Bean to Barstool (David Nilsen)
Explorez tous les épisodes de Bean to Barstool
| Date | Titre | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Feb 2022 | Beer & Chocolate Collaborations (Ep.35) | 00:20:34 | |
Beer & chocolate belong together. In today’s episode we’ll look at a number of recent chocolate and beer collaborations, including beers made with ethically-sourced cacao and craft chocolate made with beer or beer ingredients. Hopefully you discover some new tasting experiences to try out, or if you’re a brewer or chocolate maker, some inspiration for a new project. Just be sure you let me know about it. Beers discussed in this episode include: Burial Beer Lessons in Solitude: Portrait II & Portals Into Infinite Nonexistence Hi Wire Blueberry Crumble 10W-40 & Chai 10W-40 Wolf’s Ridge Office Party Eel River Vanilla Citrus Stout Lady Justice Queerly Beloved Fiction Beer Lunas Rabid Hemogoblin Branch & Bone Skinwalker & Campfire Candle MadTree S’more Gratitude Chocolates discussed in this episode include: Moka Origins Slab Castle Stout 72% Dick Taylor Vanilla Citrus Stout 55% Fu Wan Strawberry Beer Yeast 70% Indulgence Chocolatiers Porter 58% & IPA 64% Chocolats Latour Rhinegeist Bengal bonbon Map Dear Madame Fruitcake The music for this episode was sampled from instrumental versions of the songs “Come Home” and “Winter”, 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. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 01 Mar 2022 | Quick Bonus Episode: Recent New Belgium Chocolate Beers | 00:05:03 | |
New Belgium Brewing is one of the largest craft breweries in the country, but they do plenty of small batch experimentation, and they have a particular specialty in beers made with cacao nibs and husks. We’ve talked about a few of those beers previously, and in this quick bonus episode, we look at a few of their recent beers that use ethically sourced cacao from Nuance Chocolate in Fort Collins, Colorado. You can hear my interview with New Belgium’s master blender, Lauren Woods Limbach, back in Episode 31 here. Beers discussed in this episode include: Frambozen, a 7.5% ABV brown ale brewed with raspberry puree and cocoa husks. Check Out, a 10% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with cacao and coconut. Pilot Series No. 24, a 12% ABV Imperial Stout brewed with chocolate and vanilla and cold aged for 10 months in bourbon and port barrels. Pilot Series No. 24c, the same base beer as above dosed with cocoa husks, whole coffee beans, and additional vanilla after aging. The music for this episode is an instrumental version of the song “Walls” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery, cafe, or other establishment. Thanks for listening! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 29 Mar 2022 | Quick Bonus Episode: Asheville Beer & Chocolate | 00:09:19 | |
Despite its relatively small size, Asheville, North Carolina, is in the conversation for being the best city for craft beer in the country, with dozens of excellent breweries, including two of the country’s largest craft breweries in Sierra Nevada and New Belgium. They’re also home to one of the best bean to bar chocolate companies in the country as well. I recently spent a weekend in Asheville to visit my sister and her husband, and got to try a number of excellent beers made with cacao from Asheville’s French Broad Chocolates. In this quick bonus episode, you can hear all about the excellent beers I tried and my quick tour at French Broad. The music for this episode is an instrumental version of the song “Walls” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery, cafe, or other establishment. Thanks for listening! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 05 Apr 2022 | Painting Flavor with Artist Katie Clark Gabbard (Ep. 36) | 00:47:44 | |
“With beer and chocolate, they’re about so much more than just creating something that tastes good. There’s a story that’s trying to be told if you just take the time to try to go on that journey and listen to what your senses are telling you.” Katie Clark Gabbard is a professional artist working in Dayton, Ohio, creating vividly colorful paintings in unexpected formats, using the very shape and texture of each piece to challenge perceptions within the sometimes staid fine art world. In this episode we hang out with Katie as she uses her paints, brushes, and canvases to interpret and express what her senses of taste and smell experience when presented with beers and chocolates without knowing anything about them. I brought along several chocolates and beers to Katie’s studio, and gave each to her to taste, one at a time. She would then spend ten to fifteen minutes painting a small canvas, expressing in colors and shapes the flavors she experienced and the images they conjured. Only after she finished each would I reveal what she had just tasted. We were both fascinated by the results. The chocolates we tasted through were Crow & Moss Vanilla Smoke 69%, Baiani Caipirihna, and Loon Heirloon Bolivia 70%. The beers we tasted through were MadTree Luna Lux White IPA and Spencer Trappist Holiday Ale. Previous episodes mentioned in this episode include Episode 19: Wood, Beer, & Chocolate and Episode 22: Loon Chocolate. As mentioned in the episode, I’ll be leading a virtual tasting of Belgian Dubbel, Tripel, & Quadrupel Ales on Saturday, April 23. This 90 minute event will include a tasting of 6 Belgian beers—2 in each style. I’ll talk about how to taste beer like an expert, discuss the history behind these styles and each brewery, and walk attendees through a guided tasting of each beer. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 19 Apr 2022 | New Zealand Beer & Chocolate Writer Luke Owen Smith (Ep. 37) | 00:44:56 | |
“There are challenges with chocolate that beer didn’t have to overcome. The main one is around price, and that’s because beer didn’t have this history of exploitation and slavery behind its core ingredient. When you start trying to do the ethical thing, you have this huge price jump, and that takes time for consumers to get their head around.” Luke Owen Smith lives in Wellington, New Zealand, and has worked in both the craft beer and craft chocolate industries in this island nation, giving him insight into what these artisan industries have in common and what they can learn from each other. In this episode we discuss pairing beer and chocolate, the beer and chocolate scene in New Zealand, the challenges and opportunities for both in a small market, and how craft chocolate can learn from craft beer’s growth and its mistakes. You can learn more about Chocstock, a New Zealand craft chocolate festival Luke organizes here. (last year's info) The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Umbrella” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website. Luke Owen Smith is a writer, photographer, and professional chocolate taster based in Wellington, New Zealand. After working in the craft beer industry for many years, Luke fell in love with craft chocolate and founded The Chocolate Bar, New Zealand's first ever craft chocolate retail store. Luke is a regular judge at the New Zealand Chocolate Awards and he has written about both chocolate and beer for a wide variety of publications. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 10 May 2022 | Trust Your Dopeness: Hannah Ferguson of DOPE Cider House & Winery | 00:41:30 | |
