Halloween Double Feature: Evil Genius Beer Company – Trick or Treat

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13 Days of Halloween, Beer, Beer Review, Evil Genius Beer Company, Halloween, October

Welcome to the evening edition of my annual Halloween Double Feature!  I know I went through some dark and scary brews leading up to this moment, but when examining my beer haul for the month, how could I not pick this as my main event Halloween brew?

Beer Name: Trick or Treat

Brewery: Evil Genius Beer Company (Philadelphia, PA)

Style: Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

ABV: 7.8%

Description: The Brewers started out with a “rich, robust porter” and then spiced it up with seasonal go-tos cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.  For good measure they added in a bunch of chocolate post fermentation. Read all about it here.

Appearance: It poured a thick, dark brown body with absolutely no head to speak of.

Smell: Rather sweet, with spices notes lingering in the background.

Taste: Spice, mainly nutmeg, upfront followed by a brief period of sweetness.  From there comes a bitter chocolate and moderate roast finish starts building, with hints of cinnamon popping up along the way.  The tastes were a little disjointed when first poured, but came together a bit more as the beer was allowed to sit for a few minutes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus with low carbonation.

Hype: This brewery has come through for me before in backing up their gimmicky names, so I was somewhat hopeful going into this.  This is the main event review after all!

Overall: On the whole this wasn’t really my ideal flavor profile, but I suppose I should have known what I was getting into.  I will say, however, that when paired with chocolate candy this beer took on an entirely new life. It felt smoother, with a more cohesive and muted spice blend.  And for that it gets bonus points in my book!

Have a happy, fun, and safe Halloween night everyone!!!

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Halloween Double Feature: The Haunting of Tram Car 015, by P. Djeli Clark

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13 Days of Halloween, Book, Book Review, Fantasy, Halloween, Horror, P. Djeli Clark, Reading

Good morning and Happy Halloween!  Welcome to part one of my annual Halloween Double Feature.  My first post of the day is a review of a spooky sounding novella I’ve been saving for this occasion.  Published in February 2019, it was also yet another read that I’d really been looking forward throughout the year.

The story is set in an alternate version of Cairo, Egypt in the year 1912.  In this world, Djinn and other supernatural natural entities have come to live openly alongside humans, transforming the city into a modern, prosperous metropolis.  Among their most prominent achievements is a system of magically endowed tram cars that offer a means of clean, efficient travel high above the busy streets. When one of these cars becomes the scene of some unusual happenings, however, it is up to Agent Hamed Nasr and his rookie partner Onsi Youssef of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities to investigate and restore order.

I had a lot of fun reading this as pretty much everything about the novella hit the right notes for me.  There was just a certain energy to the world that I found captivating, and I enjoyed the ways in which steampunk elements existed side by side with the magical to create something truly interesting.  It also helps that I tend to like a good detective story and watching this one play out in this setting was simply amazing to behold. That the action also occurred against the backdrop of preparations for  a massive Women’s Suffrage demonstration brought the story up to yet another level while at the same time making it feel more grounded and real. What brought it all home for me though was the rapport between the more cynical Hamed and the overly enthusiastic Onsi.  Their relationship managed to feel fresh and authentic despite being sounding like a pretty common pairing and gave the reader excellent eyes through which to encounter these events. Add in the other characters, particularly Superintendent Bashir, an uninspiring Tram official with a sweet tooth, and Abla, a shockingly well-connected waitress, and you have all the makings of an impressive novel packed into 100 or so pages.

I really don’t want to give away any bit of this story, so I’ll close by saying again what a pleasure this was to read.  This was easily one of my favorites of the year and I give it my highest recommendations. Being a novella, however, it went by entirely too fast so make sure you have more from the author in queue for when you finish!

