If life is like a box of chocolates, why can’t beer be like a glass of chocolate on Valentine’s Day?
For many, gifting a box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day is traditional. But for the beer lover, a better gift might be a six-pack of chocolate beers. Florida Beer News is listing six beers from around the Sunsine State, each of which express different characteristics of chocolate. Each beer is like a different sweet in a box full of chocolates. Grab a few chocolate Florida beers and sip the night away with decadent flavors and waves of chocolate goodness or pair each with a piece of chocolate and see what flavors emerge.
Here’s our suggestions for a Valentine’s Day six pack of Florida chocolate beers:
Candy flavors for adults: Fort Myers Brewing’s Peanut Butter Porter (5.4% ABV)
South Florida’s Fort Myers Brewing has a year-round beer that showcases the flavors of peanut-butter cups in liquid form.
Peanut Butter Porter has the aroma and flavor of roasted peanuts with the addition of sweet chocolate. Like the peanut cluster or peanut butter chocolate in each box of chocolates, PBP is a nice way to start with its relatively low alcohol content in a light- to medium-bodied porter.
The sweet treat: Proof Brewing Company’s Creatures in the Dark (8.0% ABV)
Tallahassee’s Proof Brewing Company knows how to make a sweet beer. Creatures in the Dark is a milk stout made with cacao nibs and vanilla beans for intense chocolate and vanilla flavors. Brewed with lactose (milk sugar), Creatures in the Dark has the aroma and flavor of dark chocolate combined with the cocoa of hot chocolate with the middle of Oreo cookies for good measure.
Did someone say coconut?: Funky Buddha Brewery’s Last Snow Coffee Coconut Porter (6.4% ABV)
For those with a sweet tooth – there’s no chocolate ingredient in South Florida’s Funky Buddha Last Snow. But that does not mean it doesn’t taste like chocolate. The characteristic malts of a porter bring some chocolate flavor, and this beer has all the sweetness of a Mounds candy thanks to the heaping helping of coconut and coffee used in the brewing process. Florida may not get snow, but Floridians are thankful for Last Snow season each year.
Find out more about Funky Buddha Brewery from owner Ryan Sentz on the BeerWise podcast.
Now for something spicy: Woven Water Brewing De La Noche Imperial Stout (9.0% ABV)
For those seeking some spice – a beer inspired by Mexican Hot Chocolate – Woven Water Brewing uses a deep, dark imperial stout to meld with the flavors of cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, cinnamon, and a blend of Mexican peppers and create a beer that has some polite capsaicin heat into the finish. Rich and smooth, this imperial stout has the full-bodied decadence of an imperial stout but with an additional bite for the curious drinker.
Cookies and cream and chocolate: Tampa Bay Brewing Company’s Cookies and Dreams Imperial Stout (9.0% ABV)
More dessert chocolate beer, this time from Tampa Bay Brewing Company. Not as rich as ice cream added to beer or a beer float, instead Cookies and Dreams has the flavors of dark chocolate and cocoa meld with the flavors of cookies and cream. Medium to full-bodied, this one brings dessert to the drinker and more layers of flavor emerge as the beer warms.
Learn more about Tampa Bay Brewing Company from owner Dave Doble on the BeerWise podcast.
Bringing the intensity and a parfait of flavors: Calusa Brewing’s Barrel-Aged S’mores Stuff (13.7% ABV)
The deepest, darkest, richest beer of Valentine’s Day, Sarasota’s Calusa Brewing brings the house down with their bourbon barrel-aged dessert beer. This beer demands sipping with both its depth of flavor and alcohol content. Layers of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, and marshmallow float amidst the clouds of vanilla imparted by bourbon barrel-aging. Still full-bodied and stretching the limits of the word “decadent,” BA S’mores Stuff ends the chocolate beer sampling with a bang.
Of course, these are only six of the many many beers offered by Florida’s craft breweries. Reply in the comments or on social media what your favorite Florida chocolate beer is and next year, we will compile suggestions!