September Beer Club

The Pumpkin Patch

Madness they cry!  Madness!  Not since the cursed, cavalier, experiments conducted upon the cold cadavers in Doctor Frankenstein’s Laboratory have the morals and mettles of the masses been so undermined.  They look on in fright, eyes wide, breathless, silent, and still but for their uncontrollable quivering at the

pathologically picked pack of pumpkin permeated pints presented!

I am of course, referring to this months beer club!  The Pumpkin Patch!

I’ve got three pumpkin spice infused beers to get you in that spooky mood, along with a few other seasonal tricks and treats.  Each beer will include a Halloween movie recommendation, because who doesn’t love a little cinematic fright to go with their alcoholic delight?

The beer club releases on the third Saturday every month.  There is no sign up for our beer club, just drop by the store any time were open and pick up a pack!  The price will be between $30 and $35.

Harvest Moon

Born Brewing Co

We begin with a clean, clear, dark amber coloured Pumpkin ale.

And with the first sip, it’s like biting into a slice of pumpkin pie.  Rich pumpkin, with warm spices, and a light bready malt character.  As the glass went on however I began to notice a real chocolatey note coming through as well.  I remarked that I could drink four of these before I got tired of it.  Not that I endorse drinking four in a row, but hey what’s that saying?  Do as I say, not as I do.

Movie Recommendation: The Cabin in the Woods

A group of teenagers heading to an isolated cabin is a perhaps the most frequently used horror trope of all.  This film finds a brilliant way to turn that idea on it’s head while still delivering fresh scares, laughs, and lots and lots of blood.

$5

Ghostrider

Fernie Brew Co

Let’s get a little bit darker, and a little bit spookier.

Ghostrider is built on the ghost of Fernie Brew Co’s First Trax brown ale.  To that recipe they add all our favourite pumpkin spices to compliment the natural nutty, chocolatey notes of that beer.  Ghostrider is more than a spectre of spices riding atop a brown malted steed though, it is an old legend belonging to the town of Fernie.  Every day as the sun begins to dip the shadowy ghostrider appears upon the face of Mt. Hosmer to stare down the town with unknown intent…

Movie Recommendation: Poltergeist

No, I’m not going to recommend the Nicolas Cage Ghost Rider movie.

Poltergeist is a classic of the horror genre, and while it’s ability to frighten may have faded over 50 years, it shines as a story that celebrates a family coming together to face the unknowable. I also love how it embraces some wonder of “the other side” rather than painting it as purely malevolent.

$5

Pumpkin Spice Latte Nitro Stout

Railyard Brewing

We conclude the Pumpkin beers with something black as night.

This pumpkin stout brings something new to the glass, nitrogen!  This is a nitro stout wherein the beer has been nitrogenated rather than carbonated.  Nitrogen bubbles are much much finer, giving a fuller head and creamier body.  In order to best enjoy this, follow the directions on the can.  Open and invert the can fully upside down into a pint glass and allow the beer to pour hard, this gets the nitrogen agitated and ready to form the frothy head.  Once the beer has settled you’ll be ready to enjoy!

Movie Recommendation: Scream

Growing up I basically wrote off this series as another mindless slasher franchise, but boy was I wrong.  This is a self-aware, smart, slasher franchise!  The first in the series is the best, but certainly not the only one worth watching.  

What’s your favourite scary movie?

$5

Dead ‘n’ Dead

Rogue Ales

In this sick and twisted experiment from Rogue, they have taken a batch of innocent Dead Guy Ale and aged it on wood chips produced from leftover Dead Guy Whiskey barrels.  The resultant brew is stiff like a zombie, with an eye-watering 9.5% ABV and intense notes of wood, whiskey, and vanilla.  The malty backbone and herbal hoppiness of the original maibock linger in the background, like some faint glimmer of its soul left behind, tormented in it’s reanimated state.  

Maybe take this one on with a friend lest you too end up zombified.

Movie Recommendation: Zombieland

Who says the zombie apocalypse can’t be fun?  Just grab a twinkie and follow the rules.  I imagine the booze kick of this beer coming in right around that cameo, enjoy!

$7

A Wee Angry

Russell Brewing Company

A Scottish ale, sometimes called a Wee Heavy is a style of beer that sits near the top in malt forwardness.  The beauty of these is they are not black like a stout or porter, but rather a very dark brown.  Caramelly, rich, smooth, and warming, these beers are perfect for a chilly fall day.  At 6.5% this Wee Angry grabs a hold of you with a gentle, but firm embrace, like how a Scot might lift a caber before tossing it end over end.

Movie Recommendation: The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror VI

Not a movie I know, but I grew up with these yearly features and this might be the best of the era.  I’ve always felt that the Groundskeeper Willie’s parody of Freddy Kreuger works way too well, honoring the character rather than lampooning him.

That being said, if you haven’t seen A Nightmare on Elm Street, start with that.  

$4

Oktoberfest Marzen

Sheepdog Brewery

For this month last year we released an Oktoberfest pack, and of that club Sheepdog’s Oktoberfest Marzen was an absolute standout.  It’s the right colour, flavour, and drinkability for an Oktoberfest beer.  I figured with that in mind it deserved a rerun for this club.  Besides that, they’ve got their Oktoberfest party tonight!  Get your Lederhosen on, dance to some Oom-Pah, and enjoy a stein of this!

Movie Recommendation: Beetlejuice

For this one we’re pairing a beer that gets better with every glass with a movie that gets better with every watch.  I still haven’t gotten to see the sequel yet, maybe that one will be on the list next year if they manage to capture the black magic that made the first one so charming.

$5