Today’s story is a ghostly tale told by one of our writers about one damned good drink...

It was Halloween night and my first Senior party in college, thanks to my buddy Kyle’s older brother. Although I may not remember everything, I do remember one thing in particular: the image of Kyle’s brother, all cool and charismatic in his red devil’s costume, with a bottle of Full Sail Session Black Lager constantly in his hand. You remember those? Cheap and undeniably more flavorful than whatever watery keg was on tap -- great for kicking back a few with your buddies without having to worry too much about losing your cool.

Those college parties are long gone, but I’ve never lost my youthful desire for the darker things in life. Lucky for me, I recently moved to San Francisco, a city rife with craft breweries of all creeds and calibers.

I sought out Laughing Monk Brewery after hearing about their uncanny knack for all things craft, and let me tell you, it’s absolutely true. From low ABV and malty marauders to unique and boozy Barrel-Aged brutes, these guys do it all. And they do it with panache.

Once I found the place, I asked the bartender for something easy, but preferably dark. At a normal bar when I ask this, I get some watery Macro-stout -- but not here. The bartender handed me a can of something sinister, called Unholy Ghost. This one-off brew was made as the deviant twin to their popular Pilsner, the Holy Ghost. But for me, this Unholy Ghost quickly became more of an angel.

This easy-drinking Black Lager hit every nail on the head. Flavors of dark roast coffee and light-bodied, caramel sweetness flooded my mouth as I kicked back the can. This beer was the call of the void, the deal with the devil, the dangerous dame -- and with a 5% ABV, I had no desire to resist its temptation. Suddenly, I was brought back to that Halloween night of delicious debauchery.

I thought again of Kyle’s brother and his devil’s costume. With this can in my hand, I hatched a plan to become the coolest, most charismatic guy at every Halloween party this year, except I’d be bringing much more taste and craft beer savoir faire than Kyle’s brother ever did.

Packaged On October 11th, 2018