Perfect pairings challenge: Beer, wine and leftover Halloween candy

Its been nearly a week since Halloween – which means you probably have just enough candy left to be sick of it.

You could give it all away – but why?

How about pairing it instead with a nice wine or an ice cold beer?

At least that’s what Mike “Wine-Guy” Simmons (Vine To Table) and Ashley “The Beer Fairy” Bower (Girls Pint Out and Rafa Distributing) will suggest when they square off Thursday, Nov. 5 at Grapes & Gallery downtown in the ultimate “beer vs. wine paired with candy” challenge.

Participants will put their taste buds to the test when they sample four different beers, wines and candies to crown one bottle king of “that’s delicious.”

The four candies were hand-selected from Mast General Store by Grapes & Gallery owner Anna Ross.

The hip beer, wine bar and paint studio has been in its location behind Mast General on Main Street for nearly four years. In that time, Ross has noticed how many of her customers were either going to or coming from Mast, known among other things for its vast selection of new and nostalgic candies.

Neither Simmons nor Bower wanted to give away their four respective beverage selections before Thursday’s event. Who can blame them? They haven’t even shared their choices with Ross – who herself was tight-lipped about the four candies selected.

This is, after all, a contest.

OK, maybe we got a hint.

“I can give you two out of four,” Ross laughed. “One is sour gummy worms, and the other is River Rocks, which is chocolate with a candy coating that looks like rocks from the river. Kind of unique.”

Simmons and Bower are experts in their fields, having earned high accreditations for their respective beverage industries. Mike is a CSW – certified specialist in wine – and Ashley is a “certified beer server,” also known as a cicerone.

So expect some pairings that likely will be interesting as well as tasty.

“They can pinpoint flavors that most people can’t,” Ross said of the two.

Ross already is busy putting together the gallery’s 2016 calendar, scheduling a unique pairing event once every three months or so.

“We’ll definitely go with Mast General again,” she said. “They appreciate partnering with someone local. We really enjoy our relationship with them.”