“Tongue-tingling chocolate with jalapeno and smoked paprika. Spiked with rose. Inspired and designed to be paired with Stone Brewing’s mocha stout, Xocoveza.”

As an ice cream junkie, when I saw that Jeni’s had collaborated with Stone to create what’s playfully described as Xocoveza’s badass girlfriend, Xocorosa, and so artfully described by the above, my first thought was – I MUST TRY THAT. My second thought, as looked at a pint of Jeni’s Goat Cheese with Red Cherries in my freezer was – Ooh, I have a couple Krieks that would pair nicely with that. And then my third thought – why stop there? Let’s get crazy.

Speaking of… Jeni’s Xocoroza collaboration with Stone Brewing is currently available for $6 via their Flash Sale!

So began the idea to gather a small group of friends for a pairing of ten different combinations of Jeni’s ice cream and beers that I thought would pair well with them.  You might ask why Jeni’s and not just any old ice cream and that’s fair, but for me, the answer is simple – I knew it had both the richness and subtlety, the inventiveness, and flavor profiles to do justice to the high quality, bold beers I had in mind.  

Wanting a good mix of light and creamy, sour and fruity, dark, spicy, and rich, I put together the menu with that in mind. Without any culinary experience or knowledge of complex tasting notes the pairings were a blend of experimental and basic (Blackberry ice cream – blackberry beer! Dark chocolate ice cream – dark stout beer!). But I’d encourage you to get creative and play around with finding your favorite combo. I mean we’re talking ice cream and beer here – you really can’t go wrong! Without further ado, here’s what we came up with:

1. Sun-Popped Corn and Rockmill Le Cheval
2. The Matterhorn and Little Fish Sunfish
3. Brambleberry Crisp and Rivertown Ojos Negros
4. Goat Cheese with Red Cherries and Odell Friek
5. Spiced Sweet Cream and Abita Vanilla Dog
6. Sweet Potato Éclair and Southern Tier Warlock
7. Salty Caramel and Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti
8. Xocorosa and Stone Xocoveza
9. Dark Chocolate Peppermint and Jackie O’s Dark Apparition
10. Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso and Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel

We each tried them one at a time, in that order, and typically had the beer and ice cream separately but dabbled with some floats as well. My personal favorite was the Brambleberry Crisp and Ojos Negros followed closely by Sweet Potato Éclair and Warlock, and Xocorosa and Xocoveza. Of the ten pairings that the group sampled, each one was at least in someone’s top two. Point is, they were all pretty damn good.

I also had everyone jot down some notes about each pairing so that at the end of the night I could read some of our favorites – Cards Against Humanity style – and also cheat on this article by including those hilarious descriptions below.

Stay up on the latest beer releases from your favorite breweries. Follow our 2017 Beer Release Calendar Roundup!

Sun-Popped Corn + Rockmill Brewing Le Cheval

“I can taste the sunshine.” “The buttery ice cream and wheaty, grassy beer were a euphoric experience in my mouth.”

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The Matterhorn + Little Fish Brewing Sunfish

“Salacious and satisfying combination transported me to the Alps’ highest peak.”

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Brambleberry Crisp + Rivertown Brewing Ojos Negros

“Who’s got the funk – Rivertown has the FUNK. Brambleberry will always have my heart and tongue.” “Crispity, crackly, snippity, snappity. Sour, sweet, and will make you life complete.”

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Goat Cheese with Red Cherries + Odell Friek

“Friek my leash with goat cheese and cherries.” “Would have this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

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Spiced Sweet Cream + Abita Vanilla Dog

“Christmas explosion in your mouth. Resistance is futile.” “Tasty vanilla chai combo.”

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Sweet Potato Éclair + Southern Tier Warlock

“Hot potato! Don’t drop this one. Sweet southern goodness.” “A Thanksgiving must. Perfect beer float.”

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Salty Caramel + Great Divide Chocolate Oak Aged Yeti

“So buttery and smooth with hints of chocolate. Unbuttoning my high-waisted pants.”

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Xocorosa + Stone Xocoveza

“I feel like I was assaulted by the flavors. I’m lost, help me.”  “Smoky! Spicy! Rosy chocolate tingling the back of my throat.”

Jeni’s Xocoroza collaboration with Stone Brewing is currently available for $6 via their Flash Sale!

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Dark Chocolate Peppermint + Jackie O’s Dark Apparition

“This combo will make you blackout in ecstasy. Embrace the darkness.” “Dirty little elf.”

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Intelligentsia Black Cat Espresso + Dieu du Ciel Peche Mortel

“Sin city with extra coffee. Makes me feel alive!” “So sexy it’s sinful. Feels like you did something wrong.”

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