Halloween beers from Portland breweries Bissell Brothers, Allagash and Belleflower. Photo by Ben Lisle

As the season turns over, so too does the beer world. Oktoberfests and hop-harvest beers transition us into weightier and darker drinks. Sweet, pumpkin-pie inspired ales emerge, ferrying us through the fall, from Halloween to Thanksgiving.

Halloween is derived from the Gaelic festival of Samhain, according to folklorists. It was a celebration marking the end of the harvest, preceding the slaughter of livestock. It was also a time when the dead moved among the living. Celebrants of Samhain would prepare foods for the spirits, light bonfires to guide them and dress up as ghosts or wild animals to either help or mislead them.

One needn’t squint too hard to see the ancient traces of our contemporary Halloween in those practices, nor how the all-American mode of commercializing anything sacred has made its mark on these celebrations.

I don’t let that deter me from enjoying the best of holidays, pairing the carnivalesque nature of costumed shape-shifting with the sobering contemplation of terrific mysteries. It is both serious business and not. A bit like beer.

A trinity of recently released beers playfully lean into that dark side of Halloween. Each is marked with what the Book of Revelations designated “the number of the Beast.” Six. Six. Six. We can hope it is not the sign of a looming apocalypse, but merely a gateway to the strange pleasures of Halloween.

DDH “Spooky” Substance, Bissell Brothers

STYLE: Double dry-hopped IPA
ABV: 6.6%
NOTES: Hazy, pale gold. Aromas of pineapple, citrus and kiwi. Soft bodied. The taste of grapefruit, lime and a touch of peach set up a moderately bitter, dry finish.

Haunted House, Allagash Brewing Co.

STYLE: Hoppy dark ale
ABV: 6.6%
NOTES: Brown, with an amber accent. That distinctive Allagash house yeast hits the nose, along with a nutty, toasty graininess. Medium bodied and sprightly, it delivers flavors of toast, coffee, berries and dried fruit. A bitter, piney, slightly fruity finish.

Hellflower, Belleflower Brewing

STYLE: West Coast IPA
ABV: 6.66%
NOTES: Pours a vibrant ruby color, thanks to the addition of beet juice. Smells piney, with hints of citrus and black pepper. The sappy pine carries through in the flavors, along with grapefruit and a little spiciness. Medium bodied, the malt occupies the background. It finishes dry, with a lingering bitterness.

Ben Lisle is an assistant professor of American Studies at Colby College. He lives among the breweries in Portland’s East Bayside, where he writes about cultural history, urban geography, and craft beer culture.