Jarod Opperman / The BulletinMcMenamins Black Widow Porter, first brewed in 1991, is a robust porter brewed with licorice root.

“’Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world.”

—William Shakespeare

The end of October is upon us, and that brings about a favorite holiday for many — Halloween. Who doesn’t love this time of year? Most likely it brings to mind trick-or-treating, costumes and haunted houses — but probably not beer. Unlike holidays such as Christmas or Saint Patrick’s Day, Halloween historically had no traditional association to any particular style of beer.

In recent years, however, the craft beer marketing engine has seized upon pumpkin beer as a Halloween specialty. August and September typically see the release of a glut of gourd-infused beers, with labels and names invoking jack-o’-lanterns, pumpkin patches and similar themes. Unfortunately, marketing may have done its job too well — sales of pumpkin beer drop drastically the day after Halloween, and many such beers linger on the shelves way past their prime.

Personally, I have always viewed pumpkin beer as a more appropriate style for Thanksgiving, as most examples tend to incorporate pumpkin pie spices and flavors. With that in mind, here are six Halloween-themed (mostly) pumpkin-free beers to drink this year. Several are brewed specifically for the season while the others are available year-round.

McMenamins Black Widow Porter

This dark ale, first brewed in 1991 at the McMenamins Thompson Brewery in Salem, has become a Halloween staple for the company. Available both in bottles and on tap, Black Widow is a robust porter brewed with licorice root, which gives it a sweet and slightly earthy flavor reminiscent of sassafras or cola. Each McMenamins brewery brews its own version of Black Widow, which affords you the opportunity to sample the bottled version and the local version side by side.

Lompoc Monster Mash Imperial Porter

Portland-based Lompoc says of this beer, “No graveyard bash is complete without a batch of this monster brew, a full-bodied, full-flavored mashup of a half-dozen dark specialty malts.” Monster Mash is a big beer, 8 percent alcohol by volume, with rich chocolate and roasted malt flavors featuring a hint of smoke and red fruit.

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Although brewed year-round, Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale originally took its thematic inspiration from the Mayan Day of the Dead, which takes place on Nov. 1, making it a great Halloween addition in my book. A rich and malty brew is found inside the bottle, with fruity accents, lightly spicy hops and a honeyed finish. And during the Halloween season, Rogue gets into the holiday spirit with special glow in the dark labels.

Block 15 Story of the Ghost

This “Hauntingly Pale IPA” from Corvallis’ Block 15 Brewery is hazy and pale and full of juicy, tropical fruit flavors. According to the brewery’s story of the beer, it was “mysteriously brewed by ghostly bones under the pale gaze of a full moon … left for our brewers to wonder over the following morn.” This spectral ale is hefty at nearly 9 percent alcohol by volume, which may leave all but the most wary feeling its ghostly presence.

Moortgat Duvel

“Duvel” is a Flemish word for “devil,” and this beer, considered to be one of the finest Belgian ales in the world, is a fine addition to your Halloween lineup. “The devil’s power is in his sneakiness, his ability to corrupt before the sinner knows he’s sinned,” wrote Jeff Alworth in The Beer Bible. “At 8.5 percent ABV, Duvel drinks like it’s half that, and more than a few people have been seduced to drink too much.” The massive carbonation in this beer creates a thick, fluffy white head of foam that will rise out of the glass as if it is a spirit with a life of its own.

Silver Moon Twisted Gourd

I admit, I couldn’t let a list of Halloween-themed beers slip by without including at least one containing pumpkin. Silver Moon was the first Central Oregon brewery to brew a pumpkin ale and it returns as a seasonal favorite each October. This amber ale incorporates whole pumpkins during the brewing process, and the brewery says, “We keep it local with Central Oregon pumpkins and organic cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice from Mountain Rose Herbs from Eugene.”

On Halloween night, enjoy one or more of these beers from a goblet while you’re handing out candy to trick-or-treaters. Most candy will pair well with any of these beers, so be sure to save some for yourself!

— Jon Abernathy is a local beer blogger and brew aficionado. His column appears every other week in GO!