Lana Del Beer's 3rd Annual Beer + Candy Pairing 2017

11/2/2017

It's the most wonderful time...

FOR A BEER!

The beginning of October kicks off the holiday season around my house and that meant it was time to plan my annual craft beer and halloween candy event! I had to schedule it later than usual due to my schedule, hence why the blog post in only now showing up in November! But fear not, kiddos. I will give you the low down on the get down, you know what I'm saying!? (I'm drinking bulletproof coffee as I write this, so forgive me).

If you'd like to throw your own beer and candy pairing party (hey, there's Christmas candy too), search my blog for "beer and candy". The "how-to" guide should pop up!

Here are the lucky six, YES I SAID SIX, pairings of Halloween 2017:

Drumroll please....

Side Project Saison Nouveau by Shared + Starbursts

Thank goodness I have another bottle of this beer, because it was one of my favorites of the evening (Thank you, Max)! A very light kiss of tartness, this dry yet fruity beer was complimented by the fruity candy yet could cut thru the chewiness with its dry effervescence. A fun way to start off the evening!

B. Nektar NecroMangoCon + Candy Corn

Oh! Now I've thrown you for a loop, huh? Technically not a beer, but fun nonetheless! We have recently gotten these meads at Red Dog and they are damn delicious. Necro is a mango mead with black pepper, making it an off-dry mango dance party in your mouth. Since mead is made from honey, I paired it with candy corn made with real honey. This allowed the mango to shine thru while cutting the marshmellowy goodness of the candy. This was a crowd favorite!

3Floyds Alpha King + Skittles

Alpha King is a pale ale with a caramel malt backbone that supports a juicy, bright hop profile with an abv of 6.66%. I had to use this one, right? I chose skittles to compliment the juicy hops letting the caramel goodness of the beer to come forward. Nom!

Upland Vinosynth Red + Nerds

Vinosynth is a lambic style ale that has been aged in Oliver Winery red wine barrels giving it a tart, cherry pith sourness. This will wake your guests' tastebuds back up! Pairing the beer with Nerds will take the tart edge off the beer while complimenting the candy and preparing your palate for another sip! This would also work with Pop Rocks for a fun palate teaser!

Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll + Dark Chocolate Grand Marnier Pecans

I just got goosebumps. This was my personal favorite pairing of the night. Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll taste like a straight up cinnamon roll. No joke. I could drink a small cordial glass of it, but paired with the dark chocolate grand marnier pecans......I am moved. Emotionally. It helped take the sweet edge off the beer, leaving the cinnamon and caramel to play with the nutty orange flavors of the candy. You can buy both of these at Red Dog, fyi!

Perennial Abraxas + Dove Sea Salt Caramel & Dark Chocolate

Abraxas. I've been cellaring this beer for a long time, so I was excited to share it with my guests! The lovely folks at Perennial brewed this 10% imperial stout with ancho chili peppers, cacao nibs and cinnamon sticks to create a mouth filling, dry, yet flavorful stout with a pin prick of heat. Pairing it with the chocolate allowed the adjuncts to play with the caramel and add a little salt to your sweet. A big finale to a great tasting!