Here Come the Pumpkins

See them marching, two by two...

So it’s August now. August 2nd to be exact. Kids are still on summer vacation. The pool is still open, which tells me Labor Day hasn't happened yet. The ice cream truck is still making its rounds. The temperature is consistently in the 80s and 90s. All these signs have pointed me at the following conclusion:

Summer is over… bring on the autumn harvest styles of beer!

I mean seriously, this happens every year, and it seems I write a scathing critique every year, which of course reminds me of Einstein’s definition of insanity – “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

For years (seems like an eternity), Sam Adams fall seasonal variety offerings have been appearing on the shelves in August. It was annoying, but the Boston Beer Company is notorious for shark jumping escapades, so I was willing to ignore it. But now, this trend is boiling over into other breweries as well.

I've already seen the Southern Tier Pumking for sale in my local grocery store. I also saw a tweet the other day of a photo of Schlafly’s Pumpkin Ale for sale in a grocery store or specialty beer store. I have an immense amount of respect for Southern Tier and Schlafly, and their beers are always delicious, which is why I don’t like seeing their Pumpkins for sale in August.

Yes! Pumpkin Ale for sale
in August!!!

Don't misunderstand me... I love Pumpkin Ales! I can't get enough of them! But not in August.

My misgivings are simple to understand: Pumpkin Ale is an autumn harvest seasonal style – not a summer style.

Summer beers should be light, crisp, refreshing, citrusy… all attributes that invoke visions of beaches and barbecues. They are deliberately not darker, roasted, or loaded with pumpkin pie spices the way Pumpkin Ales are.

I know Pumpkin Ales aren't necessarily fixed to specific date like an Oktoberfest or Christmas Ale, but nothing about pumpkins says summer to me. They are associated to Halloween and Thanksgiving, two holidays that are both clearly in the fall.

In fact, pumpkins aren't even in season until the fall, which means that when these Pumpkin Ales that hit the shelves in August were brewed, the fruit wasn't even in season… it wasn't even close. So it makes no sense from an agricultural perspective either.

But none of this matters. The reason the breweries are releasing the pumpkins in August is marketing. They have allowed themselves to fall into a trap where they release spring beers in January and summer beers in April. The next logical step after that is to launch the fall beers early too. Plus, there is a niche following for Pumpkin Ales, and people will go bonkers buying it as soon as it hits the shelves because they haven’t seen it since last fall… sales, baby!

This might be the most accurate depiction of people's reaction to pumpkin ale ever.

I understand that principle, and I certainly won’t decry a company for wanting to make money. I suppose this is a symptom of getting too big as a brewery… you lose the ability to take a stand and say “no” to marketing trends. According to Southern Tier’s website, they are aware of the “seasonal creep” with their Pumpkin Ale, but that's not something they can control. The beer is sold according to the distributors and retailers whims (aka marketing trends) and the brewers have no say in it. In other words, Pumpkin Ales are sold in August for the same reason that Christmas decorations are for sale the day after Halloween.

For me, I would release my Pumpkin Ale on Labor Day weekend, or whenever the kids go back to school. Release it at a time when summer is officially over and autumn is beginning. I know we’re only talking about one more month, but that’s all the more reason to wait. And if you need to make up sales revenues that you were counting on the Pumpkin Ales to bring you, how about celebrating another of the countless styles of beer that are generally associated with summer during the very obviously still summer month of August.

I say, “Enough of this ridiculous trend of releasing seasonal styles of beer ahead of season.” People like spring beers in winter because they’re tired of winter, and spring beers equal hope. People like summer beers in spring because everybody loves summer, and we all want to pretend it arrives before it actually does. Our love of summer is exactly why the autumn beers should stay in autumn. Styles are associated to specific seasons for a reason. Let’s keep them there.

Next thing you know, brewers will be brewing Pumpkin Ale all year round. Good grief.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!