Some of us are thinking about Valentine’s Day, mainly (primarily) because of the promise of chocolate.
And I’m thinking about something wrote about last week — beer made with chocolate, or really, beer with chocolate added for a little flavor during the brewing process. The Virginia Tourism Corporation put together a nice list of the varieties available in the state. The list includes beer that contains flavor notes that might be characterized as chocolaty — in other words, beer that doesn’t contain any chocolate at all.
I’m willing to overlook it.
And with that in mind, I’ve zeroed in on the breweries on the list that are local. Here it is, in all its hoppy, chocolaty glory:
Ardent Craft Ales:
Dark Rye, an American imperial stout with a dry, chocolaty finish
Center of the Universe Brewing Co.:
Orange is the New Stout, an imperial chocolate stout with oranges and sea salt
Shut Up 2015, a Belgian dark strong with a delicate chocolate finish
Hardywood Park Craft Brewery:
Raspberry Stout, a chocolate stout brewed with local red raspberries
Isley Brewing Co.:
The Bribe, an oatmeal porter with notes of coffee and chocolate
Choosy Mother, a peanut butter oatmeal porter with hints of chocolate
Legend Brewery:
Chocolate Porter, a porter with caramel and chocolate malts
Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery:
Virginia Black Bear, a Russian imperial stout with notes of dark chocolate and coffee
Vanilla Virginia Black Bear, a vanilla Russian imperial stout flavored with dark chocolate, coffee and vanilla
Chai Tea Virginia Black Bear, a Russian imperial stout with the spiciness of Indian chai tea and dark chocolate flavors
Heir Apparent, an imperial stout with caramel and chocolate flavors
Midnight Brewery:
Not My Job, a southern English brown ale with notes of toffee and chocolate
Midnight Granite, a rich oatmeal stout with a subtle roast and smooth chocolate notes
Strangeways Brewing:
Woodbooger Belgian-Style Brown Ale, a brown ale with hints of chocolate, caramel and fruit
Triple Crossing Brewing Co.:
Vanilla Night Lands, a spiced imperial stout with vanilla beans and cacao nibs
