• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Shipyard Brewing launches effort to end ‘seasonal creep’ (we second that emotion)

September 14, 2016Marty Jones

pumpkinhead-bottle-and-glass- shipyard brewing
Pumpkinhead promises not to crash the holiday party too early.

Shipyard Brewing Co. released its Pumpkinhead fall seasonal to U.S. retailers over the last two weeks. Launched in 2002 and one of American craft beer’s biggest-selling seasonals, Pumpkinhead is a malty U.K.-meets-USA amber ale enhanced with pumpkin pie flavors. The beer is made with a dash of malted wheat, U.S. and European hops and an English ale yeast. At just 4.5 percent ABV, Pumpkinhead is a super-sessionable pumpkin beer with ample body, subtle pumpkin-pie spice notes and a gentle bite of hops on its refreshing finish.

With the September 1 release of the beer, Shipyard founder Fred Forsley is also beginning an effort to end the “seasonal creep” of beers that has riled consumers and retailers alike.

“Enough is enough,” Forsley said. “Over the past few years craft brewers — Shipyard included — have steadily pushed up the release dates of seasonal beers to the point that these beers are now out of season. This push has stripped these beers of their context and fun and angered our customers. So we’re going to put our seasonal beers back in season and try to end this foolishness.”

Consumer backlash to seasonal creep reached its peak this summer with consumers angry about the early departure of summer beers and fall beers arriving in July and August. Forsley has seen that frustration firsthand, despite releasing Pumpkinhead about two weeks later than last year.

“I was at the beach in Maine last week,” Forsley said, “with one of my best and longtime on-premise customers, and he really let me have it. ‘It’s still summer. It’s 90 degrees outside, but your Summer Ale is off-the-shelf. And now you want me to drink a pumpkin beer? This is crazy, Fred’ He’s right. It’s time for some seasonal correctness here.”

“Seasonal creep is screwing up seasonal beers for everybody,” said Bruce Forsley, Fred’s cousin and Shipyard’s sales director. “If these beers come out at the right time and stay through their intended time slot, we think consumers and retailers will be happier and the beers will sell better.”

Bart Watson, chief economist for the Brewers Association, noted a shift to seasonal correctness comes with positives and negatives.

“The biggest risk,” Watson said, “is that people have already stocked up on pumpkin, and you miss out on purchase opportunities. That’s why seasonal creep started in the first place, but I think that there is room for a few breweries to buck the trend and get an advantage. Overall, I think this would be a good thing for the industry, but I think there’s the risk that a brewery that shifts back will get crowded out.”

Marty Jones is longtime evangelist, publicist and status quo smasher for craft beer. His creative ideas, promo efforts and questionable jokes have played a key role in the success of some of the top beer endeavors in Colorado and the United States. Follow him on Twitter @martyjonesinc.

Watch: Sea Dog Brewing’s middle management recruitment video might convince you to work there
Pumpkinhead Rimmer Bottle and Glass cbb crop Shipyard
Shipyard Brewing celebrates 20 years of Pumpkinhead, fearing neither the ‘80s horror creature or (gasp) shrinking beer sales
Hops-Breaking-Bad
Almost 400 new breweries opened in 2013, according to the Brewers Association
FSBC-Image-1
Here’s the fastest growing brewery in the U.S. according to Untappd

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. SalientMgmtComp says

    September 15, 2016 at 4:35 pm

    . @ShipyardBrewing launches effort to end ‘#seasonal creep’ -> https://t.co/JzF74t7Ncz

    Log in to Reply
  2. CraftyKrystin says

    September 15, 2016 at 9:58 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: [email protected] launches effort to end seasonal creep (we second that). @martyjonesinc https://t.co/K9ZZD2A1fj https…

    Log in to Reply
  3. crsimp01 says

    September 14, 2016 at 3:25 pm

    Shipyard Brewing launches effort to end seasonal creep with pumpkin beer https://t.co/SEiApDaRgd via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Riverbend Malt House adds limited quantity of Hickory King Corn
  • Here’s the fastest growing brewery in the U.S. according to Untappd
  • Isuzu celebrates after producing 100,000th N-Series truck
  • Women of the Bevolution and Beer Kulture announce Monique Gray, founder of Momentum Cider, as its launchpad grant recipient

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • FSBC-Image-1Here’s the fastest growing brewery in the U.S. according to Untappd
    June 6, 2023
  • MONTUCKY-HERO-IMAGE___Montucky Cold Snacks announces new mascot and contest winner, plans to plaster his face on its beer cans this fall
    June 5, 2023
  • Video: Watch how Country Malt Group started in a shed and became an America beer supplier success story
    June 5, 2023
  • Constellation sells Funky Buddha and Four Corners back to original owners, says see ya to craft sector
    May 31, 2023
  • liquid-riot-teamCheers to 10 Years: Liquid Riot freshens up look for next decade
    May 30, 2023
  • People news: Colorado’s Dry Dock names new head brewer + moves from Wiseacre, Crooked Hammock and more
    May 30, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC