This Valentine’s Day, say ‘I Love You’ with craft beer and chocolate. And what better way to make this year extra special then with a dozen expertly curated craft beers from all across New York State? Oh, and chocolate. Can’t forget that part.

The New York State Brewers Association collected stouts, sours, and barrel-aged beers from across the state for the NYS Craft Beer & Chocolate Gift Box, which is available online now here.

“The New York State Brewers Association is always looking for fun and creative ways to promote NYS breweries,” the NYS Brewer’s Association says. “Both enthusiasts and breweries alike showed a great interest in our ‘24 New York State Beers of Holiday Cheer’ box, so we decided to team up with Half Time Beverage to do something special for Valentine’s Day as well. The ‘Beer My Valentine’ NYS Craft Beer & Chocolate gift box is a decadent treat that will leave your taste buds WOWED.”

It features 12 gourmet chocolates from Sweet on Chocolate (Syracuse) and beer from Paradox Brewery, Lucky Hare Brewing, Common Roots Brewing and more. The box includes beers from a pair of local breweries, Big Ditch Brewing and 12 Gates Brewing. Big Ditch is including their Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, while 12 Gates is sending along their Ivan’s Ooze Smoothie Sour.

“For this event, NYSBA was asking for “exclusive barrel aged beers, wilds, and sours to pair with NYS crafted chocolates,” Big Ditch Brewing President Matt Kahn said. “We had quite a bit left of the base BBA Aqueduct after Stoutsgiving, so this was an easy fit. We really like this beer too, so I think it will go well with what NYSBA has planned.”

“Stouts are the obvious pairing but we wanted to throw something creative in the mix,” 12 Gates  Brewing says. “Chocolate covered cherries have been around forever (supposedly they date back to the 1700s in France) and are still wildly popular. We wanted to riff on that classic but with more fruit flavors. Ivan’s Ooze is a smoothie sour with blueberry, blackberry, sweet cherry, raspberry, and pomegranate. That combo paired with premium NYS chocolates sounded like a dream matchup we wanted to share with the community.”

Featured beers:

  • Big Ditch Brewing Company – Bourbon Barrel Aged Aqueduct (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout)
  • Plan Bee Farm Brewery – Amour – Strawberry Sour (Wild ale with strawberry)
  • Mean Max Brew Works – Never Say Never – Raspberry (Fruited sour)
  • Paradox Brewery – The Great Kölsch Affair (German-style Kölsch)
  • Mill House Brewing Company – Velvet Panda (Stout)
  • Lucky Hare Brewing Company – I Am The Wine (Syrah Wine Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Stout)
  • Artisanal Brew Works – She’s Tert with Tangerguava (Fruited sour)
  • Duncan’s Abbey – Tarrytown Dubbel (Belgian Dubbel)
  • 12 Gates Brewing Company – Ivan’s Ooze (Smoothie sour)
  • Broken Bow Brewery – That’s Just My Face (Aged Sour with raspberry)
  • Brown’s Brewing Company – Me & You (Raspberry sour)
  • Common Roots Brewing Company – Snowy Night: Smore’s (Double Milk Stout)

Place your order by February 6 (5pm) to guarantee delivery in time for February 14. The cost of each box is $140. You will also receive a Think NY, Drink NY craft beer sticker bundle and beer description guide with your order. Shipping is available to over 30 states from Half Time Beverage (while supply lasts).

Brian Campbell is co-founder and Brand Manager of the Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at brian@buffalobeerleague.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague), and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).