11 Spooktacular Movie and Beer Pairings for Halloween
Halloween is on its way! Clear some fridge space and get the streaming list ready — these 11 craft beers pair spookily well with some of our favorite scary movies from throughout the decades.
There’s no time like October for those of us who are both movie fans and craft beer lovers. As the days get shorter and chillier, curling up on the couch with a good beer and movie pairing turns from enjoyable into all-out heaven. And when it happens to be spooky-themed, even better! Here are 10 craft beers and scary movies to get the Halloween spirit rolling all month long:
Surly Damien Dark Ale with The Omen (1976)
In true ’70s horror fashion, the original Omen is super dark and filled with a sense of constant foreboding right up to the end credits. And of course it is — it’s the story of a well-to-do American diplomat (portrayed by the amazing Gregory Peck) whose world steadily is steadily crashing down around him as he discovers his adopted son is the spawn of Satan and must be killed. And just as young Damien turns out to be full of surprises, so too is Damien ‘Child of Darkness’ Ale from Minnesota’s renowned Surly Brewing.
Pouring a deep obsidian, the brew looks like a Stout. But it’s dry-hopped and sips down like a refreshing Pale Ale! Though it’s often categorized as a “Dark Ale,” this is really a Cascadian Dark Ale or Black IPA (two styles that are chemically the same beer). Prepare for citrus rind, tangerine and pine flavors mingled with nuances of roasty mocha and brown sugar. All that’s missing is an extra ‘6’ on that 6.6% ABV.
Drekker Braaaaaaaains Fruited Sour with 28 Days Later (2002)
It’s not spooky season without at least one zombie movie. And while it’s tough to choose, 28 Days Later is always a solid choice. With more complex lead characters and vicious zombies that run fast, 28 Days reawakened the whole genre! So, it’s only fitting to pair a Drekker Braaaaaaaains with it.
This Fruited Sour series brought the super-thick, crazy-fruited trend to the Midwest. The North Dakota brewers release these lush Sours with a variety of different fruit editions each year, and most range from bright red to deep purple. It’s the kind of stuff that you just might find yourself moaning with insatiable cravings for — “more Braaaaaaaains!”
Wicked Weed Freak of Nature IPA with The Birds (1963)
Alfred Hitchcock was an expert in cinematic thrillers, but The Birds is one of his rare forays into full-on horror. Slowly but surely, a California town is taken over by murderous birds — a plot that would be silly were this not such an expertly-crafted movie with ever-building tension. Traditional horror movie tropes get thrown out the window, and there’s no real resolution. Most horrifyingly, the plot was inspired by real events. But the fun here is the ride through it all!
That ride’s made even better when you have a beer like Freak of Nature IPA from Wicked Weed (a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch that actually makes some pretty good stuff). Buzzing with an 8.5% ABV and dank, piney West Coast-style flavor, this brew’s the perfect way to stay quenched while the real freaks of nature act out on screen.
River North BA Midnight Hike Porter with Freaky (2020)
For those expecting a straight-up comedy with Freaky, it’s important to remember that Vince Vaughn starred as killer Norman Bates in the 1998 remake of Psycho. Freaky is funny, but it’s also pretty darn scary. After all this is the story of a teenage girl swapping bodies with a bonafide serial killer — a killer with no motive other than the fact that he seems to enjoy murder. There’s evil magic and plenty of screams, and the result is possibly one of the darkest body swap movies to date.
So, why not lean into that darkness with one of the best barrel-aged Imperial Porters to date? Denver’s River North specializes in big, bold dark beers, and their Midnight Hike exemplifies that in full. This beer won a World Beer Cup gold medal, after all. It’s a 10.5% ABV chocolate Porter, brimming with roasty undercurrents of coffee and dark mocha. Just make sure you finish it all by midnight, because you know, that’s the dark magic hour.
Nightmare Brewing Exposure IPA with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
For the uninitiated, Nightmare Brewing is pretty darn freaky — the brewers describes their mission as “Bringing together ingredients, death metal and our Horrific history into a cohesive liquid experience.” That said, it’s certainly a change of pace from the norm, and the beer itself is actually really good.
Kind of like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. The seventh installment to the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the movie is not a prequel or a sequel but a standalone feature. And it’s super meta, you guys! Nightmare on Elm Street is just a movie, and Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund and Wes Craven all play themselves. But now that a mysterious entity taking the form of Freddy Krueger is after Langenkamp and her kid, will film and real life collide?
The movie’s freakin’ nuts, and it’s definitely worth pairing with something as crazy as Nightmare Brewing’s Exposure IPA. Just be sure to open the beer right when you start the film — you’ll need some time to sip through that 10.1% ABV.
