Easter will be different this year. While Easter mass, celebrations and social gatherings will all-but be cancelled due to current social distancing guidelines, this time of the year still gives you an opportunity to stock up on sugary sweets and decadent chocolate during your weekly grocery run. With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to pull together a list of six beers perfect for an Easter basket (or barrel) that works from sweet and tart to stout and savory. Instead of SweeTarts, Reese’s Eggs and Peep’s, you get milk stout, lambic-styles, chocolate porters and more. Here’s our Ultimate 6er of beers to stock in your Easter basket this year. 

Hershey Chocolate Porter | Yuengling

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8mFF9RHudn/

Stats: 4.7% ABV, brewed with Hershey’s chocolate syrup, cocoa powder, and cocoa nibs

Two classic American businesses got together in 2019 to create a highly-sought after chocolate-focused collaboration that appealed to sweets-lovers and beer-chasers alike. Yuengling Hershey’s Chocolate Porter is the perfect boozy companion to any milk chocolate you might have in a traditional candy basket. Three types of Hershey’s chocolate are added to Yuengling’s classic Dark Brewed porter, creating a creamy, rich, and savory porter that promises indulgence. 

Easter Bunny vs Unicorn Wheatwine | Pipeworks Brewing

Stats: 10% ABV, dry-hopped with Hallerteau Blanc hops

This hard-to-find wheat wine isn’t akin to anything you might find in an Easter basket. Instead, it works best as the embodiment of the early-afternoon napping scenario you might get after too many mimosas at Easter brunch. Easter Bunny vs Unicorn is an out-of-the-box take on Pipework’s flagship Ninja vs Unicorn DIPA. Along with the booziness you’d expect in a wheat wine, Easter Bunny vs Unicorn also lands a punch with an unexpected dosage of hops. 

Beatification | Russian River Brewing

Stats: 6% ABV, spontaneously-fermented and oak barrel-aged 

California’s Russian River is well-known for their Pliny the Elder (and Younger) IPA, but they also churn out some impressive wild ales true to Lambic-style. This wild ale is spontaneously fermented but gets the majority of its bright, tart fruit flavor from the subsequent barrel-aging that takes place in oak wine barrels for months after. Think SweeTarts with a little less bite, Beatification is a perfect beer for a composed Easter brunch. 

Prickly Pearadise Cider | 2 Towns Ciderhouse

Stats: 5.3% ABV, made with Nopal cactus fruit 

The only non-beer on this list, 2 Towns’ latest cider creation gets the nod due to equal parts flavor and color. Pouring a bright pink, Prickly Pearadise feels at home next to an adult-sized Easter bunny. The cider isn’t decadently sweet thanks to the addition of the tangy prickly pear but does finish crisp. Pink cans of this cider stack up well against whatever fluorescent-colored Easter egg ensemble you have adorning your mantelpiece. 

Sour IPA | New Belgium Brewing Co.

Stats: 7% ABV, consists of hazy IPA base and 20% wood-aged golden sour (blend)

Now that we’re on a fruit kick, it makes sense to add in one of my favorite new beers of the year: New Belgium’s Sour IPA. A simple name and Easter pastel branding gives way to an enticingly complex beer that showcases the excellence of two of New Belgium’s brewing arms: wood-aged sours and hazy IPAs. The result is an easy-drinking yet flavor-complex beer that leads with a bit of tart acidity but rounds out with a heavy dosage of succulent fruity haze notes. Hide a few of these for the family Easter egg hunt and you’re sure to get more enthusiastic adult participation than ever before. 

Peanut Butter Milk Stout | Belching Beaver Brewery

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXyfZM3hN1F/?igshid=rczc1da2eccz

Stats: 5.3% ABV, year-round offering 

While I’ve listed off many Easter candy companions for these Easter basket beers, I’d be remiss to not give a pairing for my all-time Easter candy favorite: Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg. The egg offers the perfect ratio of creamy chocolate and rich peanut butter. So, it deserves a milk stout that does the same. Belching Beaver’s flagship is the perfect partner, promising huge hits of peanut butter and chocolate amidst a sturdy stout body. It is recommended to alternate bites and sips of the Egg and Milk Stout respectively to get optimal results. Cheers! 

Feature image photo credit: Goliad Brewing

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