Fall is my favorite time of year for several reasons: changing colors, a steady decrease in insects, and pumpkin flavored beer. Almost every micro-brewery brews a seasonal pumpkin ale for fall (Liberty Street actually brews theirs year round) and each tastes a little different. Some go for the pure pumpkin flavor while others are inspired by the spices in pumpkin pie. Even Michelob and Blue Moon have their own pumpkin ale offerings.
Easily, my favorite of the lot is Michigan Brewing Company's own 'Screamin' Pumpkin Spiced Ale', a beer described by Beer Advocate as 'a cross between a pumpkin pie, a Molasses cookie, and a Ginger snap'. Sound amazing? Yes!
Imagine my surprise when just this week, closing on the second half of September, I went to the MBC brew-pub downtown and...they were out of 'Screamin' Pumpkin'. Seriously. Out on draft, out on bottle, and the waitress (whom I am not holding responsible), did not know when or if they would get any more for the rest of the season. According to her, MBC shipped a bunch of the fantastic brew out of state this year and they had already gone through their short supply. MBC, where are your priorities?
Anyway, the next day I checked the local Meijer and Kroger. No 'Screamin' Pumpkin'. I even tried the fully stocked bodega 'Oades Big Ten' on Clippert...no 'Screamin' Pumpkin' and according to their clerk over the phone, they were not sure when they would receive more. Finally, I called MBC in Webberville to find out what the hell was happening. The guy there said that they had plenty on draft in Webberville, but the demand was far greater than the supply regarding bottle distribution. According to him, they were brewing more but he gave me no time table of when my stores shelves would be stocked.
Almost defeated, I tried to put the disappointment out of my mind. The very beer served at my wedding, brewed in state only once a year, was already snatched by eager and knowing beer snobs like myself before the season even officially started.
This morning, I stopped at Goodrich's in East Lansing for the first time just to check. Careful searching confirmed that the 'Screamin Pumpkin' was no where to be found on the shelf or in the cooler next to the other MBC brews or even with the other seasonal pumpkin ales. Just when I was about to give up hope, I checked the cooler one more time and discovered hidden on the floor...the last two six-packs of 'Screamin' Pumpkin'. Fortune it seemed was smiling upon me, rewarding my diligence with the delicious taste ginger spiced pumpkin pie in a bottle. Thank you Goodrich's. My quest – at least for now is at an end.
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| One of the two remaining packs of 'Screamin' Pumpkin' |