Copper Kettle Snowed In with The Shining (1980)
It’s  impossible to pick a single scene from The Shining that stands out above the rest. From the long, winding drive at the start to the blood pouring out of the elevator to “Here’s Johnny!”, the whole thing is a masterpiece in psychological horror. But it’s also over two hours long, and you feel a little exhausted yourself by the end of it. That calls for one big beer pairing.
Maybe things would have gone differently in The Shining if the family didn’t get snowed in, but what fun would that be for horror fans? Snowed In Imperial Stout is therefore the way to go. It’s a ridiculously thick, chewy oatmeal Stout with intense coffee and chocolate notes, and it comes with a massive 12.3% ABV! Copper Kettle is a Colorado brewery too, so if there’s a Stout you can trust to help thaw you out on a chilly evening while watching Jack slowly lose his mind and terrorize his family around The Overlook Hotel, it’s this one. Hey, it even comes in an extra-big 19.2 oz can!
Omnipollo Hypnopompa Stout with Midsommar (2019)
Midsommar is easily one of the most original scary flicks to come out in the past decade, and it might just be one of the most visually beautiful horror movies ever. Naturally, a lot of this has to do with the plot’s reliance on Swedish folk lore. So while you’re watching those flowers “breathe” and getting dizzy through the Maypole dance, why not pair the experience with a brew from one of Sweden’s best craft breweries?
Good news! You can actually find Omnipollo in specialty bottle shops across the U.S. Their Hypnopompa Stout comes packed with marshmallows (almost 100 kilos of marshmallows) and Tahitian vanilla beans “the size of cigars,” so it’s super creamy and thick. The name “Hypnopompa” supposedly refers to the state the state immediately preceding waking up, which obviously fits in with the movie’s waking dream-like state. That said, you probably could totally doze off with this one — it has an 11% ABV.
Rogue Dead Guy Ale with Child’s Play (1988)
Child’s Play is one of those movies that you put on these days expecting to laugh more than jump. But while it is naturally funny, it’s also a pretty freaky horror movie that holds up astonishingly well. There’s no silly special effects or obvious fake stuff here — that possessed doll genuinely looks and moves like, well, a possessed doll.
And since “Chucky” is an evil dead guy inhabiting a plastic Good Guy doll, Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale is fitting accompaniment for your viewing. There are multiple versions of Dead Guy now, but it’s best to start with the original Ale. Done in the Maibock style, this dark amber sipper comes full of caramel malts and light hop bitterness. You can almost see Chucky crassly demanding a sip.
Big Grove Into the Woods Sour with The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Modern fans of found footage movies have The Blair Witch Project to thank. From casting unknowns in the lead roles (and advertising them as “missing” or “deceased”) to hand-held film that’s all too believable, the movie launched an obscure genre into the global spotlight. And much like Child’s Play, The Blair Witch’s lack of CGI and other emerging special effects of its time helps it look fresh to this day.
Naturally, such a movie calls for beer pairing full of its own twists and turns. Into the Woods is a full-bodied fruited Sour Ale with a dose of lactose that adds surprising smoothness amid the tartness. Brewed as a collaboration with Copper Kettle Brewing, this is Big Grove’s first beer to ever go on a wait list, and it’s fortunately been brought it back due to popularity. Real raspberries and blackberries create a taste as fresh as the wilderness, if not as spooky.
Dock Street Docktoberfest with The Sixth Sense (1999)
As it turns out, summer 1999 was a great time for chilling thrillers, with The Sixth Sense hitting theaters just a week after Blair Witch. Sure, nothing can replace the initial surprise that comes with the first time you discover the secret about Bruce Willis’ Philadelphia psychologist, much less see him get shot by that New Kids on the Block guy in the first scene (Donnie Whalberg, no!). That said, re-watches make for a new kind of fun.
Grab a can of Docktoberfest and get ready to count all the foreshadowing clues sprinkled throughout the movie. The beer’s right at home from Philly’s own Dock Street Brewing, and it’s a lightly malty, smooth-drinking Festbier that’ll keep you feeling lighthearted even during The Sixth Sense‘s darkest moments (of which there are a lot). Grab it quickly — this one’s an annual release that usually doesn’t last long.
Pizza Boy Michael Meyer’s Lemon IPA with Halloween (2018)
Why the 2018 Halloween movie instead of the classic 1978 flick that started it all? Because the “new” Halloween is really ridiculously fun. Co-written by comedic actor Danny McBride, the decades-later continuation of Michael Meyers’ terror delivers plenty of chills, thrills and a surprising amount of laughs.
There are a surprising amount of murderously good Halloween-themed beers out there, but look no further than Pizza Boy Brewing (in Enola, PA) for a truly solid choice. Their Michael Meyer’s Lemon IPA contains real lemon zest that punctuates lush fruit notes from Amarillo, Mosaic and New Zealand Motueka hops. It’s pillowy and refreshing for when you need to ground yourself in between screams. And it comes with a spookily appropriate 6.66% ABV!
