Regardless of whether you’re out trick or treating with all the ghosts and goblins or staying at home enjoying a night in, Halloween candy is for everyone. The trick is to pair it with beer, and take your candy to a whole new level of treat.
Given the wide variety of both candies and beers in the world, it can be tough to narrow down what the best pairings are without trying everything. However, what helps in finding that perfect match is pairing your candy and beer by intensity. The more intense one is, the other should keep up intensity. Find a candy that can take the hit of prominent hops. Don’t forget to factor in texture as well. For example, smooth and mellow beers go with smooth and creamy candies, such as milk chocolate. Additionally, beer and candy tend to have prominent flavors, so find two that you think will pair well together, like coconut Almond Joy bars and coconut flavored beer.
Here’s a list of some of the best beer types and candy pairings that are so perfect it’s scary!
Candy Corn + Cream Ale/Light Lager
-Candy Corn is a high-sugar candy, so pairing it with a lighter beer can help balance out that extreme sweetness. We suggest looking for a Cream Ale or Light Lager, especially if you find one with subtle fruity flavor to pull out the delicious honey/caramel taste in Candy Corn.
Snickers + Brown Ale
-Pairing up the peanut-packed power of a Snickers bar with a nutty brown ale is an aromatic, delicious match that you’ll go nuts for.
Dark Chocolate + Raspberry Ale
-It’s no secret that dark chocolate goes great with berry flavors, raspberry being a crowd favorite. The crispiness and tartness of a raspberry ale will be an excellent pairing with dark chocolate.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups + Oktoberfest
-Pull forth some of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups deeper salty, roasted peanut flavors and celebrate the season to the fullest with a malty, clean-flavor Oktoberfest.
Sour Gummy Candy + IPA
– Sour Gummy candies are vibrantly tart and juicy, and finding a hoppy IPA to match that intensity will level that can bring out some of those sweeter flavors.
Skittles + Dubbel
-With the fruity aromatic notes of a Dubbel, pairing this beer with Skittles is sure to help you taste the rainbow.
Starburst + Saison
-The tart, sweet notes of a Saison with hints of fruit will complement the juicy, bursting fruit flavors of Starburst without overwhelming your palate.
Twix + Hefeweizen
-This pairing is fun because while Hefeweizens have forward clove and banana flavors, their wheat and bread undernotes reveal themselves when paired Twix bars caramel and cookie crunch.
Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars + Milk Stout/Porter
-Smooth, creamy chocolate meets smooth, creamy chocolates. What’s not to dig with this pairing?