Bier Review: Valentine’s Day Edition

Ommegange Chocolate Indulgence

Sunset on Valentine’s eve; imagine you are a sexy young zythophiliac sitting at a candlelit table anticipating a thoughtful and sentimental token of affection from your beau.

What would your sophisticated palette crave more than high-end chocolates?

What would raise the temp of your booze-filled cockles faster than the sight of long-stem roses?

For me, it was the site of Ommegang’s Chocolate Indulgence Stout in it’s champagne-style 9.4 oz bottle and the bouquet of chocolate and hops at the popping of the cork.

Okay, so it wasn’t actually a gift from that brutally handsome, beer-loving bloke of my fantasies; to dull the painful awareness that I was sans sweetheart on that day of forced displays of affection I made my way to Total Wine and More in Wilmington, DE (aka Mecca) before spending time with some of my best bros.

Released in October 2007 for the 10^th anniversary of the NY Brewery this limited edition stout pours like motor oil with a mocha colored 4-finger head that takes its time settling into a fine-lace producing layer.

The beer has a light fragrance of cocoa and coffee with a strong floral scent.

This brew has a big complex taste including coffee, toffee, and bitter chocolate with a heavy balance of bitters. The official brewery description says they used Hallertauer Perle hops. They didn’t mention the IBU but I imagine it is pretty high. Luckily, the malt in the drink is almost perfectly balanced to handle the hoppiness.

Along with the stout I also had some Sapporo chocolates which my bros were kind enough to bring back from their visit to the Sapporo factory in Japan. The quality of the chocolate was good, but most surprisingly, it actually tasted like beer! I have no idea how they did that. I wouldn't say I'd seek out that type of treat again, but it sure was cool. Thanks guys!


ommegang image via legal beer