Considering my frightening love for Christmas and it's corresponding beers, you would think I would jump at the chance to drink any seasonal appropriate ale. Unfortunately, this has never been the case, but if the opportunity was to arise I'm sure I would jump at the chance.
Luckily, the chance to make Halloween a special time to drink themed beers came about this year from the girlfriend. She'd visited a local shop and bought me two bottles of beer that she felt were perfect for Halloween night. I was very touched, especially when her own mother added to the collection. My beery excitement grew and I added to this expanding selection with a few pumpkin beers I found, to begin a new annual tradition that I can hopefully keep.
So, for once, a young British cynic like myself who had never embraced All Hallows' Eve found his holiday entry through beer. Here is what I drank this Halloween:-
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkX2bU3FVmrtpYbvjIludmBpjlX8FVMD3qyuaUTFOgwEgjx33gkFo9zj0E05aprPMehRC_NzG4XvaNda9jvMOPNeHJUqMZYRXnbF46cRQkCiMTfyI965neewmNUB9HW8QjC0BnRWGxJg/s320/Screenshot_2013-11-01-20-48-07.png)
Another personal purchase, this delightful dark brown beer with a luscious head smells very similar to the Post Road with another overwhelming dominance of cloves The taste is a smoother affair than predicted. It's initially reminiscent of a barley wine with plenty of cinder toffee and caramac depth behind a banana hoppiness. But the aftertaste is allspice with a ginger heat and cinnamon bite. The pumpkin is growling at you, carving out it's sweet gooey centre and placing a candle right between angry, hollow eyes.
This was the beer purchased by my girlfriend's mother, (she saw it and thought of me) and very grateful I am indeed.) The face of Halloween and with a pleasing label, this non bottle conditioned ale pours as thin and low carbonated looking as one would expect. Initial scents are very much bottled Wychwood but there is a pleasing, grassy spiciness undertone which is a surprise. The taste is malty and Hobgoblin-like at times. But there's a lovely warming spice and a fruity balance that makes for a fuller bodied finish than one might expect. Low expectations sometimes lead to pleasing results. There's nothing wrong with this on Halloween.
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I enjoyed this much more than I thought and now fear that this, amongst other seasonal beer drinking occasions, will become a regular feature. Enjoy your beer at the right times!
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