Craft Beer And Halloween Candy Pairing

Trick-or-Treat, smell my feet... give me all your candy kids, I've got beer to drink!

Could anything be better than Halloween Candy? The answer is yes. Beer paired with Halloween Candy!

Imaging Mike is a huge craft beer drinker and knows a lot about beer. Mike's middle name is Craft-Beer.

He stumbled upon this list from BeerAndBrewing.com that made me drool. After he and I discussed the list he game me some good pointers:

M&M’s + Barrel-Aged Beer

Barrel-aged beers are a lot like these tasty treats: rich, bold, and bite-size in a good way.

• Avery Brewing Co. (Boulder, Colorado) Rumpkin
• Three Brothers Brewing (Harrisonburg, Virginia) Rum Barrel Belgian Dubbel Style Ale
• Ballast Point Brewing Company (San Diego, California) Rum Barrel-Aged Sea Monster Imperial Stout
• Cigar City Brewing (Tampa, Florida) Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout

Mike says, "Oh My God, that Ballast Point beer sounds amazing. These are great suggestions... try all of them."

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups + Cream Ale

Cleanse out the peanut butter and chocolate punch with a fresh cream ale; these two are better together.

• Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. (Croydon, Pennsylvania) Croydon Cream Ale
• Full Sail Brewery (Hood River, Oregon) Session Cream
• Sun King Brewing Co. (Indianapolis, Indiana) Sunlight Cream Ale
• Sixpoint Brewery (Brooklyn, New York) Sweet Action

Mike says, "I never had any of those and cream ales are not my thing. But any excuse to get drunk and eat peanut butter cups sounds like a good time to me."

Starburst + Saison

The perfect outdoor treat for your candy hangover, these two complement each other with a juicy blast, followed by a nice estery palate cleanser.

• Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City, Missouri) Tank 7
• Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, California) Opal
• Crooked Stave Artisan Beer (Denver, Colorado) Vielle
• Jester King (Austin, Texas) Noble King

Mike says, "Starburst are amazing and this makes sense to me. The Firestone Walker Opal I really like a lot. It also sounds like immediate heart-burn."

Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Kisses + Raspberry Ale

Try Hershey’s Dark Chocolate Kisses with the crispness and the tartness of a Belgian-style ale with raspberries or a raspberry wheat ale.

• Funkwerks (Fort Collins, Colorado) Belgian-Style Raspberry Provincial Ale
• New Glarus Brewing Co. (New Glarus, Wisconsin) Raspberry Tart
• Mad Anthony Brewing Co. (Fort Wayne, Indiana) Ruby Raspberry Wheat
• Breakwater Brewing Co. (Oceanside, California) Raspberry Creek

Mike says, "Well, duh. Having New Glarus on there is a nice local option."

Butterfinger Bars + Bock

A traditional German-style bock is a lot like this popular candy bar: dark in color, with sweet caramel aromas and rich, roasty malt flavors. Try these beers with Butterfingers:

• Tröegs Brewing Co. (Hershey, Pennsylvania) Troegenator
• Heater Allen Brewing (McMinnville, Oregon) Hugo Bock
• Samuel Adams (Boston, Massachusetts) Double Bock
• Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. (Madison, Wisconsin) Uber Bock

Mike says, "Eh, Ok."

Hot Tamales + IPA

Have some hops to cut the heat in these sweet, spicy candies. Go for an IPA that’s more on the floral side (as opposed to the piney or citrusy side).

• Odell Brewing Co. (Fort Collins, Colorado) Perle White IPA
• Deschutes Brewery (Bend, Oregon) Chainbreaker White IPA
• Marin Brewing Company (Larkspur, California) Three Flowers IPA
• La Cumbre Brewing Co. (Albuquerque, New Mexico) Elevated IPA

Mike says, "I don't like Hot Tamales at all, but I love IPAs... so just drink all the beer."

Candy Corn + Light Lager

Tame the intensity of the sugar of candy corn with a smooth, dry-finishing lager that will also bring out the candy’s caramel flavors.

• Lakefront Brewery (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) Pumpkin Lager
• Uinta Brewing (Salt Lake City, Utah) 801 Pilsner
• Sun King Brewing (Indianapolis, Indiana) Popcorn Pilsner
• Boulevard Brewing (Kansas City, Missouri) Reverb Imperial Pilsner

Mike says, "This is all just nauseating. Both of those things I don't want inside of me."

Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars + Milk Stout

Pair milk chocolate Hershey’s bars with a smooth, full-bodied milk stout. The added lactose in the beer will enhance the creaminess of the chocolate. Try these milk stouts for starters:

• Tallgrass Brewing Company (Manhattan, Kansas) Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout
• Left Hand Brewing Company (Longmont, Colorado) Milk Stout
• Great Basin Brewing Company (Reno, Nevada) Outlaw Milk Stout
• Portsmouth Brewery (Portsmouth, New Hampshire) Milk Stout

Mike says, "This is just an obvious one. Oh hey, I've got Buffalo Sweat on my desk!" (Priscilla brought Mike some beer today! Thanks PC!)

Carmel Apple Suckers + Cider

Choose the dry, fruit flavors to accentuate that apple acidity and extra sweetness of these suckers.

• Ciderboys (Stevens Point, Wisconsin) First Press
• Foggy Ridge (Dugspur, Virginia) First Fruits
• Angry Orchard (Walden, New York) Muse
• Woodchuck (Proctorsville, Vermont) Belgian White

Mike says, "You should just drop the sucker in the beer."

Pop Rocks + Funky, Sour Beer

Attenuate the tartness and effervescence of Pop Rocks with a funky, sour ale. This combination will finish nice and dry and leave your tongue tingling.

• Prairie Artisan Ales (Tulsa, Oklahoma) Cherry Funk!
• Telegraph Brewing Company (Santa Barbara, California) Reserve Wheat Ale
• Jester King Brewery (Austin, Texas) Atrial Rubicite
• Devils Backbone Brewing Company (Roseland, Virginia) Berliner Metro Weiss

Mike says, "This sounds oddly amazing to me and I am going to have to try this."

Mike and I had to try this. We couldn't wait! So here, at our desks, we opened up a few Hershey's chocolate bars that I had in Captain Jack's fridge and a Tallgrass Buffalo Sweat Oatmeal Cream Stout as suggested by the list. Here's how it went: