Re-kindle the Brew-mance this Valentine’s Day
Red wine has long been known as the liquor of love and the highlight of many Valentine’s Day dinners. Often boasting deep and warming characteristics of dried berries, bittersweet chocolate or a peppery spice that can fan any February 14th fire, these characteristics and more can also be found in many exceptional local seasonal brews. This year, ignite the brew-mance and pop the top of one of the many seductive, complex and tantalisingly strong brews crafted right here in Ontario.
Love chocolate? Several seasonal styles including dark ales and stouts are often brewed with chocolate malts or even have cocoa or cocoa nibs added to enhance the aroma and sensation of these often deliciously sweet-treats. For a truly warming and sultry Valentine’s beverage, ditch your keys and raise a chalice of Flying Monkey’s ultimate choco-brew, The Chocolate Manifesto. Or if you prefer a lower ABV, February’s Brewscovery Box provides a delicious and subtly dessert-like chocolate-mallow-graham flavored Campout S’more Stout by Sawdust City and an equally dark, less sweet but craft-fully balanced Frankenstout by Block 3.
If berries are your bliss, try Amsterdam’s Framboise for a beer whose color will ideally suit the romantic occasion and slightly tart, refreshing raspberry taste will pair swimmingly with a decadent dessert. Alternatively, Beau’s Black Forest IPA is like a dessert in a glass itself, and blends the flavor of bittersweet, dried cherries with dark malt and hop flavors.
And lastly, if spice is nice, get your hands on a brew that imparts a savory peppery or a familiar cinnamon flavor. A Spice Odyssey by Wellington or A Bridge Over the River Chai by Covered Bridge are both deliciously dark and spicy chai latte-like brews that would serve as a comforting night cap to warm you up on a chilly Feb 14th evening.
With love in the air and some of Ontario’s most decadent and creative brews in season, get experimental this Valentine’s Day – with your beer – and cheers to the brew-mance!
The Brew Box Team
