Every year we pick our favorite Halloween candies, then pair them up with our favorite beers. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it! After you’ve read the list (and tried some of the pairings!), we’d love to know your favorites, too.
Indian Corn + Chocolate Stout or Porter
Indian Corn is Candy Corn’s cousin, with more of a chocolaty flavor than a honeyed one. Pair it with a chocolate stout to enhance the sweetness and the chocolaty goodness.
- Avery Brewing Company Vanilla Bean Stout (Boulder, Colorado)
- Southern Tier Brewing Company 2x Stout (Lakewood, New York)
- Boulder Beer Company Shake Chocolate Porter (Boulder, Colorado)
Sour Patch Kids + Watermelon Sour
Sour Patch Kids are all up in your face with tart juicy flavor, and you need a beer that can stand up to that. Watermelon sours are sweet, juicy, and tart and will bring it flavor-wise when paired with Sour Patch Kids.
- Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose (Booneville, California)
- Valiant Brewing Company Watermelon Patch Sour (Orange, California)
- Dangerous Man Brewing Sour Delores #7 Righteous Babe Watermelon Sour (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
Skittles + Mexican Lager with Lime
The crisp, refreshing Mexican lager has just a hint of citrus, which is perfectly suited to go with the citrusy punch from a handful of Skittles. The fruity notes from the lager will blend beautifully, balancing the sweet and the tart.
- Ska Brewing Mexican Logger (Durango, Colorado)
- 21st Amendment Brewery El Sully (San Francisco, California)
- Deep Ellum Brewing Co. Neato Bandito (Dallas, Texas)
Swedish Fish + Funky Fruity Saison
The funk adds a bit of tartness that plays nicely with the fruitiness and floral notes in the beer. It all comes together nicely with the sweet fruitiness in the Swedish Fish, making for a pairing you can’t get enough of.
- Casey Brewing and Blending East Bank (Glenwood Springs, Colorado)
- Almanac Brew Co. Elephant Heart de Brettaville (San Francisco, California)
- Perennial Artisan Ales Saison de Lis (St. Louis, Missouri)
Twizzlers or Red Vines + Kriek
Twizzlers and Red Vines have a sugary sweet fruity flavor, and while nobody can really tell you what exactly that fruit is, they taste amazing when paired with the sour cherry-flavored Kriek. (And if you really want to have fun with it, bite off the tips and use the candy as a straw!)
- Vanberg & DeWulf LambickX Oude Kriek (Cooperstown, New York)
- Allagash Brewing Company Nancy (Portland, Maine)
- Odell Brewing Company Friek (Fort Collins, Colorado)
Jolly Ranchers + New England IPA
You can serve up your Jolly Ranchers like a fruit salad or choose one flavor to focus on at a time. The fruity, juicy New England IPA has tons of tropical fruit flavors, lending a nice variety to your pairing.
- WeldWerks Brewing Company Fruity Bits (Pina Colada) (Greeley, Colorado)
- New England Brewing Co. Big Fuzzy Double (Woodbridge, Connecticut)
- Great Notion Juice, Jr. (Portland, Oregon)
Gummy Bears + Citrusy Witbier
The smooth creamy witbier with a hint of orange and spice is the perfect pairing for the sugary, fruity Gummy Bears.
- Brewery Ommegang Witte (Cooperstown, New York)
- Brouwerij van Hoegaarden Wit Blanche (Belgium)
- Brouwerij St. Bernardus Wit (Bière Blanche) (Belgium)
Almond Joy + Barrel-Aged Coconut Beer
Almond Joy is the perfect marriage of sweet, chocolate, coconut, and almond. A barrel-aged beer that highlights those same flavors, while also bringing in notes of oak, vanilla, and spice, will make this a pairing that’s nothing if not decadent.
- Firestone Walker Sucaba (Paso Robles, California)
- Modern Times Beer Monsters’ Park (Bourbon Barrel w/ Coconut & Cocoa Nibs) (San Diego, California)
- Horse & Dragon Brewing Company Rum Barrel Aged Coconut Porter (Fort Collins, Colorado)
Snickers + PB&J Stout or Porter
You don’t want to be too matchy-matchy with the flavors, especially with Snickers being so rich and creamy. Add just a bit of intrigue with a hint of fruitiness to a dark peanut butter beer, so the rich flavors don’t clash too much.
- Terrapin Beer Company Liquid Lunch (Athens, Georgia)
- Infamous Brewing Company Sweep the Leg (Austin, Texas)
- Jack’s Abby Peanut Butter & Jelly Barrel-Aged Framinghammer (Framingham, Massachusetts)
Heath + Munich Dunkel
A Munich Dunkel is basically what you’d get if a Heath bar and a beer had a baby. It’s rich, with toffee and chocolate, and it’s the perfect complement to the toffee yumminess in a Heath bar.
- Harpoon Brewery Harpoon Dark (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Warsteiner Premium Dunkel (Germany)
- Hacker-Pschorr Münchner Dunkel (München, Germany)
Twix + Salted Caramel Stout or Porter
There’s not a lot that salted caramel doesn’t taste good with (that said, I’m going to probably draw the line at Mahi Mahi). The melty caramel amazingness of the Twix bar paired with a smooth, salty, caramel stout or porter is like heaven in your mouth.
- Breakside Brewery Salted Caramel Stout (Portland, Oregon)
- Former Future Brewing Company Salted Caramel Prim & Porter (Denver, Colorado)
- Cascade Lakes Brewing Company Salted Caramel Porter (Redmond, Oregon)
Check out last year’s Halloween candy pairing!