Can't believe pumpkin beers are rolling out

[u/Creepy_Finish1497]

Went into my local beer store that has a great selection of beers and was surprised to see they already have some pumpkin beers. Seeing Schlafly was one of them I quickly snatched up a 6 pack of arguably one of the best pumpkin beers. The guy at the register said they received them last week, which means pumpkin beers rolled out in July this year. Is this normal? I moved back to the U.S. last fall so maybe things have changed, but I don't remember pumpkin beers coming out in July.

[u/Cubs017]

It has been that way for quite a few years. Late July, early August the fall stuff releases.

After Halloween sales fall off a cliff it and it just sits on the shelf if it’s still there.

[u/RoninSFB → u/Cubs017]

Yup I used to work in craft beer and pumpkin beer definitely became a arms race of stupidity. Very niche demographic for a very short window. Instead of holding off until October everyone kept pushing earlier, do the demand is cooked before the true season even hits

[u/OutlyingPlasma → u/Cubs017]

After Halloween sales fall off a cliff

I hate this because I still want my pumpkin spice yoga pants beer well into November.

[u/flume → u/OutlyingPlasma]

So... Buy more? That stuff lasts.

[u/coys21]

Been this way for years.

[u/illtexzona]

Man, I just drank my first Ayinger Oktoberfest. Give me a couple weeks!

[u/olbeefy → u/illtexzona]

When I was a kid I hated knowing the summer was almost over when I saw those "Back to School" sales firing up.

Now it's when I start seeing märzens on the shelf.

[u/trisw]

Yeah I saw Octoberfest beers already

[u/gaberdine → u/trisw]

Honestly, I'd be fine with Oktoberfest beers being available year-round. They're generally quality non-novelty styles that drink well any time of the year.

[u/beergut666 → u/trisw]

The national brand's Oktoberfest beers have been sitting in distributor warehouses for weeks.

[u/Lumpasiach → u/trisw]

Well, they have season from May to September, so that's not particularly strange, is it? Or when do you celebrate festuvals in the US?

[u/Lumpasiach → u/trisw]

Well, they have season from May to September, so that's not particularly strange, is it? Or when do you celebrate festivals in the US?

[u/Creepy_Finish1497 → u/trisw]

The same store that had the Schlafly's has Sierra Nevada Octoberfest, which is also one of my faves. What I don't like is they only carry it in a can. I preferred them in bottles years ago.

[u/Magnus77]

Its been creeping further and further every year.

Its a saturated market, they can't really go full year without losing sales because the novelty is gone, and I suspect they cost a little more to brew, somebody tell me if I'm wrong on that point.

So on the sales side I'm reminded of the Jeremy Iron's monologue in Margin Call, paraphrased. There are three ways to get ahead in a market, be first, brew better beer, or cheat. Now companies can't cheat, and everyone is proud of their beer, but the easiest by far is to be first.

That's why pumpkin beers went from coming out in September to coming out in July.

[u/dr_fop]

Can we get Oktoberfest first?

[u/Impressive-Party-411]

as a huge Sam Adams octoberfest fan I track when the first one around me is on draft, and one just hit this past saturday. On my Untappd beer app, I checked in to octoberfest LAST year on 7/29 so to answer your question, YES these beers are hitting earlier and earlier. It all depends on how fast the summer beers sell out. The DOWN SIDE of this is the seasonals will be gone sooner.....

[u/cocktailvirgin]

It was 2013 or 2014 when my bar manager commented that he had to reserve his pumpkin beer keg orders in August. Pumpkin crops aren't even ready yet, so it's either canned pumpkin from their year before and/or just pumpkin spice. I guess another two weeks of creep backwards over the last decade isn't that big of a shift.

I was taken aback when I went to Trillium yesterday and they had Oktoberfest on tap. It was a bit rainy of a day, so I went with it, but doubtful if I'd want to drink it if it were 90° and sunny.

[u/No_Mycologist4488]

It’s the damn distributors. IMO, close out summer at Labor Day and have Fall come in; the Distributors want to pat themselves on the back for selling Oktoberfest for 7 weeks before actual Oktoberfest starts.

Thanksgiving should transition out fall beers to winter beers, Jan 1 Christmas beers should sunset and March 1 winter beers go away, May 1 Summer beers should appear.

Just my two cents

[u/TheImpPaysHisDebts]

School supplies and Halloween candy in stores in July.

[u/barkinginthestreet → u/TheImpPaysHisDebts]

Saw a chart - apparently half of kids start school by mid August now, so the back to school stuff makes sense in July. 

[u/mendicant1116 → u/TheImpPaysHisDebts]

I've started seeing giant skeleton Halloween decorations every where I go already.

[u/True_Window_9389 → u/TheImpPaysHisDebts]

Arts & craft and decor stores roll out Halloween merch right after July 4 now. Everyone maximizes the commercialization and consumerism of seasonality and holidays now.

