Have your hops with a side of horror. Since 2015, Narragansett Beer has been spreading the love—Lovecraft, that is—with a series of beers dedicated to the macabre Rhode Island writer (born, it should be noted, the same year the brewing company was founded.) Librarian and ‘Gansett Girl Emily Grace Le May and brewmaster Sean Larkin sparked the literary collaboration as the brewers were looking to expand their portfolio. “Aside from our favorite classics,” president Mark Hellendrung says, “we had also been looking for the right avenue to get a little… weird.” And weird it got—delightfully so, with a slew of brews taking their cues from H.P.’s strange and expansive collections.

How exactly does one get a short story into a can of suds? First, the beermakers (and literary fans) have to choose one of Lovecraft’s many writings. The team hits the books, literally, looking to their in-house copy of the Complete Works for stories they haven’t yet read and re-reading old favorites. Then, like a book club, they gather to get the creative juices (or boozes) flowing. “The Lovecraft series has been our medium of exploration,” says Hellendrung. “Our chance to push the envelope with more aggressive, complex and experimental brews.” Lovecraftian can artwork executed by local artists also does the work of bringing the stories to beer-y life. The final designs, all “wildly different, and unbelievably inspired and detailed,” further set the series apart within the ‘Gansett portfolio.

The most recent addition to the Lovecraft line-up, The Unnamable, pushes at the limitations of dark lagers. The namesake short story takes place in a graveyard, where two men discuss an indescribable monster that can’t be, well, named. To get the tale into the tallboy, the ‘Gansett team took on the black lager, a style so large that “it lends itself to a pushing of the guidelines.” Hellendrung explains, “We wanted to create a dark, hopped up black lager that was balanced, but still complex and difficult to put your finger on.” They added an extra spooky nod to the story by growing the hops near Lovecraft’s grave. The final brew has a roasted flavor profile from chocolate rye malts with a fruity finish from citra hops and, like the creature of the story, has to be experienced to be believed.

With six beers in the series so far, Narragansett is proving to be as prolific as their authorial inspiration. “At this point, there are so many ideas on the table that we’ve pretty much scheduled through 2018,” Hellendrung shares, noting that five more Lovecraft brews are on the way in the next year. Whichever of the many stories they pull from, the coming cans are sure to embody the eerie enjoyment of a Lovecraft tale. “Itis really the dark side of ‘Gansett,” says Hellendrung. “A black sheep that we’re proud of.”