9 great craft beers to help wash down leftover Halloween candy
What’s a parent to do with all that leftover candy after the masks and makeup come off after Halloween?
Sure, you could parse it out to the kids as a reward for good behavior. But it’s more fun to just eat it yourself, sidestepping what could be thousands of dollars in a child’s dentistry bills.
A Texas beer expert has a few ideas for how to pair some of the most beloved candies of the season with popular craft beers.
According to Josh Justice, the head beer cowboy at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Houston, beer snobs and novices alike have plenty of options at their disposal. He and his colleagues paired craft beers that are typically tap or in a bottle at the bar with the most popular Halloween candies out there.
Kit Kat, Skittles, Snickers, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Smarties and candy corn are favorites for trick-or-treaters. Chocolate and peanut butter usually top the list. Those flavors are easy to pair, Justice says. The sour stuff is a little more of a challenge.
Here are Justice’s pairings: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups: “Go with a dead-on pairing here and try Ballast Point Peanut Butter Victory at Sea.”
Snickers: “Lots of classic malt flavors. Cut the chocolate and caramel sweetness with the drier complimentary flavors of 512 Nut Brown.”
Skittles: “Contrast the fruity and crunchy sweet mouth-feel with something dry with booze to wash down the sugar — like something from Duvel.”
Candy Corn: “It’s super sweet, so look for some contrast with malt sweetness. We would do a doppelbock like Wasatch Devastator.” Smarties: “Smarties are dry and tart. Go with a fruited Berliner Weisse, like Eureka Heights Shower Tears.” Hershey’s Kisses: “You gotta pair a simple classic chocolate flavor with a classic. AleSmith Speedway Stout is smooth, huge chocolate and coffee flavor.”
Sour Patch Kids: “Pair sour with sour here, and do Sierra Nevada’s Otra Vez. The agave notes will help clean it up and cut the sour down a bit.”