Roses eventually wilt. Chocolate may give you a cavity or two. But beer can put the buzz back into your Valentine’s Day.
From chocolate porters to coffee ales, here’s a roundup of 10 beers — all made in the Keystone state — to warm the hearts of you and your sweetie come Feb. 14.
Wanderlust Chocolate Porter
Brewer: Barley Creek Brewing Co., 1774 Sullivan Trail, Tannersville
Details: 570-629-9399 or Barleycreek.com
One of the Pocono-based brewery’s seasonal highlights, this dark brown beer has hints of roasted coffee, notes of smoke and the taste of chocolate reminiscent of a heart-shaped box of the good stuff.
Stegmaier Winter Warmer
Brewer: Lion Brewery, 700 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre
Details: 570-823-8801 or lionbrewery.com
One of Lion’s most popular seasonal beers, this winter warmer boasts a red color and has a malty, sweet and fruity aroma. With a well-blended mix of pale malts and a copious amount of caramel, a six-pack is the perfect way to surprise your boo on a February winter’s night.
Love Stout
Brewer: Yards Brewing Co., 500 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia
Details: 215-525-0175 or yardsbrewing.com
Cupid is calling for you and yours to sip on this English-style stout made with pale and dark English malts and noble hops. According to our test-tasters, it’s a Valentine’s Day-inspired beer that has an ardent, smooth flavor with a deep roasted grain taste.
Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Stout
Brewer: Whitehorse Brewing, 400 Adios Drive, Washington
Details: 724-416-3014 or whbrewing.com
Those with a sweet tooth might want to try this collaboration with Canonsburg-based Sarris Candies. This stout is brewed with 20 pounds of Sarris’ Dutch cocoa and a whopping 132 pounds of strawberry purée. It is available on draft in both Whitehouse taproom locations as well as in limited-release bottles.
Grand Cacao
Brewer: Tröegs, 200 Hershey Park Drive, Hershey
Details: 717-534-1297 or troegs.com
Chocolate lovers unite: Think of this beer as a cold glass of milk chocolate but with some roasted barley and oats mixed in along with hints of sweet cream. Tröegs makes this cocoa drink with Peruvian cacao nibs and natural vanilla. What you get is a velvety-sweet, melt-in-your-mouth experience — the perfect combo.
Banker’s Brown Ale
Brewer: Two Rivers Brewing Co., 542 Northhampton St., Easton
Details: 610-829-1131 or tworiversbrewing.com
If dark chocolate is not your thing, try this brown ale made with light chocolate, caramel and coffee. Two Rivers named this staple beer after “meeting their banker for the first time and showing him their business plan.” Cheers to you, Mr. Banker.
Chocolate Meltdown
Brewer: Penn Brewery, 800 Vinial St., Pittsburgh
Details: 412-237-9400 or pennbrew.com
When choosing the perfect Valentine’s gift for your bae, why not go with something simple but tasty? Penn’s Chocolate Meltdown is like cake in a bottle. This dark, full-bodied ale has notes of roasted caramel with succulent milk chocolate (made by the Steel City’s Betsy Ann American Chocolate), which gives the beer a creamy taste. Modern Brewery Age called it “one of the the most chocolately of them all” in a recent tasting panel of several chocolate beers.
Snow Melt
Brewer: East End Brewing, 147 Julius St., Pittsburgh
Details: 412-537-2337 or eastendbrewing.square.site
If you and your other half are tired of shoveling, why not warm each other up with a glass of Snow Melt? This winter ale has notes of pine and is brewed with simcoe and nugget hops. According to the brewery, it’s best used for “frost removal and guaranteed to clear the fog off your glasses.”
New Phone Who Dis?
Brewer: Evil Genius Beer Co., 1727 N. Front St., Philadelphia
Details: 215-425-6820 or evilgeniusbeer.com
This caramel macchiato porter is brewed with La Colombe coffee, American barley, caramel and chocolate malt with a bit of dark wheat. A full-bodied, smooth drink, it offers hints of sweet caramel, mocha and chocolate.
Birch Street Porter
Brewer: Braeloch Brewing, 225 Birch St., Kennett Square
Details: 610-612-9242 or braelochbrewing.beer
This American porter has a creamy taste with a dry finish, according to the bartenders at this Chester County eatery/brewery. It’s the ideal beer to enjoy on a cold day; the more it warms, the better you can smell the notes of chocolate malt.
— MICAELA HOOD/POCONO RECORD VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