“People are seeing, ‘Hey, if this girl from Youngstown can do it, why can’t I?’ I think it just takes someone seeing someone who looks like them to see it’s a possibility.” In this episode we talk with Hannah Ferguson, a brewer of beer, a maker of cider and wine, and the founder of D.O.P.E. Ciderhouse & Winery, which will open soon in Youngstown, Ohio. Hannah was the first Black female professional brewer in the state of Ohio, and only the second Black female cidery owner in the entire country. Her enthusiasm and positivity have helped her push through the challenges involved in following her dreams, and I know you’ll find her story inspiring and encouraging. Breweries and beverage makers mentioned in this episode include Barley’s Brewing, Weathered Souls, Penguin City, Modern Methods, Woodland Cellar, Alematic Artisan Ales, and McBride Sisters. Specific beers discussed in this episode include Alematic/D.O.P.E. I’m DOPE Belgian Hazy IPA and Modern Methods Black Is Beautiful Imperial Stout. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 24 May 2022 | Everybody Is Welcome: Celebrating Beer with Em Sauter of Pints & Panels | 00:40:36 | |
“With Pints & Panels, every beer flavor is welcome, every beer geek is welcome, every newcomer is welcome. Everybody is welcome.” In this episode we’ll talk with Em Sauter, a fellow Advanced Cicerone and the creator of Pints & Panels, a cartoon that celebrates beer and provides educational resources for folks curious to learn more about our favorite drink. Em is the author of two books, the most recent of which, Hooray for Craft Beer, was just published in April. With whimsical cartoons and easy-to-understand explanations, the book is a fun and positive way to look at beer from a new angle and learn about it in a non-intimidating way. Today Em and I talk about the book, her creative process, why positivity is so important in the craft beer world, and she even tastes a few bean to bar chocolates along the way. You can follow along with the Adventures of Nelson & Goldy here. Beers & breweries discussed in this episode include Alvarium Beer Company in Connecticut and Surly Brewing Petit Ami Belgian Table Beer from Minnesota. Chocolates discussed in this episode include Definite Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70%, Firetree Philippines Mindanao Island 73%, and Belvie Good Morning, Vietnam. The music for this episode was sampled from an instrumental version of the song “Umbrella” written and performed by indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna and get in touch about booking her for a show at her website. Em Sauter is an Advanced Cicerone®, cartoonist, author, beer reviewer, international beer judge and public speaker who runs the award winning website Pints and Panels, which focuses on visual beer education. Her first book "Beer is for Everyone! (of Drinking Age)" was published in 2017 by One Peace Books. Her second book "Hooray for Craft Beer!" was released in April by Brewers Publications. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 07 Jun 2022 | A Wine Sommelier Tastes Beer & Chocolate: Lauren Gay of Tender Mercy (Ep. 40) | 00:57:19 | |
“There is so much emotion and memory and feeling wrapped up in the tasting process.” In this episode we’ll talk with Lauren Gay, a certified Sommelier and the wine director and general manager at Sueño and Tender Mercy in Dayton, Ohio. Lauren is passionate about hospitality and just really great wine, and you can hear her enthusiasm as she discusses her journey as a Somm, what she loves about the tasting experience, and how she extends that experience to her guests. Along the way, I have Lauren taste two excellent beers and three bean to bar chocolates to get a unique perspective on the flavors of each from a seasoned wine expert. Beer discussed in this episode include Odious Cellars Rubied Perspective and Is/Was Tree Tipper. Chocolates discussed in this episode include Definite Dominican Republic Oko Caribe 70%, Firetree Philippines Mindanao Island 73%, and Belvie Good Morning, Vietnam. Lauren Gay is a Dayton native with sommelier certification through the Court of Master Sommeliers. She has worked in hospitality for two decades in cities including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and San Francisco, and had a brief stint in Travel/F&B content creation. She is currently the GM and Wine Director for Sueño and Tender Mercy in downtown Dayton. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 21 Jun 2022 | Ebony & Ivory: Ale Sharpton on Piano Keys Stout | 00:27:58 | |
“People get the vision. It’s a beer that’s helping to make a difference.” In this episode we talk with the Reverend Ale Sharpton, a beer expert, writer, photographer, and consultant living in Atlanta, Georgia. Ale is one of the most respected voices in the craft beer scene, and he’s a passionate advocate for folks of all backgrounds, races, and identities to get to enjoy this beautiful drink. A few years back, he partnered with New Belgium Brewing and Xocolatl Small Batch Chocolate on a signature beer called Piano Keys that would open conversations and show newcomers what beer could be. We talk about the process for developing this chocolate vanilla Imperial Stout, his passion for flavor, and the road ahead for Piano Keys. Beyond Piano Keys, beers discussed in this episode include Weathered Souls Black Is Beautiful, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, and Creature Comforts Automatic Pale Ale. Piano Keys can be ordered for shipping (where permitted) at the New Belgium website. You can find out more about the BrewGether initiative here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 19 Jul 2022 | Indianapolis Beer with Amy Beers (Ep. 42) | 00:26:02 | |
Indianapolis, Indiana, has a thriving craft beer scene and a rich history of brewing. Amy Beers covers both in our latest episode. In this episode we talk with Amy Beers, the author of the new book Indianapolis Beer Stories: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing. Amy is a Certified Cicerone and she leads walking beer tours around Indy through her company Drinking with Beers. In this conversation we discuss her book, the invisible history of Indianapolis beer prior to Prohibition, and the vibrant modern beer scene in central Indiana. Breweries and beers discussed in this episode include Broad Ripple Brewpub, Sun King Brewery (Polynesian Passion), Metazoa Brewing (Hoppopotamus IPA), Indiana City Brewing, Scarlet Lane Brewing (Dorian Stout), Upland Brewing (Champagne Velvet, Two of Tarts), Fountain Square Brewing, Chilly Water Brewing (Built to Last & Dark Side of the Munich), and Taxman Brewing. You can find out more about Amy Beers and book one of her Drinking with Beers tours here. Indianapolis Beer Stories: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing is available now. If your favorite independent bookstore doesn’t have it, ask them to order it! You can purchase tickets to my Autumn in Belgium virtual tasting here. Amy Beers is a Certified Cicerone and the author of Indianapolis Beer Story: History to Modern Craft in Circle City Brewing. She leads walking beer tours around Indianapolis through her company Drinking with Beers. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 26 Jul 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Brett Smith of Branch & Bone | 00:06:50 | |
Brett Smith is the co-founder and head brewer of Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio. He uses cacao from Violet Sky Chocolate for his elegant and complex chocolate beers, and in this quick conversation he explains how he got introduced to Violet Sky and a couple of the first beers he brewed with their cacao—Modern Business Hymns and Campfire Candle. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 09 Aug 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Chocolate Lover Shay Pal | 00:04:56 | |
Shay Pal is a chocolate, spirits, and coffee enthusiast from Chicago and runs the @choccoffeewine Instagram account. In this Bean to Barstool Bite Sized conversation, we discuss Crow & Moss Vanilla Smoke, a 69% dark chocolate made with hickory smoked cacao, and Shay makes spirits pairings for this unusual bar. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 02 Aug 2022 | Crown of Horns Fit for a [goat] Queen (Ep. 43) | 00:26:43 | |
