Seasonal Creep – How Early is Too Early?

Written by: Joe Ludwig

Halloween weekend, Caroline and I were driving to a friend’s wedding. Normally when we drive, we listen to podcasts. But we had just finished an episode and Caroline wanted a change of pace. So she flipped through the radio and Christmas music came on. She quickly switched it off but the damage was done. Christmas music the day before Halloween? Preposterous. We don’t even listen to it before Thanksgiving!

Unfortunately, this seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Each year, the “holiday season” starts earlier and earlier. And it isn’t just the holidays. Starbucks releases its pumpkin spice lattes in August. Breweries are now releasing their Oktoberfest beers as early as July and their Christmas ales as early as mid-October.

This phenomenon where the seasons mesh together is known as seasonal creep. If you are a crafter, like Caroline is, then this is something that you might be very familiar with. It takes time to make seasonal items that you may sell on Etsy or at craft fairs so this makes sense. But if you are a fan of seasonal craft beer, as I am, then you may have realized that seasonal beers are also falling victim to seasonal creep.

SEASONS MATTER

I love the seasons. I could never be a snowbird and live in a place like Florida where the sun shines all year. I think I would go insane. That’s why I love living in the Midwest. In the Midwest, we tend to have four distinct seasons throughout the year and they tend to happen at the same time each year, give or take a few weeks. Sometimes we might win the jackpot and get all four seasons in a day. It’s great. Part of what makes the seasons so great is the fact that certain styles of craft beer are available during certain seasons.

One year, at Easter, my mom decided to try something new (she’s a dedicated Bud Light drinker) and she brought a 12-pack of Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy to share. The weather on Easter can vary greatly depending on where on the calendar that it falls. This particular year it was closer to March than May so the weather was cold. This was quite a few years ago and, at the time, Leinenkugel was relatively new to the Cincinnati market so I remember being excited to try a new beer. I opened the beer, took a drink and it tasted…okay. I didn’t grab a second one.

A few months later, I decided to give the beer another chance. The difference was that this time it was the middle of summer and the weather was really hot. This time I really enjoyed it. It was refreshing and cold, a stark contrast to the temperature outside, and the amount of lemon flavor in the beer was perfect. It was the same beer that I had at Easter but I had two completely different experiences because the seasons were different.

My experience with the summer shandy probably isn’t very surprising to anyone who is a seasoned craft beer lover. I am fairly certain that I could replace the summer shandy with almost any seasonal style of beer and I would have had a similar experience, for better or worse. Can you imagine Bockfest being in the middle of July?

When drinking any beer, but seasonal beer, in particular, the seasons can and do play an important role. I’m not saying that you can’t or shouldn’t drink beer off-season. I occasionally do but usually, I have to be in the mood. I’m just saying that the taste and the overall experience of the seasonal beer can change based on when and where it is consumed. I would even go as far as to say, in my opinion, seasonal beers taste the best when they are consumed in the season that they are released.

HOW EARLY IS TOO EARLY?

The topic of seasonal creep has come up a lot recently in the Cincinnati craft beer scene because some local breweries released their holiday ale in mid-October. Some think that this is way too early for anything holiday-themed, let alone beer. What happened to Halloween and Thanksgiving? I understand their point (see the first paragraph about me complaining about Christmas music on the radio before Halloween). However, I also understand that breweries are a business and their seasonal release schedule is a business decision. 

The average craft beer drinker in Cincinnati has many choices to choose from when it comes to local beer. In fact, as a region, we have over 60 breweries (the number changes depending on who you ask). So what happens when most of those breweries release an Oktoberfest beer, for example, at the same time? The market will be saturated and consumers will be overwhelmed. Sales might be negatively impacted. So to stand out in the market, it seems like the goal is to be the first one to be released.

I’m okay with this but on one condition, which I’ll get to in a minute.

You may be wondering if we continue on the track that we’re on, won’t the breweries keep releasing their seasonal beers earlier and earlier until we’re drinking Christmas beers in April and bock beers in July?

The simple answer is no and it’s because of a little thing called “supply and demand”. If a brewery releases a packaged seasonal beer before consumers are ready for it (AKA there’s no demand) then that product will sit on the shelves and take up space. If a product is taking up space that means that not only is money not being made, but both the brewery and the retailer are losing money. 

In the end, it’s very simple: the consumer is in charge. When it comes to seasonal beer, the breweries will know how early is too early based on how quickly their consumers purchase the product. And it will vary from year to year.

SO CREEP ALL YOU WANT — ON ONE CONDITION

How can I be okay with “seasonal creep” if I’m such a fan of drinking beers in season? This is where my condition comes in. If a brewery wants to release their holiday ale in mid-October I’m totally cool with that. But, in my opinion, they need to make sure there’s enough supply to meet the demand for when that product is wanted the most. 

For example, if there is not enough holiday ale by the time Christmas comes around then that, in my opinion, is when “seasonal creep” goes too far. Right now, when it comes to Cincinnati craft beer, this is not the case. Over the last couple of years, I haven’t had any issues getting the seasonal beers that I want at the time that I want to drink them. The same cannot be said about Halloween candy on Halloween. (Note: I did not go to Kroger to get Halloween candy on Halloween. I went there for other items and passed by the seasonal aisle.)

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I’m aware that managing a business, especially a craft brewery in a market like Cincinnati, is challenging and very competitive. Owning any retail business, especially in the time of COVID, is extremely difficult and I don’t want that to be lost in this conversation. 

I am also aware that there is a fine line between producing too much and too little of a seasonal beer and it can be extremely difficult to predict how consumers will react to the retail version of a beer vs kegs in the taproom. The decision to seasonal creep is a business one and it is not going away.

So, local breweries, creep all you want, just please try not to sell out of your seasonal beers too soon. As for the radio stations playing Christmas music before Halloween? Well, that’s a different story.

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