Zadkiela Rios on Pairing Beer, Chocolate, and Other Indulgences
In this episode, David Nilsen talks with brewing scientist Zadkiela Rios about pairing beer and chocolate and how travel and her science background inform her tasting process and experiences.
Bonus: How to Pair Standard-Strength Porters and Stouts with Craft Chocolate
Standard-strength Porter and Stout styles such as American Porter, English Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, Irish Stout, and some American Stouts tend to cast a wide net when paired with chocolate and can work solidly with a wide range of chocolates. In this bonus episode, David Nilsen explains which types of craft chocolate to seek out and which to avoid when pairing with standard-strength Porters and Stouts.
Bonus: How to Pair Fruited Sours Ales with Craft Chocolate
Sour ales are a fantastic platform for fruit flavors. The acidity of the base beers dovetails with the brightness of the fruit and can help sell the flavors of the fruit more authentically. There are challenges to pairing these beers though, and most of them are related to variability of the beers themselves: there are so many different ways to make a fruited sour ale. In this bonus episode, David Nilsen walks through the different types of fruited sour ale and explains which types of craft chocolate and seek out and which to avoid when pairing with them.
Bonus: How to Pair IPAs with Craft Chocolate
IPAs are the most popular family of beer styles in craft beer today, they aren't the first beers most people think of for pairing with craft chocolate. While IPAs can pair beautifully with craft chocolate, it’s not an effortless pairing. IPAs present challenges that can lead to chocolate pairings with harsh, bitter, astringent, and/or clashing flavor qualities. In this bonus episode, we’ll look at some common styles of IPA, discuss their sensory attributes, and discuss chocolates to seek out and chocolates to avoid when planning pairings with each.
How to Host a Beer & Chocolate Pairing!
How do you host a beer and pairing in your home? In this episode, Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen gives guidance on how to plan and guide a beer and chocolate pairing to give you and your friends a memorable evening.
Pairing Fall Beer Styles with Craft Chocolate
Fall beer styles like pumpkin ales, Märzen, Festbier, and even fresh hop and wet hop beers can pair great with craft chocolate, and today we’re going to talk about some of my favorites and recommendations to check out. Listen to this bonus episode to learn which bean to bar chocolate bars will work best with each seasonal style.
Quick Bonus Episode: Pairing Witbier & Hefeweizen with Craft Chocolate
What types of craft chocolate should you pair with Belgian Witbier and Bavarian Hefeweizen, two both standard strength wheat ales with expressive fermentation flavors? Listen is an Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen, author of Pairing Beer & Chocolate, describes these styles and recommends craft chocolate bars to pair with them.
Estelle Tracy on Pairing Wine & Chocolate (Ep. 58)
In this episode we talk with Estelle Tracy. Estelle leads wine and chocolate pairings through her business 37 Chocolates. In this conversation, Estelle and I talk about the differences and similarities between pairing craft chocolate with wine and beer, how she got started with chocolate and wine, and what she’s learned along the way.
Quick Bonus Episode: Pairing Doppelbock with Craft Chocolate
Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen, author of Pairing Beer & Chocolate, talks about how to pair craft chocolate with Doppelbock, a strong German lager style often released in mid-winter by U.S. craft breweries. The malt flavors of Doppelbocks work beautifully with a variety of dark chocolate styles, but there are things to keep in mind when you’re reaching for a bar to pair with these strong beers. Listen to this super quick episode as Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen explains how pair Doppelbock with chocolate.
Sips + Sweets with French Broad Chocolates & Burial Beer (Ep. 49)
Join Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen, French Broad Chocolates, and Burial Beer for two events celebrating beer and chocolate. In this episode of Bean to Barstool, David talks with the folks between Decadence on Display and Sips + Sweets, which will both take place in Asheville in November.
Quick Bonus Episode: Introducing the Pairing Beer & Chocolate Zine
Bean to Barstool host and Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen has written and published a guide to pairing craft beer and craft chocolate. This 70-page, full-color zine provides all the information you need to begin pairing craft beer and craft chocolate.
Pairing Beer and Chocolate (Ep. 25)
When you’re pairing beer and chocolate, you aren’t pairing a meal; you’re pairing a moment. So how do you make that moment the best it can be? There are some special considerations when it comes to pairing craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and in this episode beer writer David Nilsen walks some of through those, offering tips on how to pair chocolate and beer. He also shares some of his favorite beer and chocolate pairings from the past year.
Episode 07: Pairing Smoke & Spice
Beers and chocolates featuring smoke or spice flavors require graceful dance partners that can both set them free and keep them on beat. Find some great examples in this episode.
Episode 04: Beer & Chocolate Pairing Basics
Beer and chocolate make graceful dance partners if we just give them the right music and room to move.