Many full moons have passed by and along with them, old recipes have been tucked away - some forever - in dusty, sometimes forgotten nooks, crannies and cabinets in all of our breweries. However, certain beers have a way of establishing their footholds and carrying forward, largely on their own momentum. Originally created at the Thompson Brewery 24 years ago on October 15, 1991 and made by all Thompson Brewers to come after, Black Widow has become an expected and welcome Halloween treat at the Thompson Public House in Salem. This year the Widow's web will envelope the entire company once again, as every McMenamins brewery will be making a batch. Preparing for this year's brew, ale-houses warmed to the task with vats of striking hot water. Mysterious sacks of grain were shuffled to steaming mash cauldrons. Madcap laughs were heard in darkened aging-cellars and Thompson's stairway to nowhere. And brewers bared fangs as well as souls in the ritual preparation of this year's Halloween brew.