Seasonal Brewing

Is beer really seasonal? For example: Do I have to brew an Oktoberfest in time just to drink it during that season?...

I would like to drink any beer at any time.

Drink what you want when you want. You want an Oktoberfest in may, go for it. That's the beauty of home brewing. You don't have to wait for the micro breweries to come out with your favorite seasonal brews. You can make them yourself whenever you want.

Edit: BTW, Oktoberfest type brew's are great in the spring, IMO.

I like that answer!!

Modern temperature control makes most previously "seasonal" beers brewable year round. If you want to brew an Oktoberfest in October and drink it in March, go nuts. As long as you brew, fewrment, and age a beer under the proper conditions, it will turn out right. Personally, I tend to enjoy some styles more during certain seasons. A freshly hoppy APA hits the spot in July, but I prefer a toasty-sweet amber ale for the fall, and a decadently roasty stout for curling up on the couch in the winter.

I like dry crisp beers in autumn to go with the crisp days. Most people are drinking thick, warming beers then.

You are just asking to be raided by the beer police Better have something to bribe them with!

The more I get into the history and culture of where a beer style came from, the more I enjoy drinking it during the traditional season. I sometimes hanker for a beer "out of season" and sometimes a food will beg for a certain beer style, but in general I like having something malty in the fall, spiced, strong, and malty in the winter, hoppy in the spring, and crisp, dry, and wheat in the summer. On the other hand, I try my very best to keep a nice variety on hand, so if I have something dark and malty in the fridge I won't buy another beer like that. I generally have a light crisp lager, something hoppy, something belgian, etc, in the fridge at once.

I really enjoy brewing seasonal beers...Oktoberfest-type beers for autumn, winter warmers for, well, winter, wheat beers for summer. I think its a lot of fun.

White Labs and Wyeast have some seasonal strains you can only get at certain times of the year.

Otherwise screw 'em there is nothing wrong with a RIS in July or a Saison in the dead of winter. :rockin: