As the weather cools, seasonal fall beers sales are in full swing at the beverage alcohol retail tier. Oktoberfest and pumpkin brews are leading the charge. “We brought in about 45 different Oktoberfest skus this year,” says Dan Chacon, beer buyer, Argonaut Wine & Liquor in Denver, Colorado. “Although a couple of them have already sold out, it’s a moderate increase from last year.”
In all, Argonaut has 75 autumn seasonal beers in stock this year, including 44 Oktoberfest beers and 27 pumpkin beers. “Most breweries have shifted to producing either pumpkin or Oktoberfest beers for their autumn seasonal,” Chacon says. “Oktoberfest beers are selling at an increased rate, where pumpkin beers have been up and down the past few years.”
Colorful fall beer displays are up on Argonaut’s retail floor, and the store is also promoting them with email blasts and social media posts. “Oktoberfest seasonal brews are easily the most popular seasonal type of beer,” Chacon says. “They surpass pumpkin beers, which used to be the top seasonal type, as well as winter seasonal beers. We also get a significant increase in keg sales for Oktoberfest beers during the season.”
Oktoberfest promotions at Argonaut also include product groups linked to banner headers on the store’s website that customers can click on and view. Popular German Oktoberfest beers at Argonaut include Weihenstephaner Festbier ($16 a six-pack of 12-ounce bottles), Paulaner ($20 a 12-pack), and Hofbrau ($11 a four-pack of 16-ounce cans). Leading American Oktoberfest beers include Breckenridge ($20 a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans), Left Hand and Odell (both $12 a six pack). Top selling pumpkin beers include 4 Noses Pump Action ($13 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans), Southern Tier Pumking ($17 a 4-pack 12-ounce bottles), and Shipyard Pumpkin Head ($14 a six pack of 12-ounce bottles). “I anticipate Oktoberfest and fall beers to continue to be strong sellers,” Chacon says.
At Kreston Wine & Spirits’ two stores in Wilmington and Middletown, Delaware, Oktoberfest and pumpkin brews have contributed to autumn becoming the stores’ top selling season for beers. “While other seasonal beers do well, people don’t have the same urgency or demand like they do for pumpkin and Oktoberfest beers,” says Jeff Kreston, company vice president. “They come out early, and people realize to grab them while they can. We haven’t seen too many new fall beers. It is a loyal category, and we don’t see people experiment as much.”
Kreston primarily promotes the beers through social media and email. “It’s important to announce when these beers arrive in July and August,” he says. “We give the customers as much heads up as possible when they are coming because sometimes, we might not be able to get more. It’s also one of the hardest to order and guess how something might go.”
This year Kreston has 20 different Oktoberfest beers in stock with many different package sizes and types. German Oktoberfest leaders include Hacker-Pschorr ($12 a six-pack), Paulaner and ($11 a six-pack). Popular American Oktoberfest beers include Sam Adams ($18 a 12-pack), Cape May ($12 a six-pack) and First State ($14 a six-pack). “It’s around the same as last year, but we have seen less package sizes,” he says. “German Oktoberfest is still the leader.”
Kreston carries 25-30 pumpkin beers. Top sellers include Dogfish ($15 a six-pack of 12-ounce), Heavy Seas Greater Pumpkin ($15 a six-pack), and Elysian Night Owl ($13 a six-pack). “We have brought them in as soon as they are available and then kept an eye on remaining inventories to reorder,” Kreston says. “People still have the urgency to grab them because they won’t be around all season.”
Randall’s Wine & Spirits, which operates four stores in Missouri and one in Illinois, is also seeing craft breweries offering at least an Oktoberfest option, and many also produce a pumpkin beer. Randall’s usually stocks about 20 craft Oktoberfest options and 12-15 import offerings. The store has also been seeing an influx of NA Oktoberfest options from breweries such as Athletic ($11 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans) and Go Brewing ($14 a six-pack). “This is a slight increase from last year, but we’re seeing more options,” says Dustin Martin, a certified cicerone at Randall’s. “Ten years ago, we had more import options but fewer craft ones.”
Randall’s, however, is seeing more import options return after being unavailable for a few years. “Imports are a tricky thing today, and the fluctuating cost and availability of supplies makes everything unpredictable. Hopefully we continue to grow and won’t have another setback.”
Among German Oktoberfest beers, Ayinger ($14 a four-pack of 11.2-ounce bottles) is a perennial favorite at Randall’s. “It’s the best Märzen-style Oktoberfest,” Martin says. “My favorite Festbier is Weihenstephaner ($16 a six-pack of 11.2-ounce bottles).” Other popular German Oktoberfest beers at Randall’s are Spaten ($12 a six-pack) and Paulaner ($11 a Six-pack) “They tend to sell out quickly every year.”
Among American Oktoberfest beers at Randall’s, Urban Chestnut O-Katz ($10 for a 4 pack of 16-ounce cans) stands out. “It’s a Märzen-style, and almost as good as a proper German Oktoberfest,” Martin says. “I also love the Civil Life Oktoberfest ($12 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans), and the Schlafly Oktoberfest ($11 a six-pack of 12-ounce cans) continues to crush every year.”