“It was one of the best days we’ve ever seen.” On July 23, the weird and wonderful humans at Rabid Brewing in Homewood, Illinois, welcomed the fae folk of the surrounding wild country to Feast of the Goat Queen, a day of celebration for all things magical, natural, and mystical. The Feast also featured the release of Crown of Horns, a chocolate cream ale Bean to Barstool brewed in collaboration with Rabid Brewing. In this episode we talk with Raiye Rosado and Tobias Cichon of Rabid Brewing about Feast of the Goat Queen and its coronation chocolate beer, Crown of Horns, as well as with Emily Stone, the founder of Uncommon Cacao, about the brand new Philippine cacao we used in the beer. The music for this episode is from the songs “Free” and “Love’s Not” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment. Raiye Rosado & Tobias Cichon are the husband and wife co-founders of Rabid Brewing. They began dating in 2010, and Raiye promptly introduced Tobias to good beer. Their wedding was a Halloween costume party. The pair began homebrewing, and decided to open a brewery together after getting married. Rabid Brewing opened on October 13, 2017. Emily Stone is the Founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, a group of Transparent Trade cacao operations. Emily spent 2010-2017 living in Belize and Guatemala developing the specialty cacao value chain operations and working directly with producers. Now based in the U.S., Emily leads Uncommon Cacao's work supplying delicious, high quality, transparently-sourced cacao for hundreds of craft and premium chocolate makers globally. Emily is an Ashoka Fellow and Unreasonable Fellow, and a recipient of the FCIA Recognition of Excellence in Outstanding Contribution at Origin in Sustainability of Fine Chocolate. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 16 Aug 2022 | Tasting with Colour with Hazel Lee (Ep. 44) | 00:46:04 | |
“My approach to tasting is to try to make it as approachable and accessible to as many people as possible.” In this episode we talk with Hazel Lee, an international chocolate judge and the creator of Taste with Colour: The Chocolate Tasting Flavor Map. We talk about how Hazel got into chocolate, what led to the development of her flavor map, and how it’s used to deepen and inform the experience of tasting chocolate for both newcomers and experienced tasters. A few months back we asked artist Katie Clark Gabbard to put paint to canvas in response to tasting beers and chocolates without knowing what they were. The results were illuminating, and today Hazel will share with us how she uses the connection between flavor and color to help people better understand what they’re tasting in their favorite chocolate. Chocolate and chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include La Iguana Chocolate, Mission Cupuaçu 70%, Hotel Chocolat, and Karuna Chocolate. The music for this episode is from the song “Umbrella” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment. Hazel Lee is the Creator of Taste With Colour®: The Chocolate Tasting Flavour Map, an international chocolate judge, home bean to bar chocolate maker and cocoa adventurer. She studied Food Science at Leeds University and currently works full time as a Liquid Development Manager for Fever-Tree. Hazel spends her free time judging chocolate awards, painting cacao pods, taking part in chocolate events across the world and, of course, eating plenty of fine chocolate! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 23 Aug 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minute with Corina Gimenez of Xoco by Corina | 00:05:52 | |
Corina Gimenez is the founder and chocolate maker of Xoco by Corina, a bean to bar chocolate company in Norway. Corina is from Venezuela, and she uses Venezuelan cacao in dialogue with Norwegian culinary ingredients in her range of unique bars. Her 3 Bean Stout bar is made in collaboration with Lervig Beer. Their 3 Bean Stout is an Imperial Stout brewed with cacao beans, vanilla beans, and tonka beans, and Corina makes her bar with the beer. Listen in as Corina explains the spirit and the process behind this excellent beer-infused chocolate bar. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 06 Sep 2022 | Emily Stone of Uncommon Cacao (Ep. 45) | 00:35:54 | |
“Uncommon cacao is telling the story of the power of connection.” In this episode we talk with Emily Stone, the founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, a group of Transparent Trade cacao operations with offices in the U.S. and Europe and operations at numerous cacao origins. Uncommon supplies cacao for hundreds of bean to bar chocolate makers and, indirectly through their bean to bar partners, quite a few craft breweries as well. Emily is passionate about the people and stories behind these cacao origins, and here we talk about those origins, what led Emily to start Uncommon, and the importance of full, two-way transparency in the cacao supply chain. Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include Ritual, Taza, Dick Taylor, Dandelion, Raaka, French Broad, Ratza, Videri, and Ethereal Confections. If you want to learn more about Uncommon Cacao, you can visit their website. They just released their annual transparency report here if you wish to read it. You can also follow them on Instagram. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 30 Aug 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Marika Josephson of Scratch Brewing | 00:06:48 | |
Marika Josephson and Aaron Kleidon, co-founders and brewers at Scratch Brewing in southern Illinois, love trees, and have brewed countless beers with nearly every part of the different species of trees surrounding the brewery. On my first visit to the property on a beautiful spring day in 2017, I tasted their Pine Needle IPA, whose lightly resinous character of drooping needles dovetailed beautifully with the beer’s gentle hops. The barrel-aged hickory stout offered images of a comforting campfire, damp flannel, a hint of whiskey, and a slightly wild fermentation. On a following trip I tried beers with black cedar, fermented acorns, maple, oak, cherry bark, and others. Beers that seem to speak with the voice of the forest, with wild edges but vibrant hearts. In Episode 19 (Wood), I spoke with Marika about these forest beers. In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, Marika shares what she loves most about working with tree ingredients in brewing. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 13 Sep 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham | 00:08:46 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-Beckham, the principle behind Crafted for All, a consultancy that helps craft beverage companies and organizations be more inclusive, equitable, and just, as well as the founder and executive director of Craft by EDU, a nonprofit whose mission is to champion those same goals in craft beer through education and professional development. I spoke with Dr. J. last year about descriptive tasting language for beer, how culturally informed those vocabularies can be, and how the tasting experience can be used to invite newcomers into craft beer. Recent articles by beer writers Mark Dredge and Courtney Iseman. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 20 Sep 2022 | The Glorious Horrors of Scarlet Lane Brewing (Ep. 46) | 00:38:35 | |
