2008 Woodie Awards
Weyerbacher begins brewing pumpkin beer
Associated Press
Issue date: 9/27/07 Section: Features
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There was no reason for his Weyerbacher Brewing Co. to brew one, since the seasonal beer would fade in popularity, he thought.
But after watching pumpkin beers continue to sell well each fall and his wholesaler constantly bugging him to make one, Weirback cracked three years ago and created Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale.
He's now a firm pumpkin believer; the beer has turned into a big seasonal seller for his Easton, Pa., brewery.
"I think it's the festivity of the idea," Weirback said, trying to explain the following. "It's really a fun beer. It signifies a seasonal change."
Every brewer from little brew pubs to the national powerhouses seems to be making pumpkin beer these days. (BeerAdvocate.com has ratings for 148 of them.) Some brewers even agree that the style is overtaking Octoberfest as a fall favorite among beer drinkers.
And now is the time to try them as pumpkin beers are hitting store shelves, bars and restaurants for the season. They have become so popular that the Brewers Association added a specific pumpkin category this year at the annual Great American Beer Festival, scheduled for Oct. 11-13 in Denver. In years past, pumpkin was judged alongside other fruit and vegetable beers.
So far, the pumpkin category has 15 entries. "It's just been coming on the radar," said Julia Herz, marketing director for the association. "Craft brewers are known to be pushing the envelope when it comes to beer and styles of beer. The fact that they are producing pumpkin beers now in larger quantities than ever is a sign of the times."
At least two breweries have started festivals around their pumpkin beers. The Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland, Maine, will hold its second Pumpkinhead Festival on Oct. 26-27. The event features music, a charity fundraiser, children's games and of course, Pumpkinhead Ale.
And the Elysian Brewing Co. in Seattle holds a true pumpkin beer festival, with brewer Dick Cantwell creating a variety of the beers for tasting including lavender, stout and hefeweizen ones, for example.
This year, he's making a Scottish pumpkin beer aged in barrels that once held Jack Daniels. It's called Jack o' Bite. The brewery also offers guest pumpkin beers during the event.
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