13 Days of Halloween – Day Twelve: Sam & Max Freelance Police in Beast From the Cereal Aisle, by Steve Purcell

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13 Days of Halloween, Comics, Horror, Sam and Max, Steve Purcell

Since I pulled out this old comic collection for last month’s Geek Out Challenge, I figured I might as well revisit some of my old favorites. This particular adventure sees our furry anti-heros hired to investigate an outbreak of paranormal activity at the local supermarket.  Equipped with little more than a Ouija board and a lasso, it’s up to them to stop the terror and refocus the malevolent energy into something a bit more positive. But is it a demon? A monster? A spiritual representation of the “collected sorrow and frustration of all those whose apple cart and roadside beef stand businesses were steamrolled into the ground by cold, sterile Megamarts?”  Does it really even matter so long as there’s free food an opportunity for the duo’s particular brand of comedic violence?

This was a fun trip down memory lane, but man are these comics weird.  The tale is admittedly a bit juvenile, but I still liked it for the nonsensical fun that it was.  I’d recommend this to anyone familiar with the characters from their games, but otherwise this one may be limited in its appeal.  As a more or less lifelong Massachusetts resident, though, I must say that the “Lobsta Fahts” cereal box that appears in the background makes me chuckle every time I see it.  Is it immature? Yes. Does it entertain me? Also yes. Moving on.

Now that I’ve sufficiently indulged my not so inner child, make sure you all tune in tomorrow for my annual Halloween Double Feature!  I’ve got some more serious material lined up and a beverage to share!

13 Days of Halloween – Day Eleven: Jackie O’s Brewery – Dark Apparition

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13 Days of Halloween, Beer, Beer Review, Jackie O's Brewery

I apparently managed to round up a rather spooky collection of brews this month!  This next one comes at you with additional props as well.

Beer Name: Dark Apparition

Brewery: Jackie O’s Brewery (Athens, OH)

Style: Russia Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.5%

Description: Dark malts and bold flavors abound in this brewer’s favorite.  Check out the official description here for more information.

Appearance: Dark brown/black body with a short-lived beige lacing from the pour.

Smell: Rich dark malts mingled with molasses and bourbon.

Taste: A strong dark malt backbone topped by a sweet bourbon hear upfront followed by notes of dark chocolate and molasses about halfway into the sip.  The finish was warm, with a layer of dark roast covering an excellent barrel presence.

Mouthfeel: On the thinner side of medium and rather slick.  Very low level carbonation.

Hype: Elevated due to the brewery’s reputation and cost if the bottle.  At $16 my wife informs me that this accounted for almost half of our beer expenditures for my Halloween theme this year.

Overall: It was a good beer, but could have potentially been much more than that with a thicker mouthfeel.  The slickness and relatively thin body did make the beer dangerously easy to drink, but that’s not really what I want in a brew like this.  I also think that a heartier body would have carried the big tastes a bit better. Considering the price I would probably not repeat this one in the future.

13 Days of Halloween – Day Ten (Music Monday): Halloween Playlist (Part 3)

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13 Days of Halloween, Halloween, Music, Music Monday, Nightmare Before Christmas, Oingo Boingo, Rockwell, Screamin Jay Hawkins, Voltaire

One more playlist coming at you on the final Music Monday before Halloween!  Here are five more of my favorites presented once again in no particular order.  As always, thank you to the original posters.

Somebody’s Watching Me, by Rockwell (1983)

I’ve been hearing this song everywhere this year!  Although I was momentarily tempted to go with the Beatfreakz cover as the more Halloween-y version, I quickly decided that I needed to stick with the original after re-watching the video.

Oogie Boogie’s Song, by Ken Page (1993)

My son has been super into The Nightmare Before Christmas this year so I had to include at least one song from the movie.  This one is probably his second favorite, right after This is Halloween (featured last year).

Dead Man’s Party, by Oingo Boingo (1985)

I’m including this one at the risk of leaning a little too heavy on the Danny Elfman stuff this year.  The song, however, is such a Halloween party staple that I couldn’t leave it off.

I Put a Spell on You, by Various Artists

Pick your version, Nina Simone, Marilyn Manson, Anne Lenox, Creedence Clearwater Revival, etc.  The list goes on and on. This song is awesome and it’s been covered so many times you’re sure to find a version to suit your mood.  For this post I’m going with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.  It think it was the laughing and screams that did it for me.

