Craft beer enthusiasts are passionate about
Michigan brews…and February is the perfect time to fall in love with rich, chocolaty and fruity beers. As you head out with your sweetheart this year for Valentine’s Day, consider ordering up a pint of one of these deliciously romantic Michigan made libations.
51 NORTH BREWERY
Chocolate Covered Cherry (6.6% ABV | 20 IBUs). Adding tart dried cherries to the Velvet Moose chocolate oatmeal stout makes this beer that tastes like a chocolate covered cherry, and thus…the name.
ARBOR BREWING COMPANY
Espresso Love (7.5%ABV | 15 IBUs). Oatmeal and 20 pounds of fresh roasted 100% fair-trade coffee, from the nearby Ugly Mug Café Brewed, contribute to a mildly chalky espresso character balanced by a rich, sweet creamy maltiness. The coffee finish dissolves into chocolate, with a slight roasty bitterness. Pairs well with desserts, especially dark chocolate, raspberries, and cheesecake.
ARCADIA ALES
Cocoa Loco Triple Chocolate Stout (7% ABV | 39 IBUs). This award-winning beer gets its rich flavor from Simpson Chocolate, Weyerman Chocolate and Crisp Chocolate malts. The addition of lactose lends the beer a creamy quality- not unlike a milkshake- while the Blackstrap Molasses adds rich, burnt, syrupy flavors. Flavors of baker’s chocolate and espresso dominate, while rich malty flavors and a subtle kiss of hops add nice balance, making this a truly one-of-a-kind BIG beer.
ATWATER BREWING
Decadent Dark Chocolate Ale (5.2% ABV | 11 IBU). Holding true to the Northern English tradition, this beer has at its foundation a nutty profile with a round mouthfeel. Added is a chocolate extract consisting of three blended chocolates of varied depth. The result is a rich, but not overtly sweet, experience for both the beer and the chocolate enthusiast.
BELL’S BREWERY
Smitten Golden Rye Ale (6.0% ABV | 42 IBUs). This spring seasonal offers rustic flavors from rye malt combined with citrusy, resinous hop aroma from Pacific Northwest varieties to create a crisp, refreshing take on the classic pale ale.
BREWERY TERRA FIRMA
Ancho Chili Dutch Double Chocolate Porter (5.5% ABV). There's a special magic that happens between chilis and chocolate that was discovered by early foodies in ancient Latin America and never forgotten. This beer honors their innovation and showcases the beauty between chocolate and the perfect balance of chili flavor and warmth. Chocolate malt and Dutch chocolate add richness and body while whole Ancho Chilis add depth, warmth and complexity to this unique beer. Savor some with sweet desserts but don't be afraid to break it out for the firecracker shrimp either.
FORT STREET BREWERY
The Honeymoon is Over (7% ABV | 30 IBUs). The honeymoon may be over, but the party is just getting started. Help Fort Street celebrate its 10th birthday this weekend with special tapings and releases. This wheat stout is made with 71% wheat, including roasted wheat, plus honey malt and actual honey and Michigan-grown Chinnok hops making it a creamy, chocolaty delight that will set your heart aflutter.
FOUNDERS BREWING COMPANY
Founders Porter (6.5% ABV | 45 IBUs). Described as “Dark, Rich and Sexy,” this beer pours silk black with a creamy tan head. The nose is sweet with a strong chocolate and caramel malt presence and no absence of hops gives this beer the full flavor you deserve and expect…it’s cozy like velvet. This 2010 World Beer Cup silver medalist is described as “a lover, not a fighter.”
HARMONY BREWING
Aphrodisiale (7.2% ABV | 29.2 IBUs). This honey chocolate porter is brewed with honey and cocoa nibs, making it the perfect Valentine’s date beer!
JOLLY PUMPKIN
iO Saison (6.8% ABV). Part of the Baudelaire series, this beer will capture the hearts of art and artisan beer lovers alike. Drawn in by the historic elegance of the label design and then held tight by the rapture of flavors, it will be released in limited quantities. iO Saison is brewed in a lovely fashion, with rose hips, rose petals and hibiscus. Yet, don’t be easily deceived by her looks, for like love – she can be oh so dangerous. Available in late February.
LIBERTY STREET BREWING COMPANY
Steamy Windows (4.7% ABV). This "steam" style beer is made with a lager yeast and fermented at ale temperatures and then aged at lager temperatures for a smooth, clean finish. Very much like a pale ale, this California Common is fermented with a lager yeast to create a crisp taste with fruity notes.
Chocolate Covered Chery (7% ABV | 22 IBUs). A blend of two of our most popular flavors with the chocolate character of our Liberty One Porter, blended heavily with our Cherry Cider, making this a dessert like drink.
