This halloween, I wanted to blog about something different. Every man and his dog is blogging about pumpkin beers, which is great. However, while I like pumpkin beer as much as the next guy, sometimes I want to get a bit feral and go wild!
 |
| gif from Gifsoup.com |
Halloween is a traditional time of year when kids dress up as scary things, so what if we lined up some intense beers, Hop Monsters. Stuff thats like Jason Voorhees ploughing through the camp murdering and assaulting at will. So i’m gonna pair these beers with some of my favourite horror films!
So the line up tonight starts low and goes on to the finisher.
Our running order this evening;
1: Brewdog – Dead Pony Club 3.8% ABV
2: Beavertown – Gamma Ray – 5.4% ABV
3: Ska Brewing – Modus Hoperandi – 6.8% ABV
4: Brewdog – Jack Hammer 7.2% ABV
5: Mikkeller – Hop Burn High – 10% ABV
6: Evil Twin – Molotov Cocktail 13% ABV
I equate the progression of these beers like going from a PG13 film to an R Rated Massacre film like Halloween, or Friday the 13th.
First up – Dead Pony Club – a fun jaunty affair, but like Evil Dead : Army’s of Darkness, plenty of hops to get your attention here, without you wanting to cower behind the couch. Like Ash’s chainsaw, it’ll lob off your head if you underestimate it. Great balance and flavour – perfect session beer, and just right to get the palette warmed up
Next up, one of my all time favourites, Beavertown’s Gamma Ray – here we’ve stepped it up a bit, lots of hop and fruity action here, but enough strength to start you worrying, kinda like Let the Right One In. You know this thing can be dangerous if you toy around with it. It might look like fun, but like those Aliens in Mars Attacks it will destroy you if you take on too much! Absolute cracker this, if you see this in bottle or can (we don’t have it on draught yet) go for the can, its a better beer in can in my opinion.
Now we move stateside, and like Wrong Turn (and its 5 sequels), things are ramping up a notch, Denver Colorado maniacs Ska Brewing have unleashed Modus Hoperandi on us. Again in Can form. Its also made some appearances on draught in Ireland. This is a tropical fruit flavour bomb, which is so juicy you just want more! Don’t get greedy though as this thing will knock you down quick smart. The piney smell will almost make you think you’re running away from those inbred hillbillies in Wrong Turn!
Back up to the wilds of Aberdeenshire, for Brewdog’s Jackhammer. The matching horror film here is 2003’s Toolbox Murders, in which the protagonist uses a variety of tools to dispatch his hapless victims, including of course a hammer! This is Brewdog’s homage to West Coast IPAs, a single malt and an insane amount of hops. This 7.2% beaut tastes upfront of tropical / citrussy fruits, then the bitterness whacks your noggin like that hammer and lasts as it goes down.
Next up is those wild guys from Mikkeller. Hop Burn High an Imperial IPA – just like leatherface in Texas Chainsaw, this thing will cut you up! God Damn! Insane aroma on this thing, it smells like it would destroy you! Burning my nasal hairs! The aroma fades to a resinous and viscous mouthfeel almost sweetness that finishes to a dry and bitter finish. This is a big beer. Make no mistakes!
The finale, Molotov Cocktail – by Evil Twin – not to be outdone by his brother over in Mikkeller, he’s gone full hop cannon! Like Event Horizon, you won’t need taste buds where we’re going as the insane amount of hops in this beer will render them numb, instantly on contact. However I get a really sweet taste off this upfront, no doubt boozy as its 13% but doesn’t taste like that ABV. This thing will send you to another dimension.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this spin on beer at Halloween, I still like pumpkin beers, and have a couple to enjoy. But lets remember, hops are kings for me, and the hoppier the better. Thanks to my local indie off licences who stock these beers!
Irish Beer Snob 