Seasons, Temperature Affect Beer Preferences
Posted 2009-10-29
The average American consumes 27.1 gallons of beer each year. As fall turns to winter, is there a
change in beer consumption habits as the weather gets colder?
Although beer
By Heba
Issa
AccuWeather.com
The average American consumes 27.1
gallons of beer each year. As fall turns to winter, is there a change in beer consumption habits as the weather gets colder?
Although beer sales are the highest in warmer weather, statistics show that the colder the state, the more beer consumed. The Beer Institute
reported that Nevada, while not a northern tier state, consumed the most beer in the country with 44 gallons per capita. New Hampshire, North Dakota
and Montana came in second, third and fourth, respectively.
As the weather gets colder, beer drinkers opt for the darker beers, such as porters and stouts.
"[I prefer] lagers, American pale ales, even Corona in the spring/summer," wrote AccuWeather.com Facebook fan Bruce. "Fall/winter brings
Octoberfests, heavier ales, stouts, bocks and Belgian trippels."
Homebrews become more favorable in the cooler weather because of a more manageable room temperature.
Facebook fan Matthew, who is a homebrewer, wrote that the seasons have an influence on what beer he chooses drink as well as make.
"...Not only the beers that I'm drinking reflect certain times of the year, but also the beers I make change depending on the season," he wrote.
"Some styles require cooler temps for fermentation, while other styles, like some Belgian style ales, do great when the fermentation temps are
warmer."
Facebook fan Dan, also a homebrewer, agrees.
"I can pretty much tailor my brews to the seasons," he writes, "but my friends and I tend to go for the lighter beers ie: wheats, pales and the
lighter IPAs [Indian Pale Ales] in the spring and summer and the darker brews ie: stouts, porters, barleywines and Big IPAs and anything with lots of
roasted malt in the fall and winter."
Julia Herz, the Craft Beer Program Director for the Brewers Association, stated that a majority of craft beers, flavored beers brewed and distributed
regionally, are sold during the holidays. Independence Day, Memorial Day and Thanksgiving are all strong sales times for craft beers.
"Fall craft seasonals have the highest sales per case currently," said Herz, "Pale ales are the top seller during those times," referring to fall
through the end of the holiday season.
Greg Burke, a brewmaster at Woodward Ave. Brewers in Ferndale, Mich., believes that craft beer sales go up in part because America has taken up an
increased consciousness in beer culture over the past decade.
"There are a whole pantheon of flavors and styles now and more breweries are picking up forgotten styles," he said.
Burke has observed that cold weather does dampen sales, but once what he calls "cabin fever" hits and people realize winter isn't going anywhere for
a while, a return in sales occurs.
This may be attributed to the social context in which beer is consumed, such as barbecues and other warm weather gatherings.
Not only do beer sales go down, but the amount of beer festivals decrease as well. Summer is full of near-constant beer festivals. As fall and winter
approach, few key festivals are left.
Burke attributes this to inclement weather that may hinder festival-goers, but he believes that attendees will show, regardless of weather
conditions.
"Beer drinkers are hardy souls and are willing to throw on an extra sweatshirt [to attend]," he said.
AccuWeather.com's Gina Cherundolo contributed to the content of this story.
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