Spooky Season Sips & Snacks

Spooky season is upon us folks! And whether you’re a hardcore horror-movie watchin’, costume-makin’, pumpkin-carvin’, Werewolf-Bar-Mitzvah-singin’ Sanderson Sister or you’re simply a person living on the planet in the month of October I want to make sure we all recognize the reason for the season - CANDY. 

Sweets are some of my favorite things to pair with beer, as I’ve found that the options are just as endless as a Target candy aisle in October. Candy offers limitless unique textures which can be enhanced so beautifully by the aromas, flavors, and carbonation levels in beer. 

Let’s get into it. 

Bench Life & Candy Corn

What’s Halloween without the holiday’s most polarizing candy - candy corn! The super sweet, honey-influenced, chewy morsels that are sure to inspire an argument at your next family gathering because if there’s one thing I know - you either love it or you hate it. Bench Life, on the other hand, is only to be loved. It’s dry, bubbly, drinkable, and undeniably refreshing. The ultra-crisp finish will wash down the honeycomb sweetness of candy corn to keep you sippin’ and snackin’ all spooky season long. 

And since we’re talking corn - did you know there’s flaked corn in Bench Life? Here’s what our Head Brewer and Co-Owner Khris Johnson has to say about corn in beer and brewing, “We've been using corn in brands like Postcard and Bench Life from the beginning. In fact, the conception of Bench Life was centered around the usage of corn. Corn is a very common adjunct in domestic light lager, but has also been used for a very long time in all sorts of styles. Corn is rich in starch, which we convert to sugar in our mash, which will become alcohol after it is consumed by yeast. It also provides a light color and flavor that all-malt beers struggle to capture. This gives the brewer the ability to create delicate and soft textures. Corn, unlike other starchy adjuncts like rice, also has a subtle sweetness to it that is generally perceived mid-palate. I find that this helps balance out beers like Bench Life that are extremely dry, giving them more nuance and depth against what would otherwise be a very one-dimensional experience.”

All the Pippins & Skittles

Pairing fruity candy with cider might seem like an obvious choice, but when it works, it works! One of the benefits of Skittles is the assortment of flavors. I’m not a grape girl but that means there’s more to share! All the Pippins is our dry cider featuring Newtown Pippin and Cox Orange Pippin. It boasts flavors of soft pear and citrus, which makes it utterly pairable with fruit-forward flavors of all kinds. Haribo Gummi Bears? Yep. Peach rings? Oh yeah. Grocery store fruit salad? How refreshing. 

Cider Maker and Co-Owner Brian Wing agrees with me – here’s his two cents on the subject of pairing, “All the Pippins hits your nose with a ton of fruit goodness with aromas of tropical fruits, peaches and pears. Pair this juicy cider with an equally juicy candy. My vote is for Starburst...or maybe Sour Belts if you find someone handing them out.” 

Spark & Snickers

Spark is our Smoked Märzen brewed in collaboration with our friends at Bierstadt Lagerhaus. Brewed with authentically smoked malts (and never Liquid Smoke or anything of the like), it’s a smokey, malty brew with an earthiness imparted by German Tradition hops. And what does smoke like more than fire? Chocolate! Yes, that’s right. Sweetness and smoke go together like peanut butter and pickles – don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Snickers is a great pairing candy because of the variety of textures and flavors. It has it all without being chaotic. (Lookin’ at you, Take 5.) The peanuts and nougat play the same role as the malt does, while the chocolate and caramel are complementary to the smoke character. Hungry? Have a Spark ‘n’ Snickers.

And if you’re just one of those folks who doesn’t like sweets, here’s a bonus savory pairing. 

Festbier & Pumpkin Seeds

When carving jack-o-lanterns, it’s important to use every part of the animal - by which I mean it’s remiss not to roast the seeds. Some of my favorite preparations are Trader Joe’s Everything But The Bagel Seasoning, Chex Mix style, and buffalo ranch. Even just with a little bit of neutral oil and salt, the bitter earthiness and snap of pumpkin seeds pairs perfectly with the clean malt profile and crisp finish of Festbier.