It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

Happy Halloween! And what are you supposed to be?

You may have noticed this week has been heavy on the booze. Well, I thought I'd keep that theme going with a post on one of my favorite drinks, the Charlie Brown. It's basically a Black and Tan, only instead of pouring a base of Bass Ale and topping it with Guinness, you form the foundation with a seasonal, pumpkin flavored ale. The result is a half-orange, half-black drink that looks something like the iconic little Peanut himself.

Are there any tricks to making one? Not really. Just use a good quality pumpkin ale, something like Shipyard Pumpkinhead or (even better) Dogfish Head Pumpkin. Pour half a pint of pumpkin ale, nice and slow so as to not get it foamy, and top with half a pint of Guiness, also poured slowly. The result has all the pleasant coffee and chocolate notes of a Guiness with the clove and nutmeg flavors of the pumpkin ale. Enjoy!

-- John Linn