Menu
How about chocolate and beer? We have to admit that the idea is exotic, but not particularly innovative… With the boom in craft beer, the combination of chocolate and beer is becoming increasingly popular, judging by the number of tastings announced.
I remember during my wine sommelier course about twenty years ago, the teacher in one of the modules brought dark chocolate as teaching material (I love this kind of teaching) to understand the power of pairing with wine and spirits like grappa. Tasting such a royal combination was a nice surprise: melted chocolate in the mouth softened the aggressive flavour of the grappa. The smoothness of the symphony of these flavours was enhanced when they were consumed together.
JYears later, when my interest had shifted to beers and craft beer, I discovered that beer works even better in combination with chocolate.
Technically speaking, the cocoa butter melts in the mouth and coats the tongue, while the carbonation of the beer activates a nerve (the trigeminal nerve) that is crucial for the perception of flavour.
This means that a sip of beer enhances the entire sensory experience of eating chocolate.
But the thing is: There is an insane amount of chocolate and beer varieties. How are you supposed to find your way around this overcrowded room?
In fact, not every beer goes well with every chocolate!
Both have a bitter flavour, which depends on the cocoa content of the chocolate and the type of hops in the beer.
Let me now suggest some of my favourite combinations of beer and chocolate:
(a) White chocolate: White chocolate is the sweetest and contains no cocoa, which results in no bitterness.
We have found two ways to combine them.
Firstly, we tried them with two sweet Belgian lambic beers with strawberry and cherry flavours. SiThey are very fruity and light and go very well together according to the complementary principle: sweet goes well with even more sweet :).
Secondly, we tasted various IPA beers according to the contrast principle. Its strong bitterness and flavour contrast perfectly with sweet and light chocolate, and surprisingly, the more bitter the IPA, the better.
(b) Milk chocolate: Milk chocolate (29% cocoa) has a mild cocoa flavour and goes well with Bohemian Pilsner. This beer has a very mild bitterness that contrasts with the strength and creaminess of the milk.
MilchschokoMilk chocolate with nuts with a higher cocoa content (46%), on the other hand, complements the flavour of Fermento Amber Ale very well. Die Bitterkeit ist bei beiden sehr gering, so dass sie sich gut ergänzen. The flavour of the nuts also harmonises perfectly with the hop aroma of this beer.
(c) Dunkle Schokolade: Zartbitterschokolade (mit einem Kakaoanteil von mindestens 60 %) steht alten Ale-Bieren gut zu Gesicht. Interestingly, the notes of caramel and toffee are present in such a beer, and made with special grains that impart aroma and dark red colour. They are brewed with oats or wheat to improve the mouthfeel and therefore go well with the creaminess of the chocolate.
Dark chocolate with even more cocoa (over 70 %) is more bitter and has a more persistent flavour. Try them with an equally intense beer with a high alcohol content. The best choice here would be a classic black beer: stout or imperial stout (the latter with more alcohol), which are characterised by a coffee flavour with chocolate aromas.
I am convinced that we will soon be hearing more about the divine combination of chocolate and beer. The two together are a perfect pair and the flavour of love where sweetness meets bubbles. So why not toast this Valentine’s Day with a good beer and a gourmet chocolate?
Tell us about your favourite combination.
Cheers!