In the fall of 1994, Dogfish Head was just a twinkle in the eye of an ambitious homebrewer named Sam Calagione. Sam caught wind of a local cooking contest at Punkin Chunkin, at the time a tiny and raucous pumpkin-tossing contest for a handful of southern Delaware good ol' boys, and now a huge and raucus pumpkin-tossing contest with its own TV show.

Sam showed up with a full-bodied brown ale brewed with pumpkin meat and spices and entered alongside all the pies and cupcakes.

"The judges were all, 'Pumpkin in beer?'," says Sam. "And we were all 'Yup!', and they were all 'We love it. First place!' "

A legend was born, and we've been brewing Punkin every fall since.

This year, we're brewing more Punkin than ever, and we're celebrating its release Tuesday, Aug. 27, at our Milton brewery and Rehoboth Beach brewpub. We'll be serving and selling Punkin at both locations, and you'll also find new Punkin T-shirts from seasonal artist James Mazza and a supa-sweet, super-limited stoneware pumpkin growler.

What else will you find? Lots. We'll be running Punkin through Randalls and holding a raffle for a signed Marc Spusta Punkin Ale screenprint. And at the brewery, anyone who buys a case of Punkin will get a Punkin cupcake. Our co-workers are dressing punk, too, so feel free to rip your jeans, throw on a few safety pins and join the fun.

If you can't make it here for the fun, watch for Punkin on taps and shelves starting this weekend. To find it near you, check out the Fish Finder. You can search by beer and by ZIP code. But don't forget to call and confirm before making any Punkin road trips. Remember, it goes fast!

It's all Punkin, all the time, but it won't last forever. Punkin is a fan favorite, and when it's gone, it's gone until next fall! If you want a taste, make haste!