tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post3614824700287705593..comments2024-03-29T05:58:25.823-04:00Comments on Seen Through a Glass: A Seasonally Adjusted ResponseLew Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-19453751251897423822012-02-28T21:54:46.828-05:002012-02-28T21:54:46.828-05:00I don't understand the comment by Weyerbacher....I don't understand the comment by Weyerbacher. If it takes you 6 months (May - Sept) to brew enough supply for your Imperial Pumpkin....just shift that 6 months around? What? It means your other seasonals will be effected? Exactly.<br /><br />Notch is correct. I couldn't believe when I saw Alpine Spring on the shelf in early Feb. It's Feb! I want to drink a solid bock, and all I can find on the shelves are spring ales.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-68140250862106375672012-02-28T15:23:47.026-05:002012-02-28T15:23:47.026-05:00There's a difference between seasonals and lim...There's a difference between seasonals and limited-release. Oktoberfest beers, for instance, are generally widely available, at least through late September... Limited release beers are deliberately limited, whereas seasonals only get tight in supply when a brewer is caught off-guard by unexpected demand. <br /><br />There can be limited-release seasonals, though, I guess. But there is a difference.Lew Brysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04084380741402026573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-74040645066617952262012-02-28T15:06:12.696-05:002012-02-28T15:06:12.696-05:00I dislike seasonal beers for several reasons: I li...I dislike seasonal beers for several reasons: I like to drink beers that are readily available, and I don't like the hysteria and ridiculous pricing that accompanies limited-release beers. I work for a craft beer retailer, and I really hate having people call for weeks to find out when Beer X will be available, and then have them show up a day too late because it sold out in one day. My remedy to the seasonal beer disaster is drinking the readily available beers from the plethora of fine craft brewers we carry and not getting caught up in the hype of seasonal and limited-release beers. I refuse to buy a 20-dollar six-pack of something we have to limit customers to one six-pack of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-41352340473769533842012-02-28T13:44:43.095-05:002012-02-28T13:44:43.095-05:00Who really cares when the pumpkin beers come out. ...Who really cares when the pumpkin beers come out. If it was up to me I would take them year round. Also the last time I checked a pumpkin is an actual fruit/veg. SHould we only brew ciders during apple harvest season?<br /><br />Wyerbacher and Southern Tier you can brew your pumpkin beer anytime.Phillybeerfreakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01376585374870818246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-43526403234193517162012-02-27T16:13:54.096-05:002012-02-27T16:13:54.096-05:00We can argue the merits of seasonal beer timing, a...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.<br /><br />But, we can all agree the current situation is broken, because we all laugh at the absurdity of the timing (consumers and brewers). We should stop using Summer, Fall, Spring and Winter and simply line up limited releases as we wish. Many have already moved in this direction, including Notch (except for BSA Harvest, and the market cleaned that up for me).<br /><br />Also, let's not compare durable goods (including marshmallow peeps) with perishables like beer. The durable goods are still around when the intended season finally shows up. If we do away with the seasonal names, we may enjoy beers in the time frame the brewer intended.Chris, Notch Brewinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14609006769895863282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-81808464768331998542012-02-27T12:59:01.974-05:002012-02-27T12:59:01.974-05:00Festbier is year round at the company restaurant. ...Festbier is year round at the company restaurant. I got all excited about being able to get it whenever I wanted (I'm no where near the company restaurant).<br /><br />The storage situation is an interesting point.davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7315262155858800734.post-19846663403983210712012-02-27T12:40:59.503-05:002012-02-27T12:40:59.503-05:00While I suppose that it's amusing that seasona...While I suppose that it's amusing that seasonals are early, does it really matter? I think Mr. Weirback's response more than answered the post by Notch Brewing. It's not just (or even primarily) that the sellers are jerking around the brewers, it's that it's difficult to make enough to last three months.<br /><br />Many "seasonals" have nothing to do with a season other than the name -- and often, not even that. And just because something comes out at the same time each year doesn't make it a seasonal in the minds of consumers. Hopslam doesn't scream winter to me, for instance.<br /><br />The call for consumers to not by seasonals early -- wouldn't that just be hurting the brewers? Small Brewer X's O-fest reaches the store in late August, and no one buys it -- how does that help things? Seems to me the more rational response by the distributor would be to not pick that one up again next year.<br /><br />In the larger picture, what happens with beer seasonals echoes what happens with most retail -- bathing suits are entering stores now, Easter stuff has been on sale for over a month. No one is treating beer differently. And drinkers can still drink seasonally even if certain seasonals disappear before the end of the season. It's nowhere near as all-or-nothing as the Notch brewer painted it.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03634642987617262810noreply@blogger.com