Valentine's Day

Another Valentine's Day will be upon us shortly.  But no matter what you're got planned – whether it’s an exciting night out or a delicious, intimate home-cooked meal – beer can play a part in your Valentine’s Day festivities.  Here are a few ideas.

Red Beer and Red Roses
You may already have plans to get your better half a boutique of long-stemmed, beautiful red roses for Valentine’s Day – but that doesn’t mean you should stop there.  Expand on the color theme of your gift by adding a six-pack or two of some great red beers.  Some of your options include Leinenkugel Red or George Killian's Irish Red

Beer and Chocolate – Obvious and Irresistible
Many of the natural complexities of full-bodied beers are echoed in rich, flavored chocolates and vice versa.  Much like how dark-roasted coffees and chocolates pair well, the roasted malt flavor of stouts and porters parallel the deep tones of dark chocolate, a known aphrodisiac.  For a great gift, combine a few varieties of Godiva or Ghirardelli chocolate in a basket with and a six-pack of Bell’s Java Stout.  Other options to pair with chocolate include Beamish Irish Stout and Negra Modelo.

Pairing Beer with Aphrodisiacs
We’ve covered chocolate, so the next obvious and available aphrodisiac to pair with beer would be oysters.  It’s best to fry the oysters, say experts.  That way, the beer’s carbonation and fizz will temper the oysters’ oily richness, for a unique, flavorful experience.  Oysters are great with porters or Stouts, so try them with a  Bell's Expedition Stout,Breckenridge Vanilla Porter or Tyranena Black Hawk Porter.

Get Them What They Love and More
If you’re lucky enough have plans with a beer-lover, take a little time, do a bit of research and you can come up with a gift with a different angle.  If your guy or gal has a favorite style or brand of beer, help them push the envelope and explore other, similar styles and types.  For example, if your sweetie’s favorite brew is a pilsner, like Miller Lite, make up a sampling package that includes other pilsners like Coors Light and Pilsner Urquell.  If he or she is into bocks or dopplebocks, open them up to other brands like Leinenkugel  1888 Bock, Lakefront Bock or Capital's seasonal Maibock..