(Easton, PA) – Last week, Notch Brewing‘s Chris Lohring ruffled a few feathers by calling out seasonals released “out of season” (read: way before the season).
Beer author, Lew Bryson, loudly came to Lohring’s defense. And shortly after that, Weyerbacher’s Dan Weirback chimed in. Why? Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale ships in late June is usually the first pumpkin beer to market and one of the poster children for this whole out-of-season situation. Here is an excerpt from Weirback defending why (via Bryson’s paraphrasing)…
It’s a matter of demand and capacity. Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, for example: to meet wholesaler pre-orders, they have to start brewing it in May and continue through to September to have enough for it to be available through the whole season. They don’t have room to store it until September, so they start shipping it out in late June…and well, the wholesalers don’t have unlimited room either [and I assume no one really wants to have fresh beer just sitting around; I don’t] so they start releasing it.
Lohring responded in the comments, too. An excerpt…
We can argue the merits of seasonal beer timing, and we’ll all back what personally benefits our situation – filling the pipeline over time, shipping beer early to boost Q4 numbers, or asking for a slot in the fall for a true harvest beer. All of these benefit each brewer for individual reasons.
Head over to Seen Through a Glass for full reactions and Bryson’s take.
Are people really this concerned about out-of-season-seasonal beers?
If it’s a good beer and you’re in the mood for it then it’s in-season to me.
Just like everything else, supply is driven by demand, and when customers start asking for Oktoberfest beers as early as June or July, companies rush to get theirs out first to meet that demand. Though I do think that, eventually, all beer “seasons” will become relatively meaningless and many breweries will just release what they want when the want, as long as there’s a demand.
For what it’s worth, Cisco Brewers (Nantucket, MA) also does a year-round pumpkin ale. While I’m personally not a fan of pumpkin (in general), it seems to do pretty well for them as a year-round offering.
There are a few other seasonals I wouldn’t mind seeing made year-round, too. By the time I was able to get ahold of some Festina Peche last year (May-ish?), it was already past its “season”. Also, Nugget Nectar seems to be a particularly hot commodity this year.
If a beer is so high in demand, it seems like good business sense that a brewer makes it a year-round staple (or at least an extended market presence, e.g. Pumpkinhead), rather than requiring people to jump through hoops to secure a single six-pack for themselves after driving to twenty different stores.
Who cares if it’s out of season? Yes I’d like some to be closer to the season instead of a few months early, but oh-well. Buy some now, store it in your basement, garage, or closet, and drink it when it’s “time”.
Only public companies are interested in Q4 numbers. Not very many of the companies he’s complaining about are public.
I really don’t know what he’s worrying about.
You know when the story is a story for story’s sake: Lew Bryson comments on it.