In nature, seasonal creep is when seasons physically start changing at different times than usual. These early indicators of the next season can sometimes be amazing – I love the example of a beautiful warm afternoon in February. They can also be not so enjoyable. I remember once being at a festival in May and snow flurries brought me a deep rage that I can’t even explain. But seasonal creep in beer? That’s a whole different ballgame, that folks like to talk about this time of year. Seasonal Creep Isn’t Real… sort of.

Seasonal Creep In Beer

Before I prove all this wrong, we have to address what seasonal creep in beer actually is. If you’re of the belief that the phrase seasonal creep just means that you get a seasonal beer before the weather dictates you drink that beer – then I’ll let you have it. I accept that a Christmas beer outside of December is not the appropriate time to be drinking it… for me.

If, though, when you talk about seasonal creep in beer you’re saying that the seasonal beers that we find around are actually shifting every year – creeping forward – which is how I seem to hear most folks talking about it. You’re wrong.

It’s not really fair to just leave it at that, though – we should dive in a little deeper, and since we’re headed into Oktoberfest season right now – and I consider myself a bit of an Oktoberfest nutjob… we’ll use that to illustrate my point.

Traditionally Speaking

There are lots of reasons that Oktoberfests are released when they are. Traditionally speaking, the beer was brewed in March (Marzen… that’s where the name comes from) – they were drank all summer long until the temperatures dropped again and brewing was able to commence, again. Until the advent of mechanical refrigeration, this was just how it had to be done.

As technology caught up with the world, tradition took over, and Marzens became associated with Oktoberfest. As the Oktoberfest celebration became even more popular, festbiers entered the scene – and that puts us where we are today.

Modern Beer Drinker Habits

The truth of drinkers is that we do (and we have always) drink a little ahead of the season. We lay into our seasonal releases just a hair before the season starts. Breweries and distributors know this and meet us where we are. They put out the beer a little early, and get it off the shelves a little early.

What I’m trying to get out with all of this lead-up – is what is Oktoberfest season in modern United States drinking? My “expert” answer that I’m going to throw out there is from August until early October. This is when the festivals kick into full gear, this is when we want to be drinking the beers.

That’s not the big question of this post, though – is it? Is there a shift? Right now it’s mid-July, and the first Oktoberfest beers are just hitting shelves locally. Well… that’s easy to look at.

Some Local Examples

The only way to prove or disprove this is to dive into the data. I haven’t been tracking release dates forever – but I have been doing it for quite a while. Let’s look at some of the longest-running examples of packaged Oktoberfests around town – and when they are released each year.

Braxton – Oktober Fuel

Braxton’s Oktoberfest was first released in cans on July 26th, 2016 in cans and has been followed up every year since with a release during the last week of July.

Taft’s – Oktubberfest

Taft’s had a few draft-only Oktoberfest releases in their early days – but in 2018 they released their cans of Oktubberfest on 7/29. The only year that there was a shift was in 2020 when it moved from the last week of July to the second to last week, which it has maintained since.

Rhinegeist – Franz

Much like the trend that we’re starting to see – in 2018, Rhinegeist’s Franz hit cans in 2018 on 7/30 and has followed it up every year since on the last week of July.

West Side and Sonder

West Side and Sonder are a little newer to the Oktoberfest release crowd, and guess what? No surprise here… they tend to release their beers… the last week of July. There was one year (2021) that I have Sonder releasing theirs during the first week of August, but I could have written that down wrong, also.

That Doesn’t Mean That You Have To Drink Oktoberfest in July

It’s important to note with all of this that just because the first Oktoberfests around town always hit shelves during the second to last and last week of July that you have to start drinking them then. In fact, there are plenty of breweries that also always release theirs in mid-august. There are some that always release theirs in September – and I’ve even seen some release the first of October (too late in my book).

You also should probably note that once you buy a six-pack of Oktoberfest and tuck it into your fridge – you don’t have to drink it right away. This is a beer style that holds up very well over time (depending on who’s version we’re talking about). Some of the hoppier takes on the style will lose their sparkle, and obviously, there are some places with some control issues that mean few of their packaged beers age as well as other places.

Overall, though – my general rule of thumb for an Oktoberfest beer is that it’s going to be just fine tucked away in your fridge for 3 months or so. I wouldn’t even begin to worry about it before then.

The Moral Of The Story

Oktoberfest beers aren’t coming any quicker than they ever have. That doesn’t mean that when the first ones hit shelves each year that we’re all ready to drink them. We can, though.

The conversation happens every year, and it’s certainly not going to stop any time soon, but hopefully, this helps shine a light on what’s real – and what is just really what we feel.