What's Your Valentine Beer? (Plus Beer Events & Social Updates)

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Is there a beer that says “Valentine’s Day” to you? A couple come to mind for me.

Remember Revolution’s Rosa? So delicious. So floral. So … red. I know it hasn’t been around for a while (at least in package form) but the return of A Little Crazy has me hoping maybe it’ll pop back up at some point. Obviously this photo is extremely old, especially if you can figure out what season of The Bachelor was airing at the time.

The other beer that says V-Day for me is any kind of kriek lambic. Boon Kriek is great, but hey, in a pinch I’ll have a Cantillon like this one. Again, the color is definitely a factor but something about the combo of sweet and tart and all that acid comes together in a big mix that pairs so great with so many foods — and that Boon was the first beer my wife and I cracked into at the Poechenellekelder in Brussels, which also helps.

(Yes, I stole that glass from Brasserie Jo before they closed in 2010. I think the statute of limitations is up on that one.)

I polled some of the other Guys and Eric shared one that I didn’t see coming:

“My Valentine's Day beer is Catch Hell by Half Acre. This BA stout with cinnamon and vanilla was first released around Valentine's Day in 2020. I raced up to Half Acre on Lincoln at lunch, had a sample, and bought three two-pack cans. It instantly became popular and sought-after, and Half Acre has released double- and triple-barrel versions since then. Catch Hell was like a final bit of sheer beer joy right before the world went to hell the next month and we were all in uncharted territory.”

How about you? Any go-to Valentine’s Day beers? Or do you just go straight to the bourbon? Comments are open to everyone this week, not just Premium Subscribers, so share and share alike, friends.

OK! So many more events still to check out the rest of the month. Go take the Batch Brewing Challenge and get to at least two events, taprooms or beer bars this week if you can!

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Reminder: Only Premium Subscribers are being sent Wednesday label updates via email. Lite Subscribers can click here to see this week’s new art … and featured artist, thanks to 93 Octane.

This Weekend:

Tomorrow you can head to Naperville or the Still Life taproom in Chicago to celebrate the release of the second annual Vibes collaboration beer. The Vibes Beer Project, Solemn Oath, Hidden Hand, and many others got together to celebrate the women, non-binary, and trans members of the craft beer industry and make a beer. Go drink it.

Also tomorrow, the newly created American Craft Beer Hall of Fame will announce their inaugural inductees. In Chicago, they’ll have the livestream announcement airing at Dovetail. And speaking of them…

Dovetail’s annual "Thank You for Smoking” gathering of smoked beers is set for Sunday. If you’re in NYC, you can rauchparty at Torst this year and there’s a lot more places pouring their rauchbier in Milwaukee, DC and the NYC area.

Side Project’s Stout Week kicked off on the 11th with “Vanilla Day” and keeps going through Sunday.

Next Week & Beyond:

Forbidden Root celebrates their 10th birthday on the 19th.

Spiteful takes over Big Star West Town for a Carnitas and Cans event on the 21st.

A big 2/22 kicks off with the launch party for Somos Monos Cerveceria at Whiner Beer Co.

Destihl’s annual Dosvidanya Day happens in Normal on Feb. 22.

Also on the 22nd is the “Burning Rubber” Chili Cookoff benefitting Connections for the Homeless at Double Clutch.

All three Pollyanna locations are hosting an Eis Fest celebrating the relase of their Jötunheimr eisbock lager (and four variants of eisbock! Fun!) on the 22nd.

Feel like a vintage beer? Hie thee to Delilahs on the 22nd for their 27th annual Vintage Beer Fest.

Ifyou’re in Indianapolis, Centerpoint Brewing hosts their Frigid Digits Winter Beer Fest on the 22nd with 40 breweries in attendance. And if you’re in Grand Rapids, Arvon is celebrating the 5th anniversary of their taproom.

If I were near Plank Road Tap Room on the 22nd, I would be there just for these two words: Fireside oysters.

The annual outdoor Wuckfinter festival at Ray’s Wine & Spirits in Wauwatosa, in collaboration with Three Floyds, is set for Feb. 23.

Haymarket’s annual Sausagefest happens March 8th: 13 breweries, 13 sausages, one king of the wiener.

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• Midwest Coast is an official Chiditarod stop this year, and you can root for either one of their two teams.

• I’ve seen plenty of blood orange beers over the years but never one with chocolate added to it, nor one that’s this close to the medical name for blood. Meet Rabid Brewing’s Hemogoblin.

• Beers from Black Calder Brewing are now available throughout Michigan.

• This pizza oven recently moved from Dryhop to Une Annee / Hubbards Cave.

• After five years, Black Horizon’s “Straight Up” English-style porter is back on draft at their taproom.

• Looks like Spiteful’s first beer dinner was a pretty good time.

• FFF announced the six variants available at this year’s Dark Lord Day, and here are the bands booked to play. For the first time I can remember, they’re having a ticket giveaway as well - and since it’s probably too late for any of us to enter at this point, you should also know that tickets go on sale tomorrow.

• Begyle has one of the city’s most delicious Irish red ales and it’s back already. Go get some.

• Lakefront wants to remind you that Putin is a Dick.

• After Stout Week concludes, it looks like Side Project is heading up to Wisconsin to launch their beers for distribution up there.

• The latest brewery to add a beer engine (yay!) is Flipside.

• I’m not sure how often this happens, but Jackie O’s passed one million Untappd check-ins this week. That’s a lot of beers!

Thank you all for being here! Have a great weekend. See y’all on Monday.

~Karl, a Guy Drinking the last kriek lambic in my fridge in a few hours.