Cannibal Buffet, by Voltaire (2007)

Ahh…Voltaire.  It seems only appropriate that I end this list with some silly dark humor.  Happy Halloween, folks!

13 Days of Halloween – Day Nine: Avery Brewing Company – Samael’s (2015)

Tags

13 Days of Halloween, Avery Brewing Company, Beer, Beer Review, Demons of Ale

As we start wrapping up pre-Halloween weekend,  I’m checking in today with another demonic brew I had lurking in my closet for a few years.

Beer Name: Samael’s

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company (Boulder, CO)

Style: Oak Aged Ale

ABV: 14.6%

Description: Another entry in the brewery’s Demons of Ale series, this one was named for the noted Angel of Death.  My bottle for this review was dated May 2015 and part of Batch 11 and you can read more about the specs here.

Appearance: Reddish light-brown body with a topping of off-white foam.

Smell: Sweet caramel and sugar sweetness

Taste: It started out on the sweet side with an inviting blend of caramel/toffee malt sweetness that gradually took on some honey notes as well.  A light oak influence came through on the end combined, combined with a soft candy-like sweetness and a bit of heat.

Mouthfeel: Full, smooth body with minimal carbonation.

Hype: I was excited by this one considering how much I enjoyed the other beer I had from this series.

Overall: Fantastic!  Another beer that my wife and I both loved, I also nominate it as one of my favorite brews from the past year.  Great blend of sweetness, malt, heat, and barrel influence, pretty much everything about this turned out top notch.

13 Days of Halloween – Day Eight: B. Nektar, Zombie Killer Hard Cider

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13 Days of Halloween, B.Nektar, Beer, Cider

I’ll admit that I’ve long been intrigued by the artwork on this, but I never picked this up on account of not really being all that into hard cider.  My wife, however, thought this was way too good an option to pass up for my Halloween series.

CiderCider Name: Zombie Killer

Brewery: B. Nektar (Ferndale, MI)

Style: Hard Cider

ABV: 5.5%

Description: A hard apple cider brewed with honey and cherries.  Read all about the brew and its ingredients here.

Appearance: Poured to an easy to see through pinkish/red body.

Smell: Sweet cider notes with a hint of tart cherry.

Taste: It started with a fresh and delicious apple cider base before rich honey notes settled in on top.  This sweetness was then followed by a layering of tart cherry that peaked around the end of the sip.  Crisp, clean finish.

Mouthfeel: Rich, medium-plus body with low level carbonation.

Hype: Slightly elevated, but for personal reasons.  The brewery has an excellent reputation and this is a beverage I’d had eye on for awhile now.

Overall: This was amazing!  An excellent blending of sweet honey and tart cherry made this an appealing sensory experience across the board (for the sake of argument let’s just say it sounded great too).  My wife and I both loved this and will definitely be picking up more.

13 Days of Halloween – Day Seven: Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne

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13 Days of Halloween, Book, Book Review, Horror, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Reading

Stepping away from the brews for a bit, the next item on my Halloween countdown is a short story from the famed American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne published in 1835.  I want to send a major thank you out to my wife on this for not only helping me through a writer’s block, but for also remembering that she had this story in an anthology she saved from our college days.

Set in the Puritan town of Salem, MA this is the story of a young man named Goodman Brown and his wife Faith.  One evening, Goodman Brown meets with a mysterious traveler with a serpentine walking stick. They then proceed to walk through a dark, foreboding forest on an errand our protagonist fearfully describes as evil.  He eventually arrives at the scene of a dark ritual in which many of his fellow townsfolk, known sinners and esteemed church officials alike, are participating. Shaken by what he sees, Goodman returns a changed and bitter man.

