship - pumpkin beer from their coolship - naturally cooled and taking whatever wild yeast comes through - and typically aged in bourbon barrels. (or barrels of some sort...)

 

Do they still donate profits from that beer to kids?