Valentine's Day is close at hand. If your sweetheart is a lover of beer, you can spice up that box of chocolates by pairing it with some well-chosen suds.
Most people probably don't think of beer and chocolate as compatible partners. Indeed, the pale lagers that many think of as "beer" would make a miserable match for a truffle. But the coffee, chocolate, fruit and spice notes of many full-flavored craft beers are so well suited to chocolate that they almost seem made for each other.
As a general rule when pairing beer with chocolates, go malty. With few exceptions the sweet caramel and roasted flavors of malt are a better match than the bitter astringency of hops. Look for contrasting and complementary flavors: fruity beers with peanut butter cream or the chocolaty malt and mild roasty bitterness of a sweet stout with bittersweet chocolate. The wide-ranging flavors of both beer and bonbons extend endless pairing possibilities.
Mix and match the flavors
To whet your confectionery curiosity, I've paired selected beers with an assortment of luxurious truffles from St. Paul chocolatier Chocolat Celeste.
Rush River's Nevermore Chocolate Stout pairs perfectly with Celestial Sweetie, the chocolate maker's signature bittersweet ganache truffle, as cocoa and cocoa meld into one. Combine Celestial Sweetie with New Belgium's yeasty Abbey Dubbel and the result is chocolate-covered bananas. What could be better?
Celestial Sweetie's bittersweet creaminess gets a snappy, acidic contrast from Belgian sour ales. Oud Beersel Oude Kriek Vieille, a traditional cherry lambic, is like a tart fruit sauce on chocolate cheesecake. An underlying musty funk brings out the cocoa's earthiness. Vichtenaar Flemish Ale combines with the chocolate to produce mysterious, winey, dark-fruit and floral flavors.
Other good options for this straight-up chocolate ganache truffle are Rogue Hazelnut Nectar and Lindemans Kreik or Framboise sweetened fruit lambics. You could also try a good coffee beer like Flat Earth's Black Helicopter Oatmeal Stout.