Red Velvet (5.4% ABV | 32 IBUs). This is a smooth ale that has a beautiful red rose color with the aroma and flavor of chocolate, named after the classic rich cake.
MOUNTAIN TOWN STATION
Doctor Love (8% ABV | 18 IBUs). This imperial red ale with ale brewed with eight different invigorating herbs and a touch of flavor hops
Love Potion #7 (7.5% ABV | 32 IBUs). This double chocolate stout is brewed with four different invigorating herbs, to get the blood flowing
Chocolate Cherry Porter (5.2% ABV | 28 IBUs). This full-bodied porter is brewed with cocoa nibs and Ludington Black Cherries.
Sacred Gruit (5.8% ABV | 4 IBUs). The flagship gruit brewed with 3 different herbs that stimulate the mind, create euphoria and enhance sexual drive. For a little added fun, try the Peach Fruit, with peace juice added.
NEW HOLLAND BREWING COMPANY
The Poet (5.2% ABV | 37 IBUs). This is a romantic offering for Valentine’s Day. This beer reveals a rich, smooth malt character enveloped in tones of roast and chocolate. A soft mouth-feel brings luxurious flavors and a soothing aroma. The Poet is as versatile as it is delicious – the perfect accent to any chocolate dessert.
NORTH PEAK BEER
Dubious Black Chocolate Stout (5.3% ABV | 50 IBUs). Sporting its “giant man-eating beaver” icon, this beer pays homage to Northern Michigan’s Beaver Island. This beer has the perfect combination of chocolate with roast and black malts, resulting in a smooth and rich beer. Judicious use of hops brings out a complex, yet subtle bittering, finished off with a big Goldings nose. This swirl of aroma, flavor and body is underscored by the rich, dark chocolate that is added at the end of the boil.
REDWOOD LODGE
Chocolate, Cherry, Vanilla Porter (5.5% ABV | 28 IBUs). Organic cocoa nibs, dried Michigan tart cherries and bourbon-soaked vanilla beans are added to the traditional Brown Porter, for this sweet Valentine’s beer. Available in Cask Ale only.
RIGHT BRAIN BREWERY
Lips Like Sugar (9.8% ABV). This Belgian Tripple is made with 300 pounds of Michigan sugar beets, boiled down to three gallons of syrup. What results is a caramel color beer, with a hint of sweetness. Available in the tap room only.
ROCHESTER MILLS BEER CO
Milkshake Stout (5.3% ABV | 20 IBUs). The combination of four different malts, along with a low hop level creates a deep dark beer featuring rich, roasted, malt flavors. The addition of lactose (milk sugar) adds complexity, body, and a residual sweetness lending a smooth creamy texture to this full-flavored brew. Once a seasonal offering in the pub, now prominently featured due to popular demand.
Paint Creek Porter (6.0% ABV | 21 IBUs). This pub-only offering is a robust beer that features a rich, velvety chocolate malt flavor that will compliment any chocolate dessert.
ROCKFORD BREWING
Hoplust IPA (7.1% ABV | 70 IBUs). A profoundly hoppy hand-crafted American IPA!! An intense bouquet of fresh hops will greet you on the nose followed by the bursting tropical, citrus and piney flavors on your palette. Our approach to this IPA is to focus more toward satisfying the craving for hop flavor than bitterness. We use a proprietary blend of 6 different American grown hop varieties for a unique hoppy flavor experience – it is Valentine’s Dayesque!
THE LIVERY
St. Valentine's Day Massacre (6% ABV | 40 IBUs). This sour Belgian dark wit is aged on blood oranges, giving off a citrus aroma with hints of peppercorn. Considered a wild/sour ale, the flavor comes from orange juice and orange peel, with peppercorn and spice, balanced by bread notes and a sour finish.
Of course, there are countless other beers to LOVE…and the best is the one in your hand. Hopefully, that’s locally-crafted here in Michigan!
The Michigan Brewers Guild was formed in 1997 and held its first festival in July 1998. Today, the Guild hosts four festivals dedicated exclusively to Michigan craft beer produced by its nearly 150 member breweries.
Michigan’s thriving brewing industry conservatively contributes more than $144 million in wages with a total economic contribution of more than $277 million. In terms of overall number breweries, microbreweries and brewpubs, Michigan ranks #5 in the nation – thus supporting its claim as “The Great Beer State.”
The Guild exists to unify the community of brewers, to increase the sale of Michigan Craft Beer, to contribute culturally and economically throughout the state, and to monitor and assure a healthy brewing industry. By working collaboratively with proponents of craft beer, we strive to achieve a 10% share of all beer sold in Michigan by producing world-class events, increasing public awareness, educating consumers, and encouraging responsible consumption.
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