But here's my humble idea... If you want to do something a little different for Valentine's day and your fellow celebrants enjoy beer, why not bring chocolate stout or porter to the table this year? It's delicious to drink, it's versatile in cooking and baking (check out The Beeroness' blog for inspiration!), it can be served with a scoop of vanilla or coffee ice cream for a chic and easy dessert, and it mixes with champagne for a Black Velvet cocktail. Plus you're still bringing chocolates, a Valentine's day staple!
To aid in your decision, my roommate and I had a taste-off between two chocolate stouts. Their labels lured us in with irresistible descriptions of chocolate and velvety taste. We're obviously suckers for anything packaged well. We tasted, we decided - Southern Tier Brewing Company's Imperial Choklat Stout is the best chocolate stout for your loved one(s). Provided you share. Thankfully these come in large bottles, so sharing is easy.
Upland Brewing Company's Teddy Bear Kisses
vs.
Southern Tier Brewing Company's Imperial Choklat Stout
from Southern Tier Brewing Company
About Choklat:
10% ABV
Opaque, very dark brown color
Lightly carbonated, heavier + creamy body
Brewed with ale yeast, two types of hops, four types of malts, and bittersweet Belgian chocolate.
Flavors noted by the brewery include chocolate, dark cherries, lightly woody and bittersweet.
Ahhhmazing. Seriously, you need to try this. It's richly, distinctly chocolate, but it is incredibly smooth and drinkable. The flavor is perfectly balanced, rich chocolate without any unappealing hints of hoppy bitterness or cloying sweetness. Unlike several other dark beers, Choklat does not sit heavy in your stomach, inviting both food pairings (flavored chocolates, delicate and creamy cheeses, angel food cake, fresh berries) and drinking it solo. It's also excellent for cooking, such as brownies or cupcakes or - dare I say it? - an ice cream float, adults-only style. Upon first taste, my roommate and I fell in love and it's going to be a long-term relationship with Choklat.
from Upland Brewing Company
About Teddy Bear Kisses:
10.2% ABV
Opaque, very dark brown color
Lightly carbonated, medium + creamy body
Brewed with high alpha hops and an abundance of dark malts. Aged on cocoa nibs to provide additional bitterness and chocolate flavor.
Flavors noted by the brewery include a velvety malt character, balanced bitter intensity, and soothing chocolate notes.
"Teddy Bear Kisses will make you feel warm and happy inside, but it's definitely not your childhood cuddle toy." (Upland)
It looks like motor oil...but it tastes better. However, Teddy Bear Kisses isn't quite what I had imagined from its description on the bottle. Belying its looks, this brew had medium body, so it wasn't as heavy in the stomach as expected. The malts didn't provide a thoroughly rich and roasty flavor, but instead a burnt malt and slightly chocolate flavor. The hops + cocoa nibs provided bitterness, which was thankfully not the typical hoppy bitter flavor. Instead, the bitterness had a hit of chocolate and espresso. The chocolate flavor I'd hoped for was much milder in Teddy Bear Kisses, perhaps drowned out by the other flavors. Rats. There is a possibility, though, that we didn't experience the best this brew has to offer. According to other reviews, this beer shines when served on tap instead of from the bottle. Overall, Teddy Bear Kisses was just okay. We won't be asking it to be our Valentine, especially when Choklat is there to sweep us off our feet.
This Valentine's day, Eric and I are continuing the tradition of cooking dinner together and sharing a bottle of champagne. I'm making him Plain Old Brownies, which are our compromise (he wants box mix brownies, I want to make them from scratch to show my love) on brownies. My coworkers are receiving a bunch of Monster Cookies (from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito), which are thoroughly addictive cookies of oats, peanut butter, M&M's, and chocolate chips. I may shove a bit too much batter in my face while making them. Oops. And my roommate and I are celebrating early with raspberry lambic - vanilla Greek frozen yogurt floats (inspired by Bianca at Confessions of a Chocoholic).
What are your plans for Valentine's?
i am so trying that Choklat one! noted...for a day when i'd rather drink a beer than eat dinner (because sometimes with the more "full bodied" ones, i can't do both. :) happy valentine's day, ashley!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to you too, Shannon! I loved your post on what you did with your valentine :) So sweet, so perfect!
DeleteNeither of these beers were so heavy that you couldn't eat with them. And with their high alcohol content, it's probably a good thing to nibble while drinking. But the Choklat....oh, so very dreamy. I hope you like it too!
Beer isn't my number one drink of choice but I won't say not to a chocolate stout!
ReplyDeleteI think you'd love Choklat! It's so smooth, no hoppy flavor, and a huge wallop of chocolate.
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