“Horror is emblematic of everything we’re doing and feeling, but it gives us the safe space to discuss it.” Spooky season is upon us, and today we’re talking with two brewers for whom spooky season lasts the entire year. Eilise Lane is the founder and head brewer at Scarlet Lane Brewing Company in Indiana. As you’ll hear in the interview, Eilise is obsessed with horror movies and literature, and books in general, and uses Scarlet Lane to celebrate all things macabre. Josh Hull is a brewer at Scarlet Lane who is also a screenwriter and filmmaker. His new horror comedy Glorious is available for streaming now on Shudder. The three of us discuss our love for horror and how that theme gets celebrated in fun ways at Scarlet Lane, how Eilise comes up with the ideas for her beers, and Josh’s process for writing the grimy but delightful cosmic horror movie Glorious. Scarlet Lane beers discussed in this episode include Dorian Espresso Stout and its variants, Sammy Terry Kölsch, and Glorious Cosmic Ale. Horror movies discussed in this episode include Scream, Aliens, Halloween, Dracula, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Anna and the Apocalypse, Jaws, Tremors, Deep Blue Sea, Midsommar, Nope, Prey, Hard Candy, and of course Glorious. You can check out Glorious on Shudder with a subscription or free trial. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 11 Oct 2022 | Favorites from Denver's Great American Beer Festival 2022 (Ep. 47) | 00:29:49 | |
Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen just got back from covering the Great American Beer Festival in Denver for PorchDrinking, as well as the Denver Rare Beer Tasting. While he was in Denver, he attended PorchDrinking's 10th anniversary festival, hosted a beer and chocolate pairing at Lady Justice Brewing, and stopped in at many of Denver's best breweries, including Jagged Mountain Brewery, Our Mutual Friend, Cerveceria Colorado, and Wah Gwaan Brewing. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 18 Oct 2022 | Quick Bonus Episode: Introducing the Pairing Beer & Chocolate Zine | 00:03:54 | |
Bean to Barstool host and Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen has written and published a guide to pairing craft beer and craft chocolate, and it's for sale now on the Bean to Barstool website. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 25 Oct 2022 | Sleepy Hollow & a Hallow's Eve Beer (Ep. 48) | 00:16:43 | |
We're doing something a little different for today's episode. Bean to Barstool is all about stories, and today we're retelling a classic American ghost story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The story provides the inspiration for New Holland Brewing Ichabod Pumpkin Ale, so grab your favorite pumpkin beer and join us for this haunting tale. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 01 Nov 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Kyle Spears of Carillon Brewing | 00:06:53 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Kyle Spears, the head brewer for Carillon Brewing Company in Dayton, Ohio. Carillon is housed on the grounds of Carillon Historical Park, and is the only brewery in the country on the grounds of a historical museum. Their beer is brewed entirely using techniques and replica equipment from 1850. Kyle is a trained historian, and here he talks about the importance of tasting these beers in the context of the museum, the time period their seeking to recreate, and some of the unusual beer recipes they've brought back to life. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | Sips + Sweets with French Broad Chocolates & Burial Beer (Ep. 49) | 00:35:57 | |
On November 16 & 17, Bean to Barstool host and Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen in collaboration with French Broad Chocolates and Burial Beer in Asheville, NC, will be hosting two nights of events celebrating the relationship between beer and chocolate. Sips + Sweets: An Evening of Beer & Cacao will take place at 6:00 p.m. at the French Broad Chocolates Factory & Cafe. French Broad Chocolate and six of Asheville's premier brewers offer an evening exploring the culinary relationship between beer and chocolate. This cocktail-style tasting event features a chance to chat with Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen plus sweet and savory beer pairings featuring French Broad Chocolate, Pisgah Brewing, Wicked Weed Brewing, HiWire Brewing, Green Man Brewing, Burial Brewing, and Whistle Hop. All ticket sales benefit Manna FoodBank. Tickets are $45 and include samples of all beers and treats. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 15 Nov 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Tyler Cagwin of Nostalgia Chocolate | 00:05:50 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Tyler Cagwin, co-founder and chocolate maker at Nostalgia Chocolate in Syracuse, New York. Tyler loves craft beer almost as much as he loves craft chocolate, and has a particular affinity for IPAs, so he decided to infuse a chocolate bar with the character of Chinook hops from The Bineyard hop farm. Here Tyler talks about the process for developing his Hop Aged bar. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 29 Nov 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Harshit Gupta of Madhu Chocolate | 00:05:41 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Harshit Gupta, co-founder of Madhu Chocolate in Austin, Texas. Harshit and husband Elliott Curelop use inclusions that celebrate Harshit's Indian heritage, with bars like Masala Chai and Rose Pistachio. In this quick conversation, Harshit talks about the meaning of the name Madhu and what it means to him to celebrate these flavors. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 06 Dec 2022 | Curating Chocolate with Spencer Hyman of Cocoa Runners (Ep. 50) | 00:43:43 | |
“I passionately believe that if we want to save the planet and be healthy we have to go back to savoring and not scoffing.” In this episode we talk with Spencer Hyman, co-founder of Cocoa Runners. Cocoa Runners is a website that sells many of the world’s finest craft chocolate bars, including bars from over 150 makers from over 40 countries. Prior to Cocoa Runners, Spencer was the COO of last.fm, and the playlist curation experience he gained there informs his work at Cocoa Runners, where he sees himself curating chocolate playlists of sorts for folks who may want some guidance when it comes to picking out their next great chocolate discovery. During our conversation, Spencer and I discuss the similarities between music and flavor, how understanding different types of music listeners informs his work at Cocoa Runners, and how we can learn from tasting chocolate with other people of different backgrounds. Listen to the episode to get a discount code exclusively for listeners of Bean to Barstool to get 10% off your order from Cocoa Runners. The music for this episode is from the songs “200 Miles” and “Up In Smoke” by my dear friend, indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment. Spencer Hyman co-founded CocoaRunners.com with Simon Palethorpe back in 2013 to help people find the world’s finest craft chocolates. CocoaRunners sources bars from over 150 makers in over 40 countries, and offers weekly virtual tastings and a monthly subscription service. Before CocoaRunners, Spencer was COO of the music website Last.fm; helped launch Amazon’s Software, Electronics, Video Games and Toy Stores in the UK, France, and Germany; and made and sold Cabbage Patch Dolls in Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. He particularly enjoys savouring craft chocolate after a swim in the Hampstead Ponds. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 13 Dec 2022 | Bean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Sam Ratto of Videri Chocolate | 00:04:58 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, we talk with Sam Ratto, co-founder of Videri Chocolate Factory in Raleigh, NC. Videri recently celebrated 11 years in business, and they have regularly collaborated with craft breweries during that time, providing nibs and other cacao products to breweries such as New Belgium, Fonta Flora, and Crank Arm. Here we talk about how Sam got involved with craft beer, and the products Videri offers to brewers. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 20 Dec 2022 | Favorite Beers & Chocolates of 2022 | 00:47:30 | |
