Bone-chilling beers for Trick or Treating

This amber red, refermented ale was the first strong beer brewed in Canada at 8% ABV, which served as the inspiration for the hellish label. The world “Maudite” refers to a French-Canadian legend about a group of woodsmen who made a deal with the Devil, only to find themselves damned. This brew has won 34 awards, 16 of which are from the World Beer Championship, Chicago Beverage Tasting Institute.

This beer also makes a great cocktail. Find The Point of No Return cocktail recipe here.

‘Tis the season for all things pumpkin, and beers are no exception. Elysian’s response to the pumpkin craze is Night Owl, a very drinkable pumpkin ale brewed with pumpkin puree and juice. Both roasted and raw pumpkin seeds are in the mash, with pumpkin added to the mash and fermenter. When sipping, you’ll taste spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

Way before there was a 60 Minute IPA or SeaQuench Ale, there was Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Punkin Ale was Dogfish Head’s debut brew at the World Championship Punkin Chunkin in southern Delaware. This beer has since been a seasonal staple for them. Their blue-ribbon recipe starts with organic brown sugar, then pumpkin meat is introduced in the mashing process. They then use real crushed spices like cinnamon and all-spice. Don’t wait until Thanksgiving to grab this one, because they will be gone.

This award-winning brown ale is a local fall favorite. It’s creamy texture and sweet flavors of pumpkin pie, vanilla, graham cracker and nutmeg make for a delicious seasonal sipper. If you like to support local Florida businesses, this is the pumpkin brew you should choose.

This timeless beer is available year-round, but its packing along with its flavor make it almost synonymous with Halloween drinking. Rogue Dead Guy Ale has a malty aroma with a slight bitterness in taste with a sweet caramel flavor. Grab a lawn chair, sit in your driveway with a bucket of candy, and put a sixer of these in a cooler. You’ll be all set for a Happy Halloween.

If you have ever visited Mount St. Helens, chances are you’ve heard the legend of the Batsquatch. According to rogue.com, this beer is as hazy as the details of those tales. This cloudy, juicy brew is also available year-round, but the rabid bat on its label makes it an ideal candidate for your cooler.

Shipyard Pumpkinhead is one of the more famous seasonal pumpkin beers. According to Shipyard, this brew is best served in a chilled pint glass, rimmed with cinnamon-sugar. If you really want to enhance the experience, they say to accompany the pint with an ounce of spiced rum or vanilla vodka. If even THAT isn’t enough, you can make their Pumpkin Pie Ala Mode by rimming a pint glass with caramel and cinnamon sugar, pouring 1 ounces of vanilla vodka into the glass, top it off with Pumpkinhead, and drop in two scoops of vanilla ice cream. You’re supposed to treat yourself on Halloween, right?

This is definitely not your run-of-the-mill, grandma’s pie-type pumpkin ale. New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Atomic Pumpkin is brewed with Habanero peppers, Saigon Cinnamon, and Aji and Del Arbol peppers. This spicy interpretation of a pumpkin ale is surprisingly refreshing and not as intense as it may sound. If you are looking to add a little heat to your Halloween party, Atomic pumpkin should be served.

If you are tired of the traditional pumpkin ale, give Southern Tier Warlock a try. This Imperial Stout has tastes of pumpkin and pumpkin spice and is best served in a goblet. Warlock also offers up a very tricky treat! This dark concoction is especially delicious when baked in a boo-sy chocolate cake or poured into a pint glass with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Self-hailed as the king of pumpkin beers, this beer, along with its Warlock counterpart, is the strongest beer we suggest you drink on All Hallows Eve. This copper-colored ale has aromas of pumpkin pie, buttery crust, vanilla and roasted pecans. You can really taste the vanilla, clove and allspice at first sip. It also comes in a Cold Press Coffee version with notes of pumpkin and light roasted coffee. Long live the king.