Valentine’s Day and wine are classic partners for a good reason, but you might want to drink something different to spice up your Valentine’s Day. Here’s a flight of four beers that’ll go well with chocolate or any other romantic meal.
Fate Ozo Coffee IPA
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Alcohol by Volume: 7%
International Bitterness Units: 70
Pair with: Milk chocolate
This light caramel-colored beer smells like freshly roasted beans with hint of caramel. Though it has a high amount of IBU, it’s pretty smooth. This is not overpowering with harsh hoppy flavors, rather it is offset by the taste of coffee. Normally I stay clear of IPAs, but Fate’s brew has expanded my mind. I won’t prematurely judge them anymore since I could sip on the Ozo Coffee IPA all day.
St. Bernardus Abt 12 Quadrupel
ABV: 10%
IBU: 22
Pair with: Dark Chocolate and cherry or other berry-filled truffles.
A Belgium beer brewed in the style of the Trappist monasteries, the Abt 12 is hazy amber in color. Like other quads, it has a fruity smell akin to red licorice. It runs smoothly down my throat like silk and I’m instantly warmed from the high alcohol content. Balanced and complex, the beer is full of fig, cherry and earthy flavors. This is a classic brew without nonsensical gimmicks or twists.The Abt 12 is the epitome of the quad style.
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Verboten What Hump? Sour Porter
ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 19
Pair with: Dark chocolate and citrus fruit truffles.
This odd combination was the first sour beer I’ve had and I didn’t know what to expect. A light mocha aroma rises from the glass, but then my tongue encountered a tart lemony taste followed by a hint of chocolate. The porter finishes smoothly and the sourness is quickly forgotten. Verboten balanced the beer just right, so you’ll pucker up but not stay that way. I found my entry beer to be welcoming and so I’ll be picking up more sour beers in my future.
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 25
Pair with: Dark chocolate and bittersweet ganache truffles.
If you love chocolate, then you can’t go wrong with drinking Young’s signature Double Chocolate Stout on Valentine’s Day. Before the beer even entered my mouth, I knew I was in for a treat because of the strong chocolate syrup smell. After penetrating the thick creamy head, I let the chocolaty beer with its viscous and chewy mouth-feel swim around my palate. Besides the intense cocoa flavors, another plus of this brew is that it’s low ABV makes it smooth and light. Unlike most stouts, you’ll stay on your feet for the rest if the evening.
If you can’t get your hands on these brews, here are a few other chocolate-inspired beers to try: Odell’s Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout, Fort Collins Brewery’s Chocolate Stout, Rouge’s Double Chocolate Stout and New Belgium’s Lips of Faith Cocoa Molé.
Collegian Entertainment Reporter Jefferson Geiger can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com.
