It's Here! Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale!

(EDIT: Okay, I'm going to try this again. Somehow, my whole post got deleted after I spent an eternity penning another one of my glorious masterpieces. Dammit.)

Today is the official start to my Halloween season, as I got to taste my first Dogfish Head Punkin Ale of the year. And again, it didn't disappoint. A nice spice note with a dash of pumpkin and a not-too-sweet cinnamon sugar aftertaste. Last year, I became a huge fan of Punkin Ale and it already appears that this will take the Pumpkin Crown again this year. A great pumpkin taste, a neon orange carrier and the word "PUNK" on the neck label make this a no-brainer. Punkin Ale gets the highly coveted FIVE Drunken Jackos!!! (Although in looking at their site, nowhere do they mention pairing this fine beer with prop making. It's the perfect pairing! C'mon guys!!)

So outside of drinking the nectar of the October gods, I have put together my "Halloweenie-Do List" for 2011. And I think I'm in trouble. 14 projects of varying scope and complexity. And by my count, we have 53 days to finish them all. Looks like I'll be buying more Punkin Ale and putting a cot in the garage...

On another note, we have also signed up to participate again in the 2011 Countdown To Halloween. And we are really excited to do it. 31 posts in 31 days throughout October. Give or take. At the Cemetery, the pink foam will be flying, the paint will be flinging and the fabrics will be flailing in a mad dash to get everything done for the big day. And the camera will be by my side, documenting it all. We hope to have some more goodies this year, too, so be sure to check back often (because hey, we can bribe our readers, can't we??). And the crew at Countdown To Halloween really outdid themselves this year, offering an amazing array of blog icons, featuring a who's who of horror icons. Of course we had to pick Dr. Phibes!!

Still one of my absolute favorite Vincent Price roles. So that does it for this quick snippet. Time to really get going on my list. I have a tutorial for my latest tombstone in the works and will be posting it once it's completed. But for now, maybe another Punkin Ale before my head hits the pillow, ready to dream sweet Halloween dreams...

 

Prop Updates for 2011

So according to my new, free iPhone app, Halloween Countdown, we only have 78 days until Halloween. Not much time left! Like you, I've been busy in the garage, trying to cross everything off of this year's to-do list (although when one gets crossed off, two more get added on).

Time to show off two of our new projects. First on the list is the new flying crank ghost. We built all of the framework at the last make-and-take with the Garage Of Evil's Northern Ohio Haunters group. After looking at other ghosts, I quickly decided that I didn't want to do the usual bleached-white ghost under a blacklight. And while I actually like that look, it seems as though everyone has it, so I wanted to do something different. I used white, tan and brown cheesecloth to make my version, the spirit of Abigail Harrington. She will be positioned in a new room, at the top of my driveway, to greet all of the kids as they come up for their treat. I will position blue and red flood lamps on her, casting a nice purple glow.

I washed the wighead with a watered-down black paint, then installed UV LED lights for the eyes. I used RIT dye for the tan and brown cheesecloth. I got the hands at Pat Catan's, which were glittery black, so I had to paint them all white, followed by a wash of watered-down black for detail.

Abigail Harrington. On cold, dark nights, her tattered apparition can be seen near her final resting place among the many graves in Highbury Cemetery. Some say she returns to seek revenge upon those whose accusations of heresy and witchcraft cast her into damnation... 

The astute members of the group will notice that the above video is a Highbury Cemetery production. As of today, Highbury Cemetery is expanding! We have just uploaded our first video to YouTube (how 20th century!!). Be sure to visit our channel here, as we will be uploading all kinds of goodies to help spread the word from our little corner of town.

Second up is a quick update on a tombstone. This was a relatively quick project, as I simply weathered the stone with watered-down black and green paints. I then added an epitaph:

That's right, it's Sally's poor invalid brother, Franklin. You know, from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

I may add some dates to the stone, but seeing as that it is going to be in the back row of stones, I don't want to put too much detail into it.

And finally, for those of us who enjoy the liquid aspects of the Halloween season, the first Octoberfest and Pumpkin ales have begun to hit the shelves. I was originally going to post about my first Sam Adams Octoberfest of the season, but I just stumbled upon this at the local store:

Brooklyn Brewery Post Road. Last year, infamous HauntCast (g)host, Chris Baker, gave a glowing review of it and I challenged him that Dogfish Head Punkin Ale was better. I didn't have any Post Road last year, but I must admit that it is really good. A nice sweet pumpkin taste and spicy note that isn't overwhelming. I have to give it 4 drunken jack-o's. When the Punkin Ale gets to my shelf, I'll have to do a side-by-side taste test to see which one will attain true pumpkin glory.

So that's all I have for today. Time for me to get back to the garage and knock out a few more props, because the clock is ticking!!

 

Dogfish Head Punkin Ale

I hope everybody had a great, labor-free Labor Day weekend. Mine couldn't have started any better, as I scored my first (and second and third) four-pack of Dogfish Head's Punkin Ale. I was really waiting for this one to come out, especially after the disappointment with Bell's Octoberfest Ale. The Punkin Ale is a full-bodied brown ale brewed with real pumpkin, brown sugar, allspice, cinnamon & nutmeg. I know this because that's what's printed on the label.

From their site:

A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, organic brown sugar and spices. This is the perfect beer to warm-up with, as the season cools.

It's a great, hearty brown ale that finishes with a nice, slightly spicy note of pumpkin, cinnamon and brown sugar. What's great is that it doesn't have an overwhelming brown sugar sweetness or a mouthful of pumpkin pie filling. I really like the fact that it's still a beer first that gives a hint of the pumpkin, cinnamon and sugar. Well done, Dogfish Head. You've again supplied me with the ale that will take me through to October 31st!

I also saw that Chris Baker, G-Host from the now supermondo infamous Hauntcast gave his glowing review of Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road Pumpkin Ale. So I guess I'm throwing down the challenge. Dogfish Head vs. Post Road. I haven't seen Post Road anywhere here, but I'll keep an eye out. I'll update you all when I find it and put the two in a head-to-head competition. And may the best Punk win.

Got a pumpkin ale you think is even better? Hit us up in the comments.