This was solid recommendation from my wife and a very interesting read.  Despite being only 10 pages long, there was a lot packed into this tale. The dark imagery is established early and often to cast a particularly eerie and ominous feeling over the story.  Also, as with any tale of Puritanism, confrontation with sin runs explicitly rampant throughout and is the motivating force and concern of all involved and makes the experiences of Goodman seem very internalized and personal despite the seemingly external nature of the threat.  I imagine much has been much discussion and analysis of this work over the years so I’ll skip all that and just close my two big questions:

• Where did Goodman meet the Traveler and what was he expecting to happen when they met in the woods?  It seemed early on that it was to be some sort of scandalous rendezvous than admission to a dark communion.
• How much of this “really” happened and how much was just a dream/hallucination fueled by hyper religious society?

If you’ve read this, please feel free to comment on these below!

(Image Source: https://images.app.goo.gl/ZQoxShyE3RHiDRct6)

13 Days of Halloween – Day Six: Avery Brewing Company – Mephistopheles (2016)

Tags

13 Days of Halloween, Avery Brewing Company, Beer, Beer Review, Demons of Ale, Halloween

Lurking deep within the confines of a basement closet, this next beer was something of an unexpected treat.  It was a Christmas gift a few years back that to t put away for a special occasion and, well, I put it away too well.  It emerges now, however, to help me celebrate the season for which it was brewed.

Beer Name: Mephistopheles

Brewery: Avery Brewing Company (Boulder, CO)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 14.6%

Description: Taken from the bottle, this Imperial Stout was brewed with “Rocky mountain water, malted barley, turbinado sugar, hops, and a hellion of a Belgian yeast strain.  It is also part of the brewery’s Demons of Ale series and takes its name from “the crafty shapeshifter, the second fallen angel; he who does not love light.”. This particular bottle was dated October 2016 and part of the Batch 12 run.

Appearance: Dark brown/black looking body with a short lived layer of thin tan foam.

Smell: Assertively sweet and slightly boozy.

Taste: An even bolder assertion of the smell. Sweet rich dark malts and chocolate notes upfront take on a slight creaminess as the sip progresses. From there it took on some sugary notes before turning hot and boozy.  A mild roast and hint of yeast appear on the finish to add extra dimensions to the pleasing kick this beer packs at the end.

Mouthfeel: Full, thick body with low carbonation.

Hype: Perhaps not as hyped as it should be, though people tend to discount that which they can buy off the shelf.  I, however, have come to expect great things from the brewery’s special releases.

Overall: Whoa!  I knew I was stepping up to a big brew, but this one still managed to surprise me.  This was a HUGE beer but one that I really enjoyed on account of its decadent sweetness and warming punch.  Between the deep, dark color and the heat if this beer, I would say it definitely represents its namesake.

 

13 Days of Halloween – Day Five: Elysian Brewing Company – Night Owl

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13 Days of Halloween, Beer, Beer Review, Elysian Brewing Company, Halloween, Pumpkin Beer

It wouldn’t be fall without the arrival of pumpkin everything!  While I’m not necessarily opposed to this occurrence, I have become somewhat wary of pumpkin beer over the years.  There does, however, always seem to be one that catches my eye.

Beer Name: Night Owl

Brewery: Elysian Brewing Company (Seattle, WA).  In the interest of full disclosure, this brewery was acquired by AB-Inbev in 2015.

Style: Pumpkin Ale

ABV: 6.7%

Description: The rather descriptive label on the bottle tells us that this unfiltered ale was brewed with pumpkin and roasted pumpkin seeds and conditioned with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice to give it that Fall feeling.

Appearance: It poured a cloudy copper orange body with some visible sediment in glass.

Smell: Moderate levels of sweet malt and pumpkin spice.

Taste: Sweet candy malts and earthy pumpkin notes upfront, followed by a moderate “pumpkin spice” blend from the aforementioned conditioning ingredients.  The finish saw a return of the sweetness with perhaps just a bit of heat around the edges.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation.

Hype: None on my end.  Despite my skepticism about pumpkin beers these past few years, we picked this one up because it fulfilled my theme requirements.

Overall: I liked this and my wife loved it.  Speaking for myself, I appreciated that it had actual pumpkin notes to it and achieved a nice balance between the malty sweetness and added spices.