Hoppy Valentine’s Day! A few good ways to share your love of beer…
Why not share your love of beer with someone you care about this Valentine’s Day? Here are a few ideas on how to pull this off right here in “Beer-starved” Charleston.
PAIRINGS: How a about a gourmet pizza along with a gourmet beer? Lola’s Pizzeria in South Hill’s serves up very fine specialty pies and a good selection of craft beers to go along with them. Just remember: keep the hop flavor and bitterness in tune with the pizza’s toppings. Spicier toppings will hold up better with hoppy beers. Put some thought into choosing a beer. I don’t think they serve a pizza that is spicy enough to match a real American IPA. Brown ale and Oktoberfest are good choices with a wide range of pizza.
HOT FOR YOU: Is your sweetheart a barbeque fan? If so, why not try Blues BBQ on Leon Sullivan Way or even Famous Dave’s Barbeque at Southridge? Barbeque and the right craft beer always work together. Shiner Bock or Shiner 97 are both good choices for sweeter barbeque sauce. For sauces that are spicy to hot, Samuel Adams Boston Lager is readily available and hoppy enough for such a pairing.
BEER and CHOCOLATE: Yes, it works very well. There are two ways you can go here. You can pair dark beers such as Samuel Smith’s Taddy Porter, Rogue Shakespeare Stout or Rogue Mocha Porter with chocolate ranging from milk to dark. Another thought is to pair a bitter sweet chocolate with a Belgian Lambic beer such as Lindeman’s Framboise (Raspberry) or Kriek (Cherry). Lindeman’s Lambic is a good choice if your Valentine has a sweet-tooth, since it is fruity and somewhat sweet. It is also bubbly like Champagne, so try to use a nice Champagne flute when serving. One trip to the Capitol Market can take care of you here. There is no better chocolate available anywhere than from Holl’s Chocolates. The Market’s Wine Shop will be able to sell you the beer. I love one-stop shopping!
P.S. on WOMAN AND BREW: I have never bought into idea that beer was only a man’s drink. I think such ideas are a fabrication of the American mind and the shameless way beer is marketed here. I know some very good women brewsters and women beer judges who agree with me. Women enjoy beer on a daily basis in nearly every other country in the world. I also think it’s important to share the things that you love with someone you love. Otherwise, you may be carving out a lonely existence for you and your passions…
February 14th, 2007 at 8:37 am
I’ve lived in Charleston for 16 months, coming from beer savy Wisconsin. Why no brewpubs in Charleston? Whatever happened to Cardinal Brewing?
Keep up the great beer writing.
February 17th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I feel your pain… I almost did the brew pub thing a few years ago, but the restaurant business is brutal. There have been many rumors about a brew pub opening at one of the bars located on Kanawha Boulevard near what we call the Levee area.
Cardinal brewing went out of business (thank the lord̷
They made a terrible beer although it was “Our” terrible beer called “New River Ale”. When they finally decided to contract brew with Stroh’s (to make Devil Anse Lager), They had no capital to market the product.
Making good beer is not easy…
Welcome to Charleston!
February 17th, 2007 at 11:59 am
I feel your pain… I almost did the brew pub thing a few years ago, but the restaurant business is brutal. There have been many rumors about a brew pub opening at one of the bars located on Kanawha Boulevard near what we call the Levee area.
Cardinal brewing went out of business (thank the lord)They made a terrible beer although it was “Our” terrible beer called “New River Ale”. When they finally decided to contract brew with Stroh’s (to make Devil Anse Lager), They had no capital to market the product.
Making good beer is not easy…
Welcome to Charleston!