Halloween Ales

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I love the build up to Halloween for the number of bars who sell beers with a Halloween them. Moorehouse’s Pendle Witch is offered all year of course. But at this time at many spooky ales are offered at least in name. Here are some I tried in Manchester's Bar Fringe on Wednesday night. Pennine Brewery Fright Night. 4% - A dark amber ale, with modest hoppiness that seems to taste of less the more you drink of it. An aftertaste that loses effectiveness the more of the pint is consumed. 3 out of 5 points. Itchen Brewery – Treacle Stout 5.5% My favourite ale of the night and you can really taste the treacle more associated with November bonfires than Halloween, but a good rich taste of Autumn. 5/5. Mr Grundy’s Brewery – Vampyr. 4.4% A golden very hoppy clear coloured with nothing scary about it except for the choice of name. If you name your ale after vampires, werewolves or zombies it needs a sense of bite or strength to it. This is just using its name to tie in with the season. It’s a decent enough perennial session ale but a very toothless vamyr. 3/5 Backyard Brewery – Hell Bound 5.4% Just short of the strength of the earlier treacle ale, and deceptively light tasting copper colour, with an earthy taste (suggestive of the grave) and a fine taste to end the night before escaping before the witching hour. 4/5. Arthur Chappell