Happy Halloween Y’all

Halloween is upon us. What a great time of year for kids and adults alike. The kiddos get to eat their weight in candy, we get to drink the seasonal awesomeness and check out all the wacky costumes; everyone wins. While this holiday is often attached to ghouls, ghosts, creepy crawlys, and tricks, I’m going to focus on all the treats!
The fall season has provided us with an open door to numerous wonderful flavorful offerings — the Oktoberfests, the autumn ales, and the pumpkin beers, for sure. Colors, aromas, and flavors of the season, this is typically the time of year I love best in beer.
Along with all of the beers, it’s also the end of October, which means every variety of candy is available. So then, why wouldn’t we attempt to make these two great things go great together? It’s time to pair your beer with your candy!
Cooking with beer is a no-brainer. And pairing beer and cheese, to me is easier and more complimentary than wine and cheese. But beer and candy? Think of the times you’ve tried to drink a beer after having a mint, chewing gum, or brushing your teeth — it’s disgusting.
However, as long as you steer clear of the minty and breath-freshening options, the beer-candy pairing just might work. Two easy ways to pair with beer are to either go like-for-like (a chocolate candy goes with a chocolaty beer, like stout or porter), or shoot for a contrast (a fruity bitter beer with a super sweet treat).
First up, take the holiday staple candy corn. A buttery, toffee-ish flavor to begin, one option is to pair these semi-gross little wax nuggets with a dryer, less-sweet pumpkin ale like the one from Smuttynose. Not my favorite pumpkin ale, but the candy corn gives it a fuller flavor and finish.
One of my personal preferred treats is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, the chocolate and filling are already working rich wonders together. Pair this delight with a bold dopplebock like Ayinger’s Celebrator for a peanut and chocolate sweet sandwich-like result, not bad at all.
Jelly beans can be cloyingly sweet and fruity fake, so balance this with a sour beer. Oude Tart from The Bruery is not the most puckering Flanders Red Ale on the market, but jelly beans even it out. You could even get scary here and attempt Sour Patch Kids with this beer for all the Sour Suckers out there.
Snickers seem to be a Halloween favorite, and we’re also in brown ale season. The chocolate and nuts in the candy beg for a nutty brown ale, but it must be of the robust variety or the sweetness will overpower; I suggest the hoppier Brown Ale from Duck Rabbit.
Last but not least… Smarties and Sweet Tarts. What to do with these little dusty, chalky sugar tablets? I’ve got two options. Drink your remaining Oktoberfests; a dry malty beer should tame the sugar and dust. A wilder idea is a saison, like the new one from Allagash. The dry notes of the beer and the candy should work in tandem while the spicy, slightly yeast meets sour notes should tame these little sweeties. Have fun with your leftover treats this year. Enjoy the brews … Cheers.
Gene’s Haufbrau has at more than 200 beers in bottles or on tap. Gene’s is located at 817 Savannah Hwy. 225-GENE. E-mail the Beer Snob at publisher@westof.net.