Can you feel “The Love” tonight? This beer from Starr Hill Brewing Company in Virginia fits the mood of Valentine’s Day so well that I had to include it in this series. This hefeweizen is a German style, cloudy beer, with notes of banana, cloves, and citrus. True to its style, but hey, why over-analyze a beer that captures Valentine’s Day! I would have painted Modern Romance by Midnight Sun Brewing Co., but it won’t be bottled for a few more weeks. I was in that brewery yesterday seeing the chocolatification process. The centrifuge was in overdrive pushing the chocolate sludge back out of the beer. The brewers were excited and confounded by the gallons of chocolate sludge that was left over at the end of the process. I was going to take some home to make a batch of Valentine’s brownies, but I forgot, because I was carrying too much beer.

To America and our craft beer Renaissance! You won’t be finding a German hefe called the Love in Germany, only Weizen and old family names. I love our marketing and unique avant-garde brewing practices, and not being constricted by centuries of long-practiced traditions, but paving the way to unique new flavorful brews!