What Local Craft Beer Goes Best With Your Halloween Candy?

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 24, 2017 2:55PM

Photo via shutterstock.

It's almost Halloween, and that means candy, candy and more candy. But why should kids have all the fun of the season? Here are some tips for pairing your favorite craft beers with your favorite Halloween candies.

Kerri Gatz, of The Brass Tap in Orland Park, spent a bunch of time experimenting with different combinations of beers and candies so that you don't have to—and so that you don't have to experience some of the failures.

"Craft beer are so different that you can pair anything with them," explains Gatz. Now, some of her choices are pretty small batch, so if you can't find them, go with something in the same family - lager for lager, IPA for IPA. A note on technique; take a sip of the beer first, because most of these candies are gonna mess with your taste buds a bit.

Swedish Fish
Maplewood Brewery Golden Coldie

"Since swedish fish have such a strong flavor to them, i paired them with an imperial pale lager - it’s crisp and smooth," says Gatz. "They aren’t going to overpower the lager, and will match well with the hops."

Gummy Worms
Illuminated Brewworks Astronaut Orange Juice

"It’s an unfiltered New England-style IPA, and it mimics the taste of Tang, hence the name," explains Gatz. "Even if each end of the worm is flavored differently, most of those flavors will go well with the orange."

Mounds
Soundgrowler Brewing Company Black Bob

This porter has "roasty, chocolatey notes to it" so Katz suggests pairing it with some chocolate - but not just any chocolate. Mounds, the coconut filled bar that we always forget exists. "It’s a forgotten candy," laughs Katz. "I love coconut, so if i’m gonna do something chocolatey, i’d want to do it with something coconut-y."

Snickers
Alter Brewing Company Dan's Brown

"I don’t know about you, but when I eat chocolate, it makes me a little thirsty," says Katz. "People usually go with milk, but I think a brown ale washes it down and brings out the flavors of it." This brown ale from Alter has toffee and caramel notes, which pair well with snickers.

Lemonheads
Metal Monkey Brewing Bikini Bottom Gose

This slightly sour ale, made with pineapple, goes well with this sour, citrus-y candy. "It kicks up the tartness, and the pineapple on the back goes really well with the lemon," explains Katz.