Don’t know what to be for Halloween? These costumes pair perfectly with a beer from one of Iowa’s devilishly talented craft breweries. Illustrations by Emma McClatchey; beer can images courtesy of the breweries
A Witch
Witch Slap (6% ABV), Clock House Brewing
Whether you’re Elphaba, Glinda or some Etsy curse merchant, this year-round hazy IPA from Clock House (which recently acquired Iowa Brewing Company, a Cedar Rapids staple) will serve you like a loyal familiar.
A Ghost
Ghostin’ Tha Machine (6.8 ABV), 7 Hills Brewing Company
Dubuque’s 7 Hills have eyes! And a nice set of brews to tout around the party, including their Pumpkin Poser, a porter with no actual pumpkin. This German bock is as malty as a box of Whoppers and smoother than a ghost in a barber shop.
A Vampire
It’s Not a Phase, Mom! (7.3% ABV), Field Day Brewing Company
In a sense, aren’t all vampires emo? Whatever bloodsucker you choose to emulate, don’t forget the eyeliner — and this hazy IPA, a beer style once dubbed trendy but proving immortal.
An Antifa Hellion
Devil’s Backbone Stout (6.3% ABV), Franklin Street Brewing
Nothing’s scarier or more supernatural than antifa, the faceless, leaderless, anti-authoritarian entity responsible for 99 percent of crime in the U.S. Make the president proud and expose their evil, but not before treating yourself to this chocolatey, espressoy stout out of Davenport — as dark as the heart of fascism itself.
Kermit the Frog
Rainbow Connection (5% ABV), Big Grove Brewery
Lovers and dreamers can appreciate a Pride beer that flows all year long, not just in June. Made with raspberry, red prickly pear, guava and key lime, this sour will make you pucker so much the Kermit voice will come easy.
Plato
Allegory of the Cave (5.5% ABV), Lua Brewing
No one could mistake you for a frat boy or pizza mascot when you pull this West Coast pale ale out of your toga. At least, no one who remembers that unit on Ancient Greek philosophy in 9th grade.
Neo from The Matrix
Open Source (5.5% ABV), No Coast Beer Co.
Oskaloosa’s No Coast has cracked the IPA code. Open Source is brewed with a rotating palate of hops, selected with input from customers. It may or may not hold the key to surviving the AI apocalypse.
Florence Pugh in Midsommar
Floral (4.5% ABV), ReUnion Brewery
It’s hard to frown when you’re drinking a crisp German-style pilsner from a whimsically illustrated can, even if you’re a protagonist in an Ari Aster film. This brew is fit for a may queen, even midautumn.
Andy Warhol
Modern Art (5.3% ABV), Firetrucker Brewery
You’ve got the black turtleneck somewhere in your closet. It would look lovely with this caramely amber ale from Ankeny’s Firetrucker Brewery, which boasts the motto “beer is art.” The can is inspired by the mural covering Mainframe Studios, Molly Spain’s Critical Mass, and the beer was crafted in collaboration with the downtown Des Moines art center.
Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Non-Fiction (6.8%), Barn Town Brewing
Better than a Sprite or a $5 milkshake, this double IPA out of West Des Moines will give you the liquid courage you need to tear up that dance floor and take home the trophy.
Crispin Glover as J.J. Englert
Gilbert Gold Lager (4.8% ABV), Alluvial Brewing
If you want a conversation-starter of a costume, do your best George McFly impression, don some 1880s beer baron attire, and double-fist a German lager and a copy of the book Beer Money: A Tale of the Iowa City Beer Mafia by S.C. Sherman. The historical fiction novel is being adapted into a film called Death of a Brewer starring Crispin Glover, Mina Suvari and Mount Vernon native Jefferson White, with some of the scenes filmed at sites around Iowa City. There is a lot to say about this cool production, but it all centers on beer, and Ames’s Alluvial Brewing has brewed a rare “pre-Prohibition style classic American lager” to prepare your tastebuds for the time warp.
Teen Wolf
Wolf Shirt (7.2% ABV), Lion Bridge Brewing Company
Another Death of a Brewer cast member lucky townies may have seen filming in Iowa City: Tyler Posey, former star of MTV’s Teen Wolf. This bold hazy IPA from Cedar Rapids’ Lion Bridge pours as white as a full moon, and pays tribute to a trucker fashion staple. Wolf Shirt is also available in XXL — a double IPA.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s October 2025 issue.