Join me for a look back at my favorite beers & chocolates of 2022. In the episode, you’ll also hear favorites from some of my friends in beer & chocolate: Ruvani de Silva is a beer journalist living in Austin, Texas. You can find her at her website and on Twitter & Instagram. Shay Pal runs the choccoffeewine Instagram account. You can find her at her website and listen to a quick conversation with Shay here. Tristan Chan is the founder of Porchdrinking.com, as well as the founder of The Porch Collective. You can follow him on Twitter & Instagram. Ale Sharpton is a beer journalist & consultant. You can check out his website here, and follow him on Twitter & Instagram. You can listen to my interview with Ale back in Episode 41. Hazel Lee is the Creator of Taste With Colour®: The Chocolate Tasting Flavour Map. You can find her at tastewithcolour.com and on Instagram. You can listen to my episode with Hazel in Episode 44. Emily Stone is the founder & CEO of Uncommon Cacao. You can listen to my interview with Emily in Episode 45. Em Sauter is an Advanced Cicerone® and the cartoonist who runs Pints & Panels. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram. You can listen to my interview with Em in Episode 39. Luke Owen Smith is a writer & professional chocolate taster based in New Zealand. You can find him on Instagram and listen my interview with Luke in Episode 37. Courtney Iseman is a beer writer who writes the excellent free newsletter Hugging the Bar. You can learn more about her at her website and follow her on Instagram. Other episodes and articles referenced include: Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 10 Jan 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Chocolate Educator Sanna Forslund | 00:06:02 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, we talk with Sanna Forslund, a chocolate educator from Sweden. Sanna is passionate about the tasting experience and sharing it with others, and speaks often of traveling through chocolate, a way of letting the wind wander during the tasting experience and allowing our chemical senses to take us to other places and evoke distinctive memories. Here Sanna shares how she prepares herself for traveling through the tasting experience. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 17 Jan 2023 | The Chocolate Conspiracy's Beer-Infused Bars (Ep. 52) | 00:44:29 | |
AJ Wentworth, the founder and chocolate maker for Utah’s The Chocolate Conspiracy, loves craft beer almost as much as he loves craft chocolate, and he’s partnered with several Salt Lake City craft breweries on a series of beer-infused craft chocolate bars, including a bar with Uinta Brewing’s Baba Black Lager. In today’s episode, AJ and beer writer David Nilsen discuss his partnerships with neighboring breweries, his process for infusing beer flavors into his bars, the burgeoning Salt Lake City beer and chocolate scenes, and his background in raw cuisine. Breweries mentioned in this episode include Uinta, Fishers, Level Crossing, Kiitos, Bohemian, RoHa, Salt Fire, Proper, Hopkins, Templin Family, and Shades. Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include Ritual, Amano, Mill Creek, and Solstice. You can find information on Mother Jungle Herbs here. You can find out more about Caputo’s here. If you aren’t signed up for David’s twice-a-month email newsletter, you can sign up here. This free newsletter is the best way to keep up with everything happening on the Bean to Barstool podcast and blog, as well as David’s professional beer writing and events. The newsletter also includes interviews with brewers and chocolate makers, many of which appear in the newsletter before they’re shared anywhere else. Sign up here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 24 Jan 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Scott Watson of Loon Chocolate | 00:07:07 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, host David Nilsen spends five minutes with Scott Watson, the founder and chocolate maker at Loon Chocolate in New Hampshire. Prior to becoming a chocolate maker, Scott was a brewer at Nutfield Brewing in the late 90s. Here Scott talks about the similarities between the two careers, and how the sensory romance of both tugs at the same corners of his heart and mind. To start out, I asked him if he ever missed brewing. You can listen to the full conversation with Scott here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 31 Jan 2023 | Quick Bonus Episode: Pairing Doppelbock with Craft Chocolate | 00:05:48 | |
In this quick bonus episode, 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. You can learn more about Paulaner Salvator—the first Doppelbock—from beer writers Jeff Alworth and Ron Pattinson. And you can purchase the Pairing Beer & Chocolate zine here! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 07 Feb 2023 | Lust & Chocolate with Author Michele Hauf (Ep. 53) | 00:22:28 | |
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I figured this was a good time to sit down with author Michele Hauf, who has written a romance novel themed around craft and bean to bar chocolate called Lust and Chocolate. During our conversation we talk about her process for writing the book, her own journey into craft chocolate, and whether or not chocolate is really an aphrodisiac. Lust and Chocolate follows Melanie Peters, a plucky food reporter tasked with tracking down and reviewing the world’s most coveted chocolate. Melanie, a chocoholic obsessed with the world of bean to bar chocolate, has set out to try the coveted Sommer Chocolates bon bons. The only problem? There’s a one-year waiting list to buy even a small box of the bon bons, and no one is willing to share. To try the seductive chocolates, she might have to outwit their equally seductive creator, Maksim von Sommer. Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include French Broad, Map, Amadei, Fjak, Momotombo, and Terroir. You can purchase Lust & Chocolate at Amazon or Barnes & Noble. You can read more about chocolate’s purported role as an aphrodisiac here. You can sign up for David’s twice-a-month email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 14 Feb 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Sara Ratza of Ratza Chocolate | 00:05:20 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, host David Nilsen spends five minutes with Sara Ratza of Ratza Chocolate in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Sara is board-certified as a Holistic Health Practitioner, and uses medicinal herbs in many of her bars. She’s also the author of the new book Drinking Chocolate: Ancient Traditions for Modern Healing—30 Easy Recipes and Botanical Guide, which you can order along with her bars from ratzachocolate.com. Two of David’s favorite bars from Ratza are the Aphrodite and Self-Love bars, and here Sara spends a few minutes talking about the botanicals in these bars and how they can potentially benefit our bodies. Listen in as Sara discusses chocolate for our love lives, loving ourselves, and loving cacao. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 21 Feb 2023 | Nicole Hewat of World Tree Chocolate (Ep. 54) | 00:35:00 | |
In this episode we talk with Nicole Hewat, founder of World Tree Chocolate. World Tree offers curated chocolate boxes based on flavor preferences, but Nicole is also an artist, and she has used cacao in various forms for watercolor paintings as well as illustrations for a book about the cacao-growing and chocolate-making process. During our conversation we talked about flavor and the tasting experience, her process for creating her paintings, and the way flavor can interact with our emotions and the art we take in during the tasting process. The driving theme of Bean to Barstool is the interaction of flavor with our memories, emotions, and imaginations. When I first saw the Nicole Hewat’s paintings at World Tree Chocolate using chocolate by-products as paint, I was intrigued by this extension of that idea. Here were the very ingredients that create the flavors of chocolate being used in another sensory medium, conveying color and shape and place. It was no surprise when Nicole and I spoke recently that she sees so much overlap and influence between our senses, with everything from music to weather to visual art influencing her flavor perception. Listen in as we discuss these interactions and take a deep dive into her artistic process. Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include Solkiki, Askinosie, Qantu, Baiani, and Soma. You can purchase find out more about World Tree Chocolate here. You can purchase tickets for the Beer Chocolate Virtual Tasting mentioned in the episode here. You can sign up for David’s twice-a-month email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 28 Feb 2023 | Quick Bonus Episode: Exciting Announcements! | 00:05:35 | |
