5 Essential Halloween Beers

Seasonality is a big part of the American craft beer scene and it goes into hyper-drive around certain holidays. Christmas beers are all the rage as we me into the winter months – and this weekend’s holiday has generated its own roster of “must-have” beers. 

Halloween is ascendant and it’s no longer just about candy and costumes – it’s a night now celebrated with serious craft beer….And we’ve five that you’ll die for. 

, 5 Essential Halloween BeersZombie Dust / Three Floyds Brewing Company (Munster, IN) – Hey we get that this is a year-round beer but we think it more than meets our Halloween criteria (great name, awesome taste, & spooky label) and qualifies as an essential addition to any ghoulish outing. If you’re looking for a Halloween beer with real “street cred,” this is it. Hopped dangerously out of its mind, Three Floyd’s Zombie Dust is a 6.4% ABV American Pale Ale that will ensure you’ll be besieged at your next Halloween party. So just bring a 6-pack of Zombie Dust along with you this Halloween – and watch the dead rise.

Dead Guy Ale / Rogue Ales (Newport, OR) – Thought by many to be the “mother of all Halloween beers,” we’d be remiss in not giving this beer its due. Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale is a German-style Maibock that was originally created to celebrate the “Mayan Day of the Dead” back in the early 1990s. Like Zombie Dust, Dead Guy Ale has always been a year-round offering, but over the years, the brewery has quite consciously (and successfully) marketed it at Halloween, at that association still remains today. Brewed using Rogue’s proprietary “Pacman” yeast, this award-winning beer is widely distributed and appropriately Halloween-friendly. 

, 5 Essential Halloween BeersEvil Dead Red / AleSmith Brewing Company (San Diego, CA) – A beer’s name is a crucial element of any well-conceived Halloween beer, and AleSmith’s special-edition “limited release” is not just cleverly named, but it’s also a brilliant beer. Brewed only for Halloween season, this blood Red Ale is abundantly hopped to balance out its defining caramel malt back end. AleSmith Evil Dead Red is fiendishly smooth find and it’s brewed to pair perfectly with even the most terrifying horror flick.

Nosferatu / Avery Brewing Company (Cleveland, OH) – Inspired by FW Murnau’s classic vampire film, Great Lakes Nosferatu is an unrepentant, deep ruby red 8% Imperial Red Ale that just bleeds Halloween. And its horrifying label art which memorializes Count Dracula’s original incarnation, Nosferatu, adds additional credence to this “All Hallows Eve” staple.

, 5 Essential Halloween BeersWeyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale / Weyerbacher Brewing Company (Easton, PA) – Pumpkin beers are always a solid choice for any Halloween outing. But beware – because there are pumpkin beers and there are PUMPKIN BEERS – and this brilliant fall seasonal is a PUMPKIN BEER. Imperial Ales are by their very nature unruly beasts and tend to be much stronger than their much more civilized counterparts. And Weyerbacher’s Imperial Pumpkin Ale, which weighs in at an unforgiving 8% ABV, will leave you howling at the moon.

 

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