"Why August Is Pumpkin Beer Season"

I'm curious if any brewers actually release their pumpkin beers in October. By the comments I see on this website, it actually seems like there may be a market for fresh pumpkin brews then. So many folks have written that they wait to open their pumpkin beers "out of principle" or that they can't "justify" opening a pumpkin beer when it's still warm out. That makes me wonder if a brewer will ever release "the beer geek's pumpkin beer," a pumpkin beer released fresh on October 1st, after everyone is already sick of pumpkin beers, ha ha. Obviously releasing pumpkin beers early is the way to make money on them, nevertheless, there could be a bit of money to be made on a small slice of folks here.

 

Yes, there are a few smaller breweries that use real, freshly harvested pumpkins in their pumpkin beers, and they do not come out until later in Sept - October. Thirsty Dog here in Akron is one I know who does this; seems to be a dying trend though....by the time these come out, people have been seeing these beers out on shelves for a few months already and are ready to move on to the next thing....i.e. winter warmers / holiday ales, etc

I think this topic - in general - has been discussed a lot....most people should - by now, have a general understanding of why seasonal beers in general come out when they do.....it surely gets talked about over and over here! There is a market for them, there are shelf space and brewery capacity considerations, etc....yeah, there you go. Can't wait to talk about this again next July - August when it comes up yet again!

 

Sad thing is, you can't find much pumpkin stuff around Halloween, much less Thanksgiving. To me, that is a shame.

 

I don't understand why the article says that no one wants pumpkin beers on November 1. Shouldn't they sell really well up until Thanksgiving? After all, pumpkin pie is the traditional dessert on Thanksgiving, and the article even mentions the pumpkin pie angle as to why so many people drink pumpkin ales in the fall.

 

Accounting for fermentation time, tank space and conditioning, I would be stunned if they came out later. Any "Fresh Harvest" Pumpkin ale would be coming out after fall ls more than halfway over. Plus you have to free up space for your Winter beers which can take longer to mature.

 

A DC article and no mention of Williamsburg Alewerks Pumpkin Ale? While I've not had Mad Fox version (which sounds delicious: their Orange Whip & Two Hemispheres is solid), Alewerks Pumpkin Ale deserves the highest of marks for the real roasted pumpkin and outstanding spicing, which is typically overdone in most pumpkin ales.

 

Yes, they do sell well up until Thanksgiving- if you can find them. We always wish a few cases of Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin would pop up then.

Weyerbacher also talked about brewing capacity as to why they released in July (we picked up on the second wave in late August because it is infernally hot where I live). I did not see brewing capacity mentioned in that article.

 

I absolutely love pumpkin ales, however I have a hard time bringing myself to purchase any till at least September. Due to the seasonal creep this year, I bought some Pumking and Warlock so I'll have them when I'm ready to enjoy them. In August, I'm still enjoying the summer ales and the winding down of summer.

I just started getting some Oktoberfests and pumpkin ales this week. Still been a bit too hot for me to enjoy them just yet.

1. Once halloween is over, I'll maybe keep a 4 pack of DFH Punkin around for Thanksgiving, but by then I would start going to Saisons, Stouts, Celebration and the like.
2. I'm usually all pumpkin-beer'd out by November.
3. Bring on the Winter Seasonals come late november and on.

 

For me, fresh pumpkins are for eating and fall decorations. You may keep the canned pumpkin and pumpkin beer to yourselves.

 

That's kinda what I mean. It seems like if they were available through Thanksgiving, the breweries would see even more sales. I know that I always try to have a few pumpkin ales left over for November.

Also, although I'm in Missouri now, I'm originally from SC, and I really wish I could get Weyerbacher out here. I miss their Imperial Pumpkin, Autumn Fest, and Winter Ale!

 

I hear this multiple times every year, and I've heard it twice already this year from liquor store employees: "Nobody buys it after Halloween." I personally just see it as another seasonal and I like the style, and would have it all the way through Thanksgiving if I could. Not sure why it's turned into a Halloween beer.

 

OP, I like your avatar, and find it hilarious that we only see you on here during pumpkin beer season. Good to see a fellow pumpkin fanatic

 

That would be me

 

Personally I've come to like the extremely early release times. If pumpkin beers actually came out in October, everyone would grab them up immediately. Having them out in early August means I can stock my fridge incognito while the mob walks by with their noses turned up.

And to that point I've got a real heavenly stock of pumpkin beers from a dozen or so breweries taking up a special place in my fridge. It's a really pleasant sight every time I look in there to know that I'll have all my favorite pumpkin beers to get me through fall.

Also there is always Kuhnhenn's pumpkin beer that they release at their equinox party every year around October 20th which uses fresh picked pumpkins from that year. It's a mighty fine pumpkin ale too.

 

It seems that everyone seems to have missed the boat on this one - The reason why so many annually based things, like pumpkin beer or Christmas decorations, is the result of the overarching American culture. As a society, we always crave the next thing, which is recognized by retail operations and results in products preceding the actual events themselves because the DEMAND is already present.

That said, I don't understand why everyone thinks that it is inherently bad. I love when all the pumpkin beers hit the shelves because that is a signal to me that fall is coming soon! Also, I've always had luck finding fall seasonal beers at local breweries and brewpubs who do use authentic pumpkins/yams, so I'm never missing out on any of the fall fun.

 

Even before reading this article, I understood WHY pumpkin ales and other seasonals come out so early.

Just because I understand the reason does not preclude me from also thinking that reason is abjectly stupid!

Seasonal beers are designed to complement the weather, particularly the temperature of a particular season (of course, I understand that not everyone lives in a place with defined seasons -- I do) or to include ingredients that are identified with a particular season or holiday.


I am sick and tired of reading articles/comments that imply that those of us who expect fresh seasonal beers to be available IN SEASON are weird, whiney or just don’t understand the “craft” business.



I started getting into pumpkin ales 6-7 years ago. Back then, they came out in mid-September (which I still thought was too early). 6-7 years from now, maybe they’ll come out in time for Memorial Day picnics. It will be awesome to drink a pumpkin ale in 95 degree heat!

 

But why do you enjoy being stocked up with rapidly aging beer. We pay a great deal of money for craft beer. As consumers should we not have the right to drink fresh beer in the proper season?

 

Agreed. I work for a distributor, and when I asked a brewer why they release their pumpkin beer in late July, he said, "Pumpkin Beers drop off by 50% after Halloween, and the other 50% after Thanksgiving."

 

I would hardly call it "rapidly aging beer." Most of these beers are high gravity, 8-10% and will easily last four weeks into October when they begin to fly off the shelves.

 

fuck that shit. #summerforever