In this quick bonus episode, Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen shares some exciting announcements about upcoming projects! A couple of these you might know about, but listen to the end (don’t worry, it’s only 5 minutes) for news about a couple very exciting projects that will be launched soon! You can purchase The Bean to Barstool Guide to Bocks zine here. You can order tickets to the Beer Chocolate Virtual Tasting here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 07 Mar 2023 | Trinidad & Tobago Cacao in Beer & Chocolate (Ep. 55) | 01:03:57 | |
In this episode we talk with Sarah Bharath, a former academic who now works with cacao farmers in Trinidad & Tobago on behalf of Meridian Cacao, assisting them in improving their farming and post-harvest processes in hopes of increasing the amount of fine flavor cacao Meridian is then able to purchase and pass along to craft chocolate makers. We also talk with Chris Heier, head brewer at Half Hitch Brewing in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. Chris is one-fourth Trinidadian, and has brewed a beer and made his own chocolate with Meridian’s Trinidadian cacao from Jagassar Estate. Chocolate makers mentioned in this episode include Cocobel and Woodblock Chocolate. You can purchase The Bean to Barstool Guide to Bocks promoted in this episode here. You can purchase tickets for the Beer Chocolate Virtual Tasting mentioned in the episode here. You can sign up for David’s twice-a-month email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 14 Mar 2023 | Bite Sized: Erica Gilmour of Hummingbird Chocolate | 00:05:12 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, host David Nilsen spends five minutes with Erica Gilmour of Hummingbird Chocolate. Hummingbird is in Lanark County, Ontario, the maple sugar capital of a region known for its maple. Fittingly, they make a bar that celebrates this sweet regional distinctive, and as the maple run is currently in full swing, we felt it was a good time to share Erica’s thoughts on working with this evocative ingredient. You can listen to the full conversation with Erica here. Want to stay up to date on Bean to Barstool episodes and blog posts? Sign up for the newsletter! Erica Gilmour’s love of chocolate and working with farmers around the world led her to found Hummingbird Chocolate in 2012 with her husband, Drew. Hummingbird focuses on ethical sourcing, highlighting the varied natural flavours of cacao and bringing a little joy into people's lives. Based in Almonte, Ontario just outside of Ottawa, Hummingbird has won 100 international chocolate awards and the coveted Golden Bean award from the Academy of Chocolate in London, UK. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 21 Mar 2023 | Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate (Ep. 56) | 00:49:42 | |
In this episode we talk with Arcelia Gallardo, the founder and chocolate maker at Mission Chocolate in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Arcelia has taken a long and winding road to making world class chocolate in Brazil, and as she’ll explain, her own journey is interwoven with the growth of the cacao industry and bean to bar chocolate scene in Brazil over the last decade. Arcelia also talks about the exciting craft beer scene in Brazil right now, and its relationship to cacao. Arcelia Gallardo’s chocolate origin story began two decades ago, and has featured supporting roles from some of the most prominent names in craft chocolate. She didn’t make her name in the bean to bar revolution’s spotlight however. Instead, she moved to a country where she didn’t speak the language and set about figuring out how to make great chocolate with cacao everyone told her wasn’t up to the challenge. Listen in as Arcelia tells us the story that led to Mission Chocolate, a bean to bar company bringing the flavors of Brazil to the chocolate world. Chocolate makers and other professionals mentioned in this episode include Dandelion Chocolate, Chocolate Maya, and Bean to Bar Brasil. Breweries mentioned include Japas Cervejaria. You can purchase tickets for the Belgian Gold Virtual Beer Tasting mentioned in the episode here. You can sign up for our weekly email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 28 Mar 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Artist Annabelle Popa | 00:05:41 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we hear from Annabelle Popa, an artist and graphic designer who has created many of the eye catching labels for Rabid Brewing in the south suburbs of Chicago. When you enter Rabid’s taproom, you’re greeted by an enormous 9'x16' mural hanging over the bar that depicts a fanciful scene telling a mythological version of beer’s origin story. Annabelle painted that mural, and here she talks about the creation process for that and the creative give and take of designing beer labels. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 04 Apr 2023 | Hi-Wire Brewing's 10W-40 Chocolate Imperial Stouts (Ep. 57) | 00:27:58 | |
In this episode we talk with brewers at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina, about 10W-40, a family of Imperial Stouts brewed with French Broad cacao, Dynamite coffee, and Ugandan vanilla. You can sign up for our weekly email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 11 Apr 2023 | Quick Bonus Episode: Final Gravity Zine & Patreon Info | 00:10:29 | |
In this quick bonus episode, Bean to Barstool host & Final Gravity co-editor David Nilsen shares details about the forthcoming Final Gravity zine—a new quarterly print beer publication—as well as the launch of the Final Gravity Patreon to support it! Listen in to get all the exciting details about this project and learn how you can be involved. You can preorder Issue 01 of Final Gravity here. You can check out the Patreon and support us here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 18 Apr 2023 | Estelle Tracy on Pairing Wine & Chocolate (Ep. 58) | 00:56:24 | |
Pairing beer and chocolate is one of the major topics of Bean to Barstool. Chocolate can pair beautifully with a wide variety of grown-up beverages, however, and most people probably think of wine for this role first. Estelle Tracy leads wine and chocolate pairing events professionally, but she comes to this not as a stuffy expert, but as a curious observer who has learned along the way, following her senses to new areas of knowledge and expertise without losing the joy of discovery. In this episode, 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. Chocolate makers and other professionals mentioned in this episode include Dick Taylor, Woodblock, Fruition, Kennett Brewing, Violet Sky, Moka Origins, Chimay, Troegs, Sam Adams, Hogarth, and Map. You can preorder Issue 01 of Final Gravity here. You can check out the Final Gravity Patreon and support us here. Estelle Tracy is a chocolate sommelier based in the Philadelphia area. A chemist by training, she’s the founder of 37 Chocolates, a chocolate tasting company. Since 2020, she's hosted over 350 virtual tastings to chocolate-lovers on 5 continents. Find out more at 37chocolates.com. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 25 Apr 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Natalie Suwanprakorn of Xoconat | 00:06:01 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, we spend about 5 minutes with Natalie Suwanprakorn of Xoconat in Bangkok, Thailand. Nat makes her Up in Smoke bar by smoking cacao nibs over a Thai aromatic candle often used for Thai desserts. It’s a wonderfully evocative bar, and your reaction to it will largely depend on whether or not you have a cultural familiarity with the smoke of this candle. I didn’t, and it brought to mind bibliosmia, the smell of old books - quite a comforting and intriguing quality for this book lover. Listen in as Nat shares the story of this bar, how it was made, and its significance for her as a Thai chocolate maker. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 02 May 2023 | Sarah Bharath on Cacao Fermentation (Ep. 59) | 01:01:14 | |
