Do you remember when you could buy Dogfish Head’s Punkin Ale in bottles?
Last year was the first time the company’s best-selling seasonal beer, created in 1994 (!), was available in 6-pack, 12-ounce cans.
It’s the 30th anniversary of the beer.
Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione named Punkin Ale after the late, great southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin . It was a crazy event that started in 1986.
Pumpkins were launched into the air using all kinds of handmade contraptions and weapons of mashed destruction. People tailgated and celebrated, well, smashing pumpkins. The fall event ended in Delaware in 2016 when an air cannon firing a pumpkin broke apart, injuring a man and a woman. The event later moved to another state.
Is it gone for good? Who knows? No Punkin Chunkin was planned for 2024. If you’re missing it, here’s another event called Sling N’Squash , which pays homage to Punkin Chunkin.
Punkin Ale remains, however, and its packaging has had dozens of design iterations over the years. Still, the taste hasn’t changed.