Matt Likes Beer – Week 10 – Requiem for Halloween

This week’s episode is a special one, as Matt reviews Requiem for Halloween, a Red IPA brewed by his very own home brewery, Big Monster Brewing. Originally crafted for his homebrew club’s Christmas exchange, this beer combines his love of Halloween with bold, seasonal flavors. But does it live up to his own standards?

Matt dives into the inspiration behind Big Monster Brewing, sharing how kaiju movies became a staple of his brew days and why he continues to push Halloween into Christmas beer traditions. He also gets brutally honest about his recipe—acknowledging his long-standing struggle with Chinook hops and how their resinous, piney character clashes with his palate. Despite that, the beer was a hit among his homebrew club peers!

In this episode:

A BJCP-style evaluation where Requiem for Halloween scores 36 out of 50, making it the lowest-rated beer on the show so far—though Matt’s own bias against Chinook may play a role! The story behind the beer’s creation, including his efforts to brew with only the ingredients he had on hand. A hilarious twist on the usual one-star review segment—since no real reviews exist, Matt asked ChatGPT to generate scathing fake reviews, roasting his own beer in the most dramatic way possible. This episode also comes with some big news about the future of Matt Likes Beer, as Matt explains how an unexpected job change may shake up the show’s schedule.

Listen now on Neozaz.com, BigMonsterBrewing.com, or your favorite podcast platform. Whether you love homebrewing, Halloween, or just a good beer story, this one’s worth a listen!