Many people don’t realize chocolate is a fermented food. Before we can make chocolate from cacao, that cacao has to undergo a fermentation process. This process is usually spontaneous, meaning the microbiotic cultures that carry out the fermentation are not manually added to the fermentation substrate but instead occur naturally. That doesn’t mean it’s a hands off process. A great deal of knowledge and expertise both traditional and technical is required to yield the best results. In this episode we take a deep dive into cacao fermentation with Sarah Bharath. Sarah works with cacao farmers in Trinidad & Tobago on behalf of Meridian Cacao, assisting them in improving their farming and post-harvest processes. Sarah is both a passionate advocate for cacao farmers and an inquisitive researcher whose curiosity drives her enthusiasm for always learning more about this fascinating crop. Today we talk all about the cacao fermentation process, how the variables of that process impact the flavors of chocolate, and how climate change is forcing farmers and scientists to constantly adapt to new realities. It’s interesting to note is that some of the same microorganisms we see in the beer world are also involved in fermenting cacao, such as Saccharomyces Cerevisiae (ale yeast), Lactobacillus (often used when brewing sour beer styles), and Acetobacter (which subtly influences the fermentation of Flanders sour ales). Additionally, the fermentation itself is spontaneous, similar to the fermentation of Lambic and other wild ale styles. You can sign up for the Slow Pour email newsletter here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 09 May 2023 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Hazel Lee of Taste with Colour | 00:05:42 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, we spend about 5 minutes with Hazel Lee, the creator of Taste with Colour: The Chocolate Tasting Flavor Map. The map allows people to use color to identify flavors, and Hazel talks about how this process can be beneficial to folks of all levels of tasting experience, and why no one should feel intimidated when sharing their own tasting impressions. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 16 May 2023 | Arron Liu of Chocobien (Ep. 60) | 00:49:17 | |
In this episode David Nilsen talks with Arron Liu of Chocobien in Hong Kong. Chocobien is a bean to bar chocolate company that produces many truly unique bars that employ flavors and ingredients from other artisan food and beverage segments, including beer, whiskey, coffee, sake, tea, and more. You can find out more about Chocobien on their website. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 23 May 2023 | Bite Sized: Emily Stone of Uncommon Cacao | 00:07:20 | |
In today's episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Emily Stone of Uncommon Cacao, one of the leading companies providing ethically and traceably sourced cacao for bean to bar chocolate makers. Emily talks about the process of beginning a relationship with a new partner at origin and her desire for transparency in cacao sourcing to be a two way street between farmers and makers. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 30 May 2023 | Beer Basics (for Chocolate Lovers...and Everyone Else) | 00:39:51 | |
A lot of my listeners come to this podcast from the craft chocolate world, and given how complicated and overwhelming beer can be, I want to make sure you all get to enjoy the beer-related parts of Bean to Barstool to the fullest. Today we’re going to look at the ingredients and processes of brewing and some frequently asked questions about beer, which will hopefully make the beer conversations we have on this show make more sense and be even more enjoyable. Grab a beer and listen in!
Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 13 Jun 2023 | Leila Carvajal of Cocoa Supply | 00:49:00 | |
Leila Carvajal’s family has worked with cacao for generations, stretching back to the 19th century, but every generation has reinterpreted their relationship with this fruit tree that gives us chocolate. Growing up in Ecuador, Leila remembers visiting the cacao farms that provided beans for CocoaSupply, her family’s company. Leila eventually became a chemical engineer and now lives in the U.S., and has guided CocoaSupply into its current position as a leading provider of cacao for bean to bar makers and, notably, craft breweries. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 18 Jul 2023 | Pairing Witbier & Hefeweizen with Craft Chocolate (Bonus) | 00:06:00 | |
Belgian Witbier and Bavarian Hefeweizen are both standard strength wheat ales with expressive fermentation flavors, and while they hail from different national traditions, pairing guidance for both with craft chocolate is pretty similar. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 27 Jun 2023 | How to Taste with Author Mandy Naglich | 00:47:10 | |
Mandy Naglich has written a book that explores how our senses interact with food and beverage, and how understanding our senses can help us better enjoy our favorite indulgences. How to Taste: A Guide to Discovering Flavor and Savoring Life (Citadel) combines science and whimsy to teach us more about our sensory world and bring our favorite flavors to life. I talked recently with Mandy about some of the amazing things she experienced and learned while writing the book, how we both approach the tasting process, and why tasting with other people can be so impactful. We tasted a beer and a chocolate together, and she also read a couple short passages from her book. Listen in as we talk with Mandy Naglich about her book How to Taste. As a Certified Cider Professional and after completing all levels of WSET Spirits, Mandy began to teach both consumers and professionals about flavor and service across the beverage alcohol category. Her wildly popular tasting classes sell out around the city and virtually. Mandy uses her experience tasting and studying beverages to report for outlets like Vice, Taste of Home, VinePair, and Wine Enthusiast. Her fans also follow her adventures around the world on her popular blog @drinkswithmandy. She started her career in journalism at the Schieffer College of Communication at TCU (go frogs!) and after working in Dallas for several years she’s made her home in New York City. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 11 Jul 2023 | Coffee & Cacao | 00:58:31 | |
