Spooky Halloween Beers and Ciders to Frighten Up Your Festivities

By now, you’ve probably settled on a costume, loaded up on candy and committed to some sort of Halloween party. But let’s not forget a key element of any howlin' good monster bash: a well-stocked brew cart.

We’ve compiled a short list of this season's favorites from our network of brewery and hard cidery partners to coax you into some unique craft beverage treats this month.

                                      🎃👹👻🎃👹👻🎃👹                                        

Raspberry Toasted Marshmallow Sleight of Hand
Maker: Hoax Brewing Co. (East Haven, Connecticut)
Description: “Sleight of Hand” is a series of sour beers from the Connecticut brewery. This scary twist adds toasted marshmallow to the popular standard raspberry.
Why we love it: The 16-oz cans feature the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, bursting out of the can grimacing, and covered in raspberry jam. The “O” in the word “Toasted” is also a light-hearted nod to the popular “Ghostbuster” movie logo.


Screamin’ Pumpkin Ale
Maker: Griffin Claw Brewing Co. (Birmingham, Michigan)
Description: For fans of big pumpkin flavor, this is your ale. At 5% ABV, it’s a seasonal combination of nutmeg, allspice, clove, cinnamon and fresh ginger.
Why we love it: The can features a screamin’ pumpkin being hurled through the air mouth wide open. The beer’s name and the cartoon pumpkin’s stem and mouth are green; when you shine a black light over it, the green portions glow in the dark. Super spooky, super cool.


Deep Woods Series: Café Deth, Deth’s Tar & Deth By Currants
Maker: Revolution Brewing Co. (Chicago, Illinois)
Description: This trio of bourbon barrel-aged imperial stouts are sure to warm your doomed soul. After more than a year in oak barrels, the deadly threesome was unlocked at a series of preview parties and ultimately released on Oct. 16. The Deep Woods Series consists of: Deth’s Tar (14.8% ABV); Café Deth (14.8% ABV), steeped in fresh coffee beans from Chicago’s Dark Matter Coffee; and Deth By Currants (14.1% ABV), with currants aged in bourbon barrels.
Why we love it: The Fall installment of the Deep Woods Series and its skeleton-covered imagery pair perfectly for a late-October freak fest. And keep in mind, if you’re passing by the Chicago taproom any time soon, Revolution has four draft-only variants available.

Ecto Cider
Maker: Odd Brothers Craft Cider (Homer, Michigan)
Description: This hard cider with an ABV of 6.5% is made with tangerine and orange zest.
Why we love it: The 16oz cans depict a Slimer-“esque” illustration. And it seriously pours a neon green - much like the trail of ooze the iconic character from the classic 1980s film left behind him.

Cross the Streams
Maker: Noon Whistle Brewing (Naperville & Lombard, Illinois)
Description: A Hazy IPA brew with Tang, orange puree, tangerine puree, nectarine and Ekuanot hop
Why we love it: Done in collaboration with Old Irving Brewing, this “slime green” hazy IPA was made with “unlicensed nuclear accelerators” and makes another great reference to “Ghostbusters.” It’s due to be released on Oct. 20 and will be available at the brewery’s locations in Naperville and Lombard.

John Liberty is a longtime craft beer journalist turned account manager at Millcraft Beverage Solutions and the co-founder and general manager of West Michigan Beer Tours. He lives in Kalamazoo, MI, with his wife, two children and two cats. He also plays on the best wiffle ball team in the state. Want to learn more about John and what he's up to at Millcraft?  Just ask.