On Sunday evening I began a session with a New Belgium Accumulation. I didn't find the flavors terribly complex and what was on offer was very compact, with very little aftertaste. It was quite crisp and refreshing with noticeable fruit and only mild bitterness. Overall impressions aside, I couldn't shake the thought that it would be an outstanding summer brew, ideal for post yard work imbibing and the like. Unfortunately, it is a fall/winter seasonal. This isn't a criticism of the brewer or the marketing of the product, kudos to them for offering up something different than a typical winter brew. Too bad for me...not that I will have any problem filling the need as there are countless other options that are summer or year round releases. Does anyone else agree with this take? OR are there any other examples of seasonals that may be mismatched or non-traditional?
I'll agree with you on that one. I contributed those thoughts, specifically for Accumulation, to the style. IPAs seem more summer-oriented to me than winter (even with the likes of SN Celebration). Another that stands out from memory is Bell's Winter White. I almost swore that they had an incorrect keg ring and that I was drinking old Oberon, which I most definitely associate with summer.
I personally don't mind a twist (Imperial Stout in summer), but I do mind when the name suggests that it's something that it's not. Summit Frost Line Rye comes to mind, except that they're excused because that's actually a spring beer - which fits perfectly. And on that thought, because of the way distributors work, beers need to go out early - and the more there are, the earlier they have to go out (Summit has actually made a brilliant marketing move). It's one of those Catch 22's. Don't blame the brewer because their spring beer is on the shelves in January!!! (Although I'm still not sure how Stone pulls off their "Drink By" series. What I fear is that some breweries will not want to put out seasonals because of the competition (who needs another Winter Warmer when there are dozens?), and will put out different beers during those seasons so that they'll stand out. Then we'll just have a complete mish-mash, which is actually awesome, BUT then eventually true seasonal beers might fall out of favor (I am fond of Xmas beers myself). I'll guess that some breweries will continue on the path that they've been on, but I'd imagine most will get on the 'put out a new product' bandwagon. Which again is something they've been forced into because of rising competition. So what am I saying? Seasonal mismatch??? - bring it on, just be clear about what it actually is!
I was going to offer Celebration as a comparison too. For me personally, these kinds of winter seasonals are a nice reprieve from the allotment of Christmas ales, which aren't really my bag.
Bring on any beer any season. SN Celebration ale is a favorite of mine during the Holiday season. I wish there were more brewers that had year round big beers. I only drink Old Rasputin during summer because I know in those months its one of the few Imperial stouts I can get.
I often note in my reviews if I feel a beer is a seasonal mismatch. Most often I find myself commenting that a fall or even winter seasonal would make a good summer beer. I think that's because I do not particularly care for lighter styles at all. Light for me, and therefore "summerworthy" might not be considered light by others.
Not necessarily mismatched in the sense that the "season" they are for is wrong, but most seasonal beers are released WAY too soon and don't actually align with the season they are intended for. SN fall packs hit the shelves in like late july with winter packs in october. We've had highs in the single digits while their spring pack was released. I don't want a spring pack till its ACTUALLY SPRING! Just using SN as an example, nothing against the brewer, I know most breweries do this nowadays.
Poster #4 touched on the vagaries of early distribution. Obviously volume tends to dictate how early. While not necessarily the style or flavor profile of traditional winters, I assume New Belgium wanted to capitalize on the "white" IPA characteristics and a relationship to snow etc...I just thought this offering happened to nail a refreshing summer style.
It funny, the first time I saw Celebration I thought that exact same thing. But, it was one of the first beers that really made me appreciate the IPA style. While I agree it sometimes seems weird that to look forward to an IPA in winter, here in SoCal 'winter' rarely gets too cold so I guess that helps? lol. I do look forward to it though, and it has definitely become a part of winter for me now.
You know, for my palate some of the less fruity IPAs fit just fine in the colder months. The pine and resin flavors seem to make sense. That said, good beer is good anytime... Also, I find Accumulation barely registers as an IPA. I should probably delve into some more Belgian IPAs to see where it fits in direct style comparisons.
I was going to say Bells too, Smitten Rye comes out January last couple years, doesn't really fit the winter season either.. Was trying to think of summer seasonal porters, stouts, etc., that were marketed as summer beers but nothing really jumped out at me..
