Episode 08: Wolves, Sons, & Ethereal Confections

Where is the cacao in your chocolate beer from?

Many brewers who use cacao in a beer have no idea where that cacao comes from, or any of its more nuanced flavor notes. They see chocolate as one abstract flavor, so the details don’t matter. However, more and more brewers are recognizing the flavor diversity of good chocolate and the benefits of working with a bean to bar chocolate company to source ethical, quality cacao.

In this episode we talk with Chris Davison of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Colin Vent of Seventh Son Brewing, both in Columbus, Ohio, who use quality cacao in a variety of their beers. Both brewers source their cacao from Ethereal Confections with Ethereal Confections in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and we’ll also talk with Marisa Allen and Michael Ervin of Ethereal, who also provide cacao to a variety of other breweries.

Beers mentioned in this episode include:

 - Dire Wolf, Canis Mexicanus, Canis Mexicanus Double Espresso, Anniversary Blend, and a handful of others from Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

 - Fox in the Stout, Qahwah, and Uncharted Territories from Seventh Son Brewing.

 - Westbrook Mexican Cake, Cigar City Hunahpu, Perennial Abraxas, Stone Xocoveza. Here’s a video about the birth of Xocoveza.

Also mentioned in this episode were the Fox in the Snow Cafe in Columbus, Ohio, the band Belle & Sebastian, the Great American Beer Festival, and Belyzium Craft Chocolate.

The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Free” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps from her 2016 album Umbrella. Anna p.s. conveys a sense of weariness throughout her simple yet resonant songs, but it’s a weariness that keeps a blanket of hope tucked up under its chin, even as the rain keeps falling outside the windows. You can find out more about Anna at her website.

Guests:

Chris Davison is the head brewer at Wolf’s Ridge Brewing in Columbus, Ohio. Chris leads a Wolf’s Ridge brewing team that has won numerous national awards, including several medals from the prestigious Great American Beer Festival. He previously worked at another esteemed Ohio brewery, Columbus Brewing Company.

Colin Vent is the head brewer at Seventh Son Brewing in Columbus, Ohio. He previously worked as a fine dining chef, and the need to bring flavors together in cooking inform his work as a brewer. Seventh Son also operates a sister brewery known as Antiques on High.

Michael Ervin is one of the co-founders of Ethereal Confections in Woodstock, Illinois, in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has traveled the world sourcing good cacao and supporting responsible farming and labor practices in the cacao industry. He is also a writer and musician. 

Marisa Allen is the Sales Manager for Ethereal Confections. She has been with the company for over 7 years and hopes to someday participate in a sourcing trip to a cacao farm. Marisa lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where she and her husband are raising their three girls to love good chocolate and brewery tours.