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Fall fruit turns into silver chariot for beer makers, commercial and home
By Rick Armon
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007
Dan Weirback swore years ago that pumpkin beer was just a fad.
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 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.
Beer drinkers have gone crazy over the Great Pumpkin Brewing Festival, held on different days at the three Elysian locations. One year, there was a line outside the brewery for 10 hours, Cantwell said.
''I think our festival is only going to get bigger,'' he added. ''Last year, people came in pumpkin costumes and that was with one year of history behind us.''
So why does he think people are so fascinated with pumpkin beer?
''I think what's so appealing about it is it's so absolutely hilarious,'' Cantwell said. ''When I traveled to Germany and told people there that I brewed pumpkin beer, they laughed and laughed. They can't believe someone would do such a thing. They said 'that's so ridiculous,' and then they said 'I wish I could have one.'''
A good pumpkin beer at least to many drinkers will taste like liquid pumpkin pie.
But not all pumpkin beers are made the same. Some use real pumpkin. Others use only spices. For example, Weyerbacher uses more than a pound of canned pumpkin per case.
The style has a strong following one brewer calls the fanatics ''pumpkin zombies.''
''They start coming in at the first of July. They are nuts about it,'' said Lew Bryson, a Philadelphia beer author and blogger (http://lewbryson.blogspot.com).
''For a lot of people, it's the only nonmainstream beer they will drink because it's so familiar and sweet,'' he added. ''It's almost like comfort food.''
Bryson rates Weyerbacher's as one of the best available. It has 8 percent alcohol and is a heavier brew.
Other pumpkin beers found in the Akron area include Anheuser-Busch's Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale, Coors' Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale, Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale, Brooklyn's Post Road Pumpkin Ale and Shipyard's Pumpkinhead Ale.
''They sell really well,'' said Tom Canning, who buys beer for the Acme Fresh Markets store in Montrose. ''They are starting to pick up each year as more people are coming out with pumpkin beers.''
Of course, visiting the store or bar isn't the only way to get a good pumpkin beer.
Jim Lucas, 49, a Wadsworth home-brewer, has been making his own for about 10 years.
He uses fresh pumpkin, baking it as part of the process to convert the starches to sugar. He has even grown his own pumpkins for his brew.
''It's a real good beer to have in the fall because it's bolder and spicier,'' he said.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com.
Dan Weirback swore years ago that pumpkin beer was just a fad.
Get the full article here.
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