What was your prized candy during your trick-or-treating days? Reese’s? Almond Joy? Stale-ass pretzels from the weird neighbor no one talked to? Or worse, Good ‘N Plenty? Your candy hunting days may be over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take your preferences over to something more adult oriented—drinking beer. That’s why we’ve figured out the perfect beer for you to enjoy based on your favorite Halloween candy. Crack a few after the trick-or-treaters are done.
Candy: Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar
Beer: Terrapin Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout
For the chocolate fiend uninterested in pointless additions of nuts and nugget, Hershey’s classic is the way to go. In the beer world, you’d be happy with Terrapin’s Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout. Thanks to the cocoa nibs, cocoa shells, and lactose that went into the creation of the beer, it possesses that same sweet taste and creamy mouthfeel as your favorite candy bar. Link
Candy: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Beer: DuClaw Sweet Baby Jesus
We’d like to start this by urging you to track down Sweet Baby Jesus on tap—it’s a whole other beer. But if you can’t make the trip to Maryland, and your local watering hole has never received a keg, the bottles will do fine—they’re just not quite as good. The aroma alone will conjure up images of those orange packages. While the chocolate is more of the bitter variety, the peanut butter shines like your favorite saucer-shaped treat. Link
Candy: SweeTarts
Beer: Dogfish Head Festina Pêche
A well-made Berliner Weisse mimics a lot of what you love about SweeTarts—they can be tart and sweet at the same time. Dogfish Head’s Festina Pêche is one of our summertime staples, and it will make you pucker up just enough to remind you of some of your favorite candy. Link
Candy: Junior Mints
Beer: Perennial Artisan Ales 17
Like to get your chocolate fix with a cool blast of mint on the side? 17 is what you need to be drinking. Like a handful of Junior Mints, the imperial stout from Perennial Artisan Ales delivers the chocolate and the mint. Brewed with chocolate malts, cacao nibs, and mint leaves, the beer is like an alcoholic version of Kramer’s hospital snack. Link
Candy: Charleston Chews
Beer: Southern Tier Créme Brûlée
We know there are other Charleston Chew flavors, but we’re talking about the classic vanilla, which comes in the iconic yellow wrapper. If you dig them—frozen or not—you’d enjoy a warming pour of Southern Tier’s outrageously decadent Créme Brûlée stout. The beer is super sweet and packed with vanilla. In fact, it’s more of a dessert than a beer, so save some room. Link
Candy: Mounds or Almond Joy
Beer: Oskar Blues Death by Coconut
Set to return in November, Oskar Blues’s Death by Coconut is the closest you’ll get to satisfying your desire for a Mounds or an Almond Joy in liquid form. While a little roastiness enters into the equation, you still get that sweet chocolate and plenty of coconut. Link
Candy: Milky Way
Beer: Breakside Salted Caramel Stout
For chocolate and a dose of sticky, sweet caramel, Breakside’s Salted Caramel Stout delivers in spades. The sea salt added to the beer helps those flavors pop and bring to mind your favorite candy bar. You’ll pick up a lot of that caramelized sugar on the nose, and each sip seems laced with cavity-filling caramel. Link
Candy: Smarties
Beer: Short’s Strawberry Short’s Cake
You’re not going to find a beer that can replicate the chalkiness of a roll of Smarties, but for that straight fruity sugar taste, you can’t do better than this brew from Short’s. Meant to taste like a piece of strawberry short cake, the 5% ABV brew made with strawberries and milk sugar happens to also taste like your favorite little candy tablets. Link
Candy: Heath Bar
Beer: Wells Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale
Sticky Toffee Pudding Ale from Charles Wells isn’t our favorite beer, but, then again, the Heath bar isn’t our favorite candy bar. If you reach for a Heath, consider a glass of a beer packed with the same toffee sweetness. We do highly recommend taking a whiff of a freshly poured pint, if nothing else. Link
