Learn how one of our most unique and interesting seasonal beers became a Distraction Brewing staple during the fall season: our Haunted Ghost Pepper Pale Ale with sweet orange and maple syrup that creates a savory “sweet heat” sensation for beer lovers!
At Distraction Brewing Co, our owners and brewers are always trying to push the envelope with our beer to give our patrons unique, flavorful, and most importantly, memorable delicious beers to enjoy.
Sometimes we really take our imagination out of left field and come up with some wild beers, which is the short version of how our “Haunted” Ghost Pepper Pale Ale came to fruition!
Distraction releases the Haunted around the fall season close to Halloween as a limited-edition beer that has been loved by Distraction regulars for years. The unique flavors of the spicy ghost pepper to turn up the heat, along with the orange and maple sweetness to ease it down, make it a seasonal staple here at our local taproom for our usual Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Brookline patrons.
We’ll dive into the history of the Haunted Pale Ale and then get to the good stuff for the beer lovers on our blog: the flavor profile and composition of the beer itself.
If you have other questions about Distraction Brewing, or need to get a 4-pack right now, then check out our brews on tap and visit us at 2 Belgrade Avenue in Roslindale!
“Ghost Pepper in a beer? That might be kind of weird:” How the Haunted Pale Ale was created:
Distraction Brewing Company Owner Lora Estey thought it’d be pretty funny to make a beer with ghost pepper for a Halloween themed-beer. A “Ghost” Pepper beer fit right in the theme and the named “Haunted” was a natural fit. But that gag had a surprising outcome: people that tried the protype of the Haunted ended up kind-of loving it:
“So, I thought it would be funny to try to add the ghost pepper in there, because ghost pepper by itself is just not the best flavor: it’s too hot for a lot of people and it just burns more than anything,” explains Lora. “So, for fun I thought it would be like a funny joke to put it in a beer with these other flavors, and to my surprise and of everyone else that tried the beer it was so well-received”
Lora has also made other beers with heat-based flavors (see our Jalapale in four packs to go) and she needed to balance it out sweetness. With just a bit more refinement of those other flavors, the sweet maple syrup and orange, it created a unique, and surprisingly crisp, pale that that delivers a “sweet heat” which is now available in four packs and can pours every fall season at the taproom.
The Haunted Ghost Pepper Pale Ale: Sweet Heat sensation rewarded for adventurous beer-lovers
As mentioned above, the Haunted has an extremely memorable flavor profile: a sharp bit of heat quickly cooled off by a savory sweet combo of maple syrup and orange, or colloquially, a “sweet heat.”
The beer is a pale ale that is moderately clear and has a light crisp after each sip. Unlike a hazy New England IPA (NEIPA) such as Cloud Headed, the Haunted looks like your standard run-of-mill pale ale besides a noticeable orange tint in the beer’s color composition.
Unless a beer-drinker is extremely sensitive to heat flavors, the Haunted Pale Ale can be enjoyed by the average beer lover. Most patrons are pleasantly surprised to find that the Haunted is relatively easy to drink and love to discover the one-of-a-kind flavors only found in this beer.
Get a four-pack or can pour of the Haunted Pale Ale at Distraction Brewing!
Since the Haunted Pale Ale is limited this season, we highly advise to try it before it’s too late at Distraction Brewing’s Taproom in Roslindale, MA – located at 2 Belgrade Avenue. Our taproom staff are ready to give you a can pour as requested, or you can enjoy them at your leisure in our limited 4-packs of the Haunted.
There is no better way for craft beer lovers to enjoy spooky season than with hauntingly great beer at Distraction Brewing Co!
