Halloween Beer
Like most modern American holidays, Halloween is more than a little over-commercialized and (I am at risk here of sounding like an old fogey) it seems to have lost some of the “mystique” and fun that it had when I was much younger. The once simple act of dressing up like a ghost (my favorite) and merrily going house to house gathering “treats” has been severely tainted with the risks and the potential dangers that type of behavior now carries. Wither the innocence of days gone by…
Lamenting aside, for me there are still some significant benefits to be gained from the celebration of Halloween, even if those do not much resemble the days of my youth. I am not talking about dressing up and going out to party it up all night with friends, although that can definitely still be enjoyable. I am, instead, talking about sampling some of the Halloween “themed” beers that are available these days. I am going to steer clear of the pumpkin beers, since those are focused more on the autumn season and there is plenty in the media about those beers these days. Instead I am going to hit some of the beers that either because of their name or what they taste like could be associated with Halloween.
“Candy Bar” Beers would be classified (by me) as beers that have tastes that could be associated with those found in various candy bars; like chocolate, caramel and/or nuts. Some good examples of these would be:
- Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock – To date this has been my favorite chocolate beer. The Boston Beer folks partnered with Scharffen Berger Chocolate to produce this most tasty brew. The beer is actually aged with this chocolate for a time and then a hint of vanilla is added before bottling. Slightly sweet with a very deep, complex flavor produced by aging with the chocolate and along with the hint of vanilla this beer truly did taste like a chocolate bar in a bottle. It is my understanding, unfortunately, that the original recipe of this beer is no longer available (?) and the current beer with this name has been significantly “commercialized”. So if you can find a 750ml bottle of this stuff that looks like the picture at the Ratebeer link above, grab it and save it… or send it to me; which ever works for you!
- Youngs Double Chocolate Stout – No listing of chocolate beers would be complete without this one on it. This was actually the very first beer that I tried (many years ago) with “chocolate” in its name and I still buy it occasionally, usually around the winter holidays, simply because it is a very good beer. Not nearly the amount of chocolate flavoring of the chocolate bock above and much less sweet, this beer has very mellow, slightly bitter dark chocolate flavor that blends very well with the dark roasted malts.
- Rogue HazelNut Brown Nectar – I really like nuts and some people think that perhaps I am one, but this beer by Rogue is one of my favorite “nut” beers. They use real hazelnut extract to make this beer and it definitely shows. Do yourself a favor, before sampling this beer round up some real hazelnuts (salted or non, as you prefer) and pair those up with this beer. Hazelnuts and brown ales were made for each other anyway, but real hazelnuts combined with this beer is completely over the top!
“Lollipop” Beers would be classified (by me) as beers that have fruit flavors and could be either sweet or sour. Some good examples of these would be:
- Unibroue Quelque Chose – One of the more interesting beers that I have ever had. This is a strong cherry ale that has the most powerful cherry flavor (my favorite) of any cherry beer I have experienced. The uniqueness of this beer does not really come from the flavor, however, but from the fact that this beer is traditionally drunk HOT. I have had it both hot and cold; it still has that wonderful sweet cherry flavor that is not for everyone, but which I really enjoy.
- Alchemist Celia Framboise – I find that gluten-free beers to be hit or miss most times, with one big exception; those made by John Kimmich at the Alchemist Pub and Brewery in Waterbury, VT. Several of John’s gluten-free beers have won major awards at the WBC and GABF. His Framboise is one of the best and most interesting that I have had. Yes it is strong of raspberry flavor and yes it is sour, but the sorghum used to make this beer adds another layer of unique flavors not found in your traditional Framboise. The only bad news (for most of you) is that John’s beers are only available at his brewpub. John has won major awards for a couple other of his beers, so come to Vermont and sample some of the best beer this side of anywhere.
“Halloween-named” Beers are those that seem to have names that engender the Halloween spirit and tradition. Some good examples of these would be:
- Avery Mephistopheles Stout – Named after the second fallen angel, this beer is the final one in Avery’s “Demons of Ale” series. I have to be honest and tell you that I have not tried this beer yet, but I do have a bottle on order from a mail-order distributor (Avery is not available in Vermont) and I am really looking forward to it. I have sampled many of Avery’s other beers. At a hefty 15% ABV, I’ll need to find someone to share this with or not plan on moving around for a while after finishing.
- North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout – The legendary Rasputin lived in Russia during the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. He is legendary only in that his actions in life seemed to embody nearly everything evil in this world. When his death sentence was finally carried out it supposedly took large amounts of poison, three gunshot wounds, a blunt blow to the skull, strangulation and drowning all administered in the same day to finish him off (Geez!). This excellent Impy probably won’t kill you or seem that evil unless you drink too much of it, but if that does happen, I guarantee you that the trip along the way will be quite pleasant… the next morning, however, not so much. Deep, dark and “mysterious”… very enjoyable.
- Vermont Pub & Brewery Spuyten Duyvil – Translates literally as “spitting devil” and this excellent beer is a sour/wild ale that is quite fruity and easy drinking. Not at all overpoweringly sour it makes for an excellent after dinner drink. I had it for dessert after a meal there recently and enjoyed it immensely.
OK, that’s enough. There are, of course many excellent examples of all of these type of beers and I cannot possibly cover all of them If I have left out one of your favorites in any of these categories, first, I am sorry and, second, leave your favorite Halloween beer in the comments (with the Ratebeer link, of course), so that others can see what other great options are out there to be enjoyed on All Hallow’s Eve.
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