It was right after the pumpkin spice potato chips. Or was it after the (quite possibly fake) pumpkin spice flavored/scented condoms? Either way the pumpkin bubble has burst for me. I will carve the hell out of a pumpkin this year out of spite for the spate of pumpkin products.
But seriously, I got nothing ‘gainst the gourd and I certainly don’t want to stifle brewing creativity. But this Halloween season, you will not find me excitedly choosing a beer from the P-Spice display. With the caveat that if a brewer brings something new to the glass and during October, I will listen and possibly taste. (I will review two pumpkin beers this month to keep on top of the trend)
But the combination of seasonal creep that puts pumpkin beer on shelves by late August and the ever increasing use of pumpkin and its pie spices as an unimaginative brand extension tool for seemingly every product under the sun, has me burnt out.
I understand that distribution dictates when beer gets brewed and when it arrives on shelves. Supply chain economics seem to be the driving factor at play. But why encourage me to drink pumpkin beers months before Halloween and Thanksgiving? If I told you to drink a Maibock in January, would you? Or Oktoberfests in May? It seems that Pumpkin beers and Holiday ales are not subject to the same calendar as other beers in the market.
Maybe I am just grumpy because we here in L.A. haven’t had a spring, fall or winter in a long, long while. But where is the brewing counterculture of tapping the beer that you want to drink, when you want to drink it and having the customers come to you because your beer is so good? Why are some bowing to the pressure of releasing beer early?
I don’t believe that it is the grumpy grandpa in me that is irritated. Seasonal Creep takes the fun of enjoying the moment away. How can the actual day of Halloween be fun if you are assaulted with pop-up costume shops for months. To me it is a sign of a culture that doesn’t enjoy the day in front of them and has to set their clocks to future fun days. Let me drink my Oktoberfests and ambers and dopplebocks first before hitting me with the full fury of fall.
Or maybe I should just give in to the marketing and start drinking winter ales right now or better yet I could start planning an all pumpkin based brewery. Pumpkin IPA anyone?