This is our first guest post from our friend Tim at GoodHopBadHop.com – A Northeastern Pennsylvania Beer Blog. We really hope you guys enjoy it! And also, Happy Valentine’s Day from the entire NEPA Connect Team!
It’s a good day to do something special for someone you love or, at the very least, eat some chocolate. You may be going to a fancy restaurant, cooking a candle lit dinner at home, or be flying solo with your favorite “Rom Com” and some chocolates. The beauty of this beer pairing is that it works for all three scenarios.
As long as you’re looking for something chocolate, I can help you find a good beer to go with it. For dessert I went with a super easy, totally customizable, and pretty fun chocolate fondue.
It’s customizable because you can add any kind of flavoring you like to it (vanilla, cinnamon, white chocolate, Bailey’s, etc.) and you can dip whatever you like in it (strawberries, banana slices, pretzels, marshmallows, etc.).
My girlfriend and I decided to go with dark chocolate strawberries for this trial run and we paired them Brooklyn Brewery’s Local 1 and Rogue Brewery’s Mocha Porter.
When I selected the beers for this pairing, I thought about what kinds of drinks people often enjoy with desserts and what kinds of beers were similar.
The classic Valentines Day drink of choice is Champagne so why not go with a sweet, strong, well carbonated Belgian like Brooklyn Local 1? Local 1 is even bottle aged with a cork so you can get the whole “pop the bubbly” effect. Rogue’s Mocha Porter, obviously, is aimed at those of us who like a nice cup of coffee with dessert.
Brooklyn Local 1
Brooklyn’s Local 1 has a nice golden amber color with a substantial white head. It has a vibrant aroma that is spicy and wheaty with a touch of alcohol. It has a sweet, well malted Belgian flavor with slight alcohol tones and strong carbonation.
Local 1 features a strong hop character for a Belgian style which helps it stand up to the strong flavors of dark chocolate. The alcohol in this ale balances its sweetness well and overall the beer amplifies chocolate strawberries making the entire tasting experience more powerful.
Rogue Mocha Porter
Rogue’s Mocha Porter pours a deep, dark brown with a thick caramel colored head. It has a slight smokey aroma and a full body. This is a rich, well balanced porter with a sturdy hop flavor to match its dark malts and coffee tones.
Mocha Porter is perfect for dessert because it is more carbonated and has more of a hop bite than the average chocolate stout. It remains crisp and slightly refreshing even after a large meal. It matches the dark sweetness of dark chocolate while cleansing the palate of lingering flavors.
Want to cook up some chocolate covered strawberries? Check out our quick & easy recipe by clicking here!
Until Next Time!
