Fair warning: tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. But before you run like the apocalypse is on your heels to the nearest drugstore to get a dusty box of lord-knows-how-old chocolates, stop. Look to your left, then look to your right. Is there a beer store anywhere nearby? A brewery? (If not, just ask Siri how to get to one and play along when you’re there, okay?) Great. Turn in the right direction and let’s go.
Chocolate beers are everywhere—chocolate stouts, chocolate stouts on nitro, chocolate porters, and even chocolate coffee IPAs (we’re looking at you, Stone Brewing). But we wanted to take it a step further. So in honor of love being in the air, whether it’s love for another human or love for the beer in your hand, we came up with a six-pack of chocolate candy−flavored beers that will taste even better.
Chocolate-Covered Cherry
Nantahala Brewing Company Chocolate-Covered Cherry Stout (Bryson City, North Carolina) couldn’t be a more perfect beer if you’re in the mood for chocolate covered cherries. Our blind-tasting panel loved the cherry-cordial character, with the dark and milk chocolate notes. This beer is aged in bourbon barrels for more than a year, which gives it notes of oak and vanilla, and its 8 percent ABV lends a bit of pleasant warmth.