Werewolf Winter BONUS: Beer!

So, you want to have a nice, relaxing night with werewolf movies and a good beer. Well, what better beer to thematically drink than ones named WEREWOLF? But wait... can it be? Yes, there are actually two beers by that name! One is a British red ale from Newcastle and the other is a Lithuanian beer from brewery Rinkuškiai Alaus Darykloje.

 So, which ale is better for your consumption? As your trusty vampire and werewolf movie reviewer, I decided to "selflessly" take this task upon myself to find out!

Newcastle 
ALC 4.5%

This beer is advertised as a limited edition Red Ale, and the bottle promises that the beer is "naturally blood red." Yeah, that's not the case. The color is more caramel-light-brown, not quite red. In fact, it's just a few shades lighter than the regular Newcastle Brown Ale. There is medium carbonation and medium head on this beer, and the flavor starts floral and bready, then goes to dry and smokey. It's a pretty tasty ale, actually! Unlike anything else I've tried; warm and satisfying with a nice aftertaste. It's not the best limited edition beer I've ever had, but it's a fairly satisfying and interesting ale.


Rinkuškiai Alaus Darykloje
ALC 8.2%

This beer has no idea what it is. Seriously, there is no description on the bottle to indicate what kind of brew this is supposed to be. When you look it up on Beer Advocate, people have indicated that it is a Belgian dark/strong ale, but that's not advertised and the smell when you first pour it doesn't smell super "Belgian."

The color is a medium caramelish amber color, actually a lot like the Newcastle Red Ale. There is very low carbonation, and actually little to no head when the beer is poured. The flavor is pretty complex and sweet, almost sugary. This is a weird beer! I can see how people would classify it as a Belgian Strong, but it's very light and not as heavy as "real" Belgian Strongs that I've tried. Some might find it way too thin, but it's pretty drinkable in my view. It kind of feels like a dessert beer, almost with a light pecan pie taste. It's is pretty tasty, but it's not at all hoppy, so it depends how much you like your beer to be hop-forward.

Honestly, I'd give both beers a 3.5 out of 5 bites. The Lithuanian beer has a significantly higher ALC, but it also tastes like it and is more expensive, so there's not a significant difference there in "bang for your buck." Some might find the Lithuanian beer too light, while others might find Newcastle's to be too smokey. In my view, both ales are very flavorful and unique and, while neither are the best beer I've ever tasted, both would make a fun edition to any supernatural movie night!