Boo! 5 Halloween Movies with Beer Pairings

Happy Halloweekend! For brew fans and film nuts, these five spooky beer and movie pairings are set to deliver delicious thrills.

It’s Halloween weekend! And while I already did a scary beer and movie pairings list for October, I love the holiday so much I’m doing another round specially for “Halloweekend.” Whether you’re going out this year or staying in, you’ve gotta watch at least one spooky movie, right?

Here’s five movies that never stop being great choices for Halloween, plus some beers to make the experience even more fall-festive:

Voodoo Lacto-Kooler (Green) Berliner Weisse with Ghostbusters (1984)

Meadville, PA’s Voodoo Brewery has made some crazy stuff before, but a green beer with one of the ingredients just listed as “green?” That would be Lacto-Kooler (Green), a fruited Berliner Weisse that tastes kinda like tropical candy and has what looks like a closeup of Slimer the ghost’s face on the can. Naturally, it makes a fitting beer pairing for Ghostbusters. The latest sequel to the acclaimed supernatural comedy classic is actually getting decent reviews, but the original movie is still worth returning to every spooky season. Say it with me: “Who you gonna call?”

*Bonus Beer* – Good ol’ fashioned Budweiser. Thanks to product placement, it appears in multiple scenes throughout the movie!

Mocha Wednesday Imperial Stout with The Addams Family (1991)

For a movie adaptation of a 1960s TV show based on a 1930s single-panel comic strip, The Addams Family is pretty excellent. The amusing visual gags keep the energy up throughout, but what really makes it is the spot-on casting. It’s tough to choose a favorite here from such strong players bringing the macabre family to vivid life, but if there is a standout among them, it’s young Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams. Unceasingly morose and whip-smart, Ricci’s Wednesday is the reason the character remains a popular Halloween costume all these years later (the recent animated movies are… meh).

So, let’s celebrate Wednesday with The Bruery’s Mocha Wednesday Imperial Stout! If you’re not familiar with The Bruery, they’re some serious Pastry Stout specialists based in California. Mocha Wednesday may boast huge chocolate and fresh-ground espresso aromas, but it’s swirling with even stronger surprises. In addition to the massive 19.2% ABV, it was brewed with actual coffee and cacao nibs, then aged in bourbon barrels for nuances of caramel and oaky vanilla. The brew is also a follow up to The Bruery’s Black Tuesday Stout, which also seems fitting for this spooky beer and movie pairing.

Butter Pecan Maple Stout with Scary Movie 3 (2003)

I love the Scary Movie franchise, especially the third installment. It’s the type of thing that could have easily been one-note and ended after the first sequel, but Anna Faris’ performance as Cindy Campbell saves it. Cindy’s dumb but good natured, soft spoken with a surprising wild side. No matter how ridiculous or juvenile the plot gets, Cindy keeps it not just watchable, but really enjoyable. Don’t discount Regina Hall as Cindy’s best friend Brenda either. Energetic and highly chatty, Brenda’s the perfect comedic foil to Cindy. She always holds her own too, right up until she ends up dying a most hilarious death — “Cindy! The TV is leaking!”

Speaking of that scene in Scary Movie 3, Brenda and Cindy are shown chowing down on a giant thing of butter pecan ice cream that actually looks insanely delicious. So for that reason alone, I’ll opt for a beer like Butter Pecan Maple Stout from Wisconsin’s Central Waters Brewing Co. Like the movie, it looks a little scary on the surface (a 10.5% ABV, damn!), but it’s really delightful. Each sip is surprisingly smooth with just the right amount of sweetness. And yes, it does taste a little like ice cream.

Besides, butter pecan never goes out of style, and Scary Movie 3 is where the franchise proves its main two characters still have the goods three years after the original. The movie also might just be the funniest, and not just because Leslie Nielsen shows up as the president.

Ichabod Ale with Sleepy Hollow (1999)

When you have a beer called Ichabod Ale, the movie comes as an obvious choice. Michigan’s New Holland has whipped out this enticing pumpkin beer every spooky season for the past few years. Tim Burton’s Spooky Hollow came out in ’99, but people have been enjoying the original Washington Irving tale since 1820.  It’s a classic meets classic-in-the-making!

Oh, and if you’re wondering how well Spooky Hollow holds up over 20 years later (sheesh, I am getting old), it does. The special effects aren’t quite as scary now, but the film is still pretty spooky overall. And if you don’t remember or know who plays the Headless Horseman, I won’t spoil it for you here.

Slasher Pumpkin Seed Ale with Halloween (1978)

When struggling to think of a movie to watch on Halloween, why not go with Halloween? For those who’ve been living deep under a rock, this is the movie that introduced us to Michael Meyers and his white-washed Captain Kirk mask and spawned an entire All Hallows’ Eve night slasher series. Halloween also gave a young starlet by the name of Jamie Lee Curtis her big break. Even decades later, the original still holds up as a pinnacle of good ol’ scream queen fun.

Which is why Indiana’s Scarlet Lane Brewing pays tribute every year. They make Slasher Pumpkin Seed Ale with real roasted pumpkin seeds, creating seasonal spice flavors that deliver more of a peppery kick than the sweeter pumpkin pie-like beers that abound in fall. But good luck getting it unless you live in Indiana — Scarlet Lane only releases Slasher on Halloween weekend! So if that’s not possible, keep scrolling for the bonus beer.

*Bonus Beer* – Avery White Rascal – An authentic Belgian-style white ale from one of my favorite Colorado breweries, White Rascal is unfiltered and deliciously spiced with coriander and Curaçao orange peel. Like Michael Myers in his mask, it’s a white rascal that you surprisingly never get tired of. It’s also inspired by a Belgian folklore demon, so that’s worth a scary beer and movie pairing right there.

Happy Halloween, everyone!