Friday Brew Review – Halloween Ale
I may be finally starting to lose my mind. For real. I’ve spent the early evening inside of a slightly metrosexual argyle sweater, listening to Led Zeppelin II and drinking beer. While I’m enjoying bathing in the autumn air pouring in from my open window, I’m starting to worry that I may start shouting out of it.
Luckily, I’ve made a promise to both Caffeine-Powered and myself to delivery a weekly beverage review, so any open condemnations of society will have to wait. It is time to talk about beer and nothing is more important than that!
This week, I repealed my declaration against seasonal brews. Still leaving the hay-themed pumpkin-flavored whatnots to others, I picked up a six pack of Gritty McDuff’s Halloween Ale. Yes — I am a sucker and the label with a decapitated head is what initially sold me. Fuck, we’re in the beginning of the goddamn OCTOBERFEAST and I can’t help but get excited by horror-themed promotions.
But unlike some of my previous choices, I actually took the time to read a description of the potable. In Gritty’s own words,
Every fall marks the return of our legendary Extra Special Bitter for the season, Halloween Ale — the beer so good, it’s scary! From its humble beginnings in 1990 as a small-batch seasonal in our Portland Brew Pub, Halloween Ale has grown to be one of the year’s most anticipated beer releases. This robust brew has a deep amber color, a bold, malty palate and a well-rounded hop finish. The perfect beer for a crisp autumn day!
Sounds good to me.
Popping off the bottlecap and guzzling, I first found myself intrigued, if slightly underwhelmed. To me, Halloween Ale had a great, especially flavorful taste, but hardly seemed to be the bitter concoction the about which the brewery bragged.
And then, like an elbow drop from Macho Man himself, in kicked the after-bite. The back of my tongue, hell — the back of my damn mouth, was awash in bitter glory. It hit me hard and I realized what a great drink I held in my hand. Halloween Ale’s full flavor goes down smoothly and refreshingly, but is then tempered with a smack of bitterness.
Always the altruist, I wanted to share my oat-soda. After some hassling, I convinced my 88-year old Nana to take a swig. She put the bottle up to her lips (but not before wiping it with a napkin — after all, old folks are susceptible to death) and gave it a go.
Nana ponders the Friday brew.
OOOh. It is bitter!
Yeah, Nana’s right — Halloween Ale is bitter. And I like that.
For luring me in with a ripped-off head, gaining my interest with the first taste and then maintaining my interest with its aftertaste, Gritty McDuff’s Halloween Ale gets an A-.