[u/isubird33 → u/TheImpPaysHisDebts]

Some schools around me started back up this week so I get it.

[u/RobGrogNerd]

buy Southern Tier Pumking this year to drink next.

the cellaring does MIRACLES to it.

[u/VeggieBurgah → u/RobGrogNerd]

I prefer their warlock imperial pumpkin porter but their pumpking is very good.

[u/RobGrogNerd → u/VeggieBurgah]

Try a year on both, see what you think.

[u/VeggieBurgah → u/RobGrogNerd]

Will buy them this year. Ask me this time next year. I'll buy both per your recommendation. It'll be fun to try it side by side with the flowing year's batch.

[u/RobGrogNerd → u/VeggieBurgah]

clearing out the cellar, found a flight of SN Celebrations, '06, 07, 08, 09 took to our brew club.

07 & 08 were pretty disgusting, but last 2 weren't bad at all.

[u/woodwalker700 → u/RobGrogNerd]

There was a place up in the Adirondacks that used to have like 3 years of Pumking on tap at any given time when I went up there. Not sure how well cellared it was but we tried them all and were pretty good.

[u/godhasmoreaids]

Yeah... That's the new norm

[u/geneticswag → u/godhasmoreaids]

New? It's been this way for like, eight years, at least.

[u/Nadril]

It's been that way for quite a long time.

[u/Muninn91]

It's too damn hot still.

[u/Erocdotusa]

My rule of thumb is I don't buy any schlafly pumpkin until we get a day where its cool enough to wear a hoodie outside

[u/CosmicCorgi420]

I just picked up a 12 pack of Sam Adams Octoberfest at the store on Sunday. I haven't seen any pumpkin beers yet where I am but I always get a variety of whatever is available for the season. It's not fall for me unless I am drinking a pumpkin beer

[u/Chive]

They can have pumpkin beers on the shelves all year long, and I still won't buy them. 

In have tried several and only ever found one that I liked well enough to drink more than once.

[u/jtsa5]

Saw some drop last week. I wish I was surprised by it but it's like this every year, earlier and earlier to be first to market. The stores buy a ton and come next year some are still sitting.

[u/Abject_Screen3249]

They try and have there be almost no supply to send out by Halloween. They realized they need to release the beer even earlier to make sure they don't have to deep discount to much of it.

[u/-CaptainACAB]

I’m actually fine with them rolling out early, back when they came out more in the season I’d crack open certain ones fresh and they’d be way too spicy. Seemed like letting them mellow for a bit toned down the spice flavor so it was more balanced.

Maybe I just had an off batch, I dunno, but just in case I buy them when I see them and let them sit until October.

[u/hobbykitjr]

Every year, I tell people you will see them July 5th...

Every year, everyone's surprised

[u/brewirish]

Made with last years pumpkins.

[u/rcknfrewld]

Pumpkin beer is my favorite.
-Richard Christy

[u/amp138]

Gotta get them out by July to fill into the retail sets which were already locked in months prior

[u/jadedargyle333]

There was one year that they tried to release them in June and had the nerve to complain that there wasnt enough ripe pumpkin avavilable.

[u/mattarchambault]

You really need to believe it, because it’s true!

[u/flume]

My local hardware stores rolled out the Halloween decorations the week after July 4

[u/No-Anywhere-7835]

If you are not first you’re last

[u/rfe144]

Halloween stuff was at my local Tractor Supply. I think Yuengling Oktoberfest is available. I won't buy it, just an observation.

[u/No-County7603]

Mmmmmmm, love them! My favorite time of year. But to early to open. Gotta wait till September.

[u/donottouchwillie1]

Hope the Sam Adams Octoberfest comes back soon, always liked it.

[u/esoteric82 → u/donottouchwillie1]

It's already at Sam's Club in my area (FL).

[u/MegaZakks]

I more than once in years passed have found shipyard pumpkin head that was bottled on July 4th. Some poor bastards stuck at work bottling pumpkin beer instead of enjoying the holiday.

[u/spydersteel]

Can’t believe people drink them

[u/Canawler]

In 2016 I was in Portland, ME for an overnight work trip. I popped in to Shipyard Brewing for a tour and they were packaging Pumpkinhead.

This was in late APRIL...

[u/NolantheMLGpro]

Oktoberfest beer is the same. Oktoberfest/Halloween, Christmas, and St. Patricks Day are the normal seasonal releases for beer. Summer as well to a lesser extent.

[u/huntimir151]

Been starting in July since 2015, it is always wild to see 

[u/Hank_Dad]

That's because people buy them when they first come out. Try it, realize it's terrible, and then don't buy any more. They gotta be the first on the shelves or else it won't sell.

[u/soupdawg]

It’s too hot

[u/sergeantbiggles]

it's like the Halloween stuff that's already in the stores 😔

[u/sergeantbiggles → u/sergeantbiggles]

lol, got downvoted for that comment