What could be more perfect for Halloween? For a SoCal hop fan, AleSmith’s Evil Dead Red is a perfect Halloween treat. It pours a reddish brown and has a fragrant hop aroma coming off the glass. The taste starts off with some chewy maltness that is quickly overcome by some sharp carbonation and a wild melange of hops. I get a little citrus, some fruit punch and some floral notes. And they are strong. But the whole thing is well balanced. You get some more cereal notes at the end to really round the beer off.
And in keeping with the zombie theme on the label, my favorite Halloween film to watch is Shaun of the Dead (tragically mis-spelled). Followed by the first Paranormal Activity, The Exorcist, Arachnaphobia and the Blair Witch Project. I am not a big horror fan. Don’t like the chain saws and knives and crazed pyscho’s on the loose. I prefer a little more realism and some humor. Maybe it is because I watched a Pinhead movie when I was young and was turned off the whole blood and gore thing. Obviously, Evil Dead should be paired with it’s namesake movie but for Shaun of the Dead, I would go with Fuller’s Black Cab Stout. Dark but light bodied.