Review: Shock Top's New Candy Corn Wheat Ale Is More Treat Than Trick

It's official, folks: The weather is cooling down, leaves are starting to change color, and pumpkin spice-everything has made its way back to store shelves. If you're already sick of pumpkin spice lattes, we don't blame you, and there are plenty of drink alternatives that can scratch that autumnal beverage itch. Some are even boozy — take, for example, the newest release from Shock Top. 

To celebrate the impending spooky season, Shock Top has released a Candy Corn Wheat Ale in a fun partnership with Spirit Halloween (notably, Spirit Halloween is also releasing a costume of Shock Top's mascot as part of the collaboration). The ale promises bright, bold flavors of candy corn, alongside Shock Top's famous wheat ale. The start of fall isn't the end of beer season, so I wanted to find out whether Shock Top's new entry has staying power as the days get colder.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

I'm a big fan of wheat ales — and, admittedly, I'm not a candy corn gal. The candy is supposed to mimic the flavors of vanilla, fondant, and marshmallow, and while I have no qualms with any of those, it's the chalky texture I always took issue with. Fortunately, most wheat ales don't suffer from being "chalky," so I had higher hopes for this bottle than I've had in the past for the candy. 

I kept all of this in mind when entering into this tasting. My aim wasn't so much to see whether the beer stood up to its "candy corn" moniker, but rather whether it merited being a fall indulgence on its own. I tried it from the jar pictured above (don't critique my pouring technique, I like a good head of foam on my beer!) and paid close attention to the beer's mouthfeel and tasting notes. 

I was immediately attracted to the deep amber, almost burnt-butter color of the ale after pouring it into the glass. Its smell is mild, with slightly sweet, caramelized notes in the background. Vanilla was also tangible on the nose.

Though candy corn itself is very divisive, I doubt Shock Top's Candy Corn Wheat Ale will be. Sipping it was pretty delightful, and this is coming from a gal who doesn't really enjoy sweet drinks. I can't call the ale "sweet" exactly, but there are candied notes coming through the sip. Vanilla is present but not overwhelming, and it took a few sips to identify the other flavor I was tasting: marshmallow. Keep in mind, I identified it as marshmallow before knowing that was one of candy corn's signature flavors, so I'd say Shock Top did a pretty good job at capturing its essence in this bottle.

My verdict is in: If you want a seasonally appropriate beer to indulge in as autumn continues to roll in, Shock Top's Candy Corn Wheat Ale would be a great choice. Even though I don't like candy corn, I was very into this beer, and the notes that help it mimic candy corn aren't nearly overwhelming enough to make the beer too saccharine. 

If you, like me, aren't fond of Halloween's signature candy, that doesn't mean you should leave this bottle on store shelves. Without the chalky texture of the candy, it wasn't reminiscent enough of candy corn to make me dislike it. Lovers of candy corn will recognize the profiles in this drink, and haters might not even identify it as candy corn (barring the name on the bottle). Bottom line? It's a good beer, and you don't need to be a fan of its namesake to get into it. 

Shock Top's Candy Corn Wheat Ale has a 5% ABV, and it won't be around forever; Shock Top has confirmed that this is a limited-time release, so if you're curious about it, go looking for some before they're all sold out. 

The company doesn't offer a list of retailers carrying the beer, but you can use its online search tool to look for locations in your area. It's available in six-pack bottles, and the exact price will likely vary depending on your location.