Happy Valentine’s Day! As this saccharine-sweet holiday (or Singles Appreciation Day, if you prefer) rears its head, couples are clamoring for romantic plans while singles and casual daters are simply trying to let the day pass without a hitch. Why stress? It’s just a day. So to give you a little peace of mind on this hectic day of love, we the Craft Beer Crosscut 2.14.17: A Flight of Valentine’s Day.
Midnight Sun Panty Peeler
8.5% ABV, 15 IBU
Once called Extreme Polar White Bier, Midnight Sun Brewing Co. changed the name after this Belgium style triple earned itself a reputation. Light amber with a solid nose of sweet coriander, clove and citrus, Panty Peeler finishes with a mouthful of light bodied, bitter orange and banana.
Wild Ride Nut-Crusher Peanut Butter Porter
6% ABV, 18 IBU
Let’s talk love. Peanut Butter. It transports us you to a happier, simpler age. It’s not a candy thing. It’s a comfort thing. Redmond, Oregon’s Wild Ride Brewing brings together two favorite flavors, peanut butter and porter, in this liquid chocolate truffle treat with a strong nuttiness. It’s awesome.
Skookum Amber’s Hot Friend
5.1% ABV, 28 IBU
So your best friend and his girlfriend have a friend in town, and she doesn’t want to be the third wheel. As blind dates tend to go, this could turn out to be a match made in heaven or a stage in hookup hell. Let’s hope the date’s as good as Skookum Brewery‘s beer, an amber ale with a voluptuous malt body, flavors of caramel and mild citrus plus enough hops to keep her feisty.
AleSmith My Bloody Valentine
6.66% ABV, 32 IBU
AleSmith Brewing Co. releases this amber for Valentine’s Day, or “Single Awareness Day,” as the label calls the occasion. My Bloody Valentine is a variant of AleSmith’s Halloween-time release Evil Dead Red, rated fifth and third on Ratebeer’s Amber ranking, respectively. My Bloody Valentine pours a gorgeous crimson with caramel sweetness and floral American hops imparting modest bitterness and muted pine-resin flavors that don’t detract from the malt love.
Ballast Point Red Velvet Cake
5.5% ABV, 33 IBU
Ballast Point brewed a golden, oatmeal stout. That’s clear? But it’s made with beets. So it’s red? OK. Duh, It obviously resembles a slice of red velvet cake (red cake on the bottom topped with a layer of creamy white frosting). It’s definitely dessert in a glass dominated by chocolate with earthy notes of beets, subtle wafts of roast cocoa and vanilla.