While both coffee and cacao have many beautiful things in common related to flavor, creativity, science, and innovation, they unfortunately also both face many of the same challenges. The products of these crops are luxury items in North America and Europe, but represent the livelihoods of often low-income farmers and laborers in their countries of origin. Predictably, both are rife for economic, labor, and ecological abuses. In this episode we talk with two gentleman who work with both coffee and cacao. Kyle Bellinger of Osito Coffee partners with Jose Jadir Losada in Colombia to import both coffee and cacao to North America and Europe. Through the lens of the Colombian supply chain, he has a keen understanding of the problems and opportunities facing both coffee and cacao farmers. Hans Westerink runs Violet Sky Chocolate and Cloud Walking Coffee in South Bend, Indiana, and has spent years working with both of these enigmatic beans to deepen his understanding of how to roast and process both to make amazing bean to bar chocolate and a perfect cup of coffee. Sitting at the consumer end of the supply chain, he recognizes the problems facing these industries from a public education standpoint. The music for Bean to Barstool is by indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music in the show notes or at her website annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 25 Jul 2023 | Blackest in the Forest: Bartender & Pastry Chef Michael George on Cocktails, Cacao, & Celebrating Self | 00:58:22 | |
Michael George is a bartender and pastry chef in Salt Lake City. They split their time between a couple different bars—you can find them on various nights at Water Witch, a James Beard-nominated bar, and Acme Bar Co. They bring a passion for flavor and story, their own vibrant personality, and the sensibility of their background in the kitchen to their drinks, in which they seek to both honor tradition and break through artificial barriers of what a drink can be. As a Black, queer, non-binary person, the barriers Michael is working to break down go far beyond just the strictures of what can go into a cocktail to encompass who gets to make that cocktail in the first place. Michael recently won the prestigious Black Manhattan Contest put on by the Black Bourbon Society with two cocktails that tell amazing stories and push the boundaries of flavor. One of those drinks, which they named the Blackest in the Forest, was made using cacao and chocolate from Ritual, and tells the story of Michael’s roots—where they’ve been, where they are now, and where they’re going. You can find a link to the recipe for Blackest in the Forest here and make it yourself at home! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 08 Aug 2023 | Cacao Pulp in Brewing with Leila Carvajal Erker & Sam Mosle | 00:33:07 | |
While brewers have long used cacao nibs for brewing chocolate beers, the pulp of the cacao fruit has been an unexplored resource due to its high perishability and cultural obscurity. Leila Carvajal Erker of Cocoa Supply wants to see that change. Her company is importing pasteurized cacao pulp from cacao farms in Ecuador and working with brewers to figure out how best it can be used in the brewing process. In this episode we talk with Leila about Cocoa Supply’s cacao pulp products, as well as Sam Mosle, the head brewer at Wind River Brewing in Pinedale, Wyoming, who recently brewed a Blonde Ale with cacao pulp. We also discuss a similar beer brewed by Jon Naghski at Fifth Street Brewpub in Dayton, Ohio. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 15 Aug 2023 | Bite Sized: Anna Seear of Ritual Chocolate on Honeycomb Toffee 75% | 00:04:58 | |
In today's episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we talk with Anna Seear of Ritual Chocolate in Utah. Ritual brews a line of bars inspired by the surrounding Utah wilderness, and one of these bars honors Utah's nickname as The Beehive State. Ritual uses wildflower honey from local Hollow Tree Honey for this delightful bar. Listen in as Anna talks about how honey gets used in this bar and the importance of preserving and supporting pollinators. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 22 Aug 2023 | Oliver Holecek of Primo Chocolate | 00:25:25 | |
Most people associate mushrooms with savory foods, but that’s because many of us are unaware of both the wide flavor diversity of different types of mushrooms and the range of ways in which they can be incorporated into foods and beverages. Just a couple episodes back we talked with pastry chef and mixologist Michael George, who made an award-winning cocktail that incorporated black truffle mushrooms, and today we’re going to hear from a chocolate maker who offers a variety of craft chocolate bars using mushrooms, or what he calls, our little helpers. Oliver Holecek co-founded Primo Chocolate—at the time known as Primo Botanica—in 2017 as a bean to bar company. The business has changed in process and focus over the years, as you’ll hear him explain in just a moment, and Primo is now heavily focused on incorporating mushrooms into chocolate as a way to promote the functional health benefits of these fungal friends. Listen in as Oliver talks about the background of his business, his passion for mushrooms, and the importance of centering Indigenous cultures when working with natural ingredients. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 29 Aug 2023 | Quick Bonus Episode: Beers Remembered | 00:03:54 | |
A photo of a beer in a glass is a moment captured. There's a new zine in the online shop that gets to the heart of what Bean to Barstool is all about. Beers Remembered is a short zine of brief vignettes reflecting on beers from the past few years. Each of the 18 entries features a full page photo of a memorable beer, and a page talking about the experience of drinking it. These aren't beer reviews, though there might be a handful of tasting notes sprinkled throughout these short reflections. These are memories of everything that happened around the beer in the glass. Where they were enjoyed, and who was there, and what I was feeling at the time. What I feel when I come across each of those photos. Sometimes when I'm photographing beer in a taproom a bystander will sarcastically ask if I'm going to drink it. Yeah, I am. But I'm going to make sure I remember it first, and I’m sharing those memories with you now in this little zine. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 12 Sep 2023 | Pairing Fall Beer Styles with Craft Chocolate | 00:10:54 | |
The arrival of fall means the arrival of fall seasonal beer styles. Fortunately for us, fall beer styles like pumpkin beer and Oktoberfest can pair great with craft chocolate, and today we’re going to talk about some of my favorites and recommendations to check out. Here's a quick guide to the differences between Oktoberfest lager styles. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 26 Sep 2023 | Beth Demmon on Cider & Beer | 00:40:27 | |
Beer writer Beth Demmon has written a book called The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider: American Ciders for Craft Beer Fans to Explore, published on September 12 by Mango Publishing. The book explores the potentially overwhelming variety of the modern cider scene through the lens of beer, relating cider varieties to major flavor groupings from craft beer. The format Beth chose for her guide allows readers to approach cider on their own terms, using familiar flavor references. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 10 Oct 2023 | Martyn O'Dare of Firetree Chocolate | 00:43:41 | |
Firetree Chocolate in the UK has been making single origin dark chocolate from primarily Pacific island origins since launching in 2018, and they’re among my favorite single origin makers. As much as I love their complex bars, I also love their beautiful packaging, with its swirling colors and gold etching. Their motto is Rich Volcanic Chocolate, referencing the volcanic soil of the islands where their cacao is grown. I sat down recently with Firetree’s chocolate maker Martyn O’Dare to talk about Firetree and making chocolate that respects the nuances of each cacao origin and the farmers who grew it. Listen in as Martyn shares the story of Firetree. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 21 Nov 2023 | Chocolate Educator Max Gandy | 00:42:33 | |
Max Gandy, perhaps better known in the craft chocolate world as Dame Cacao, was one of the first chocolate educators I started following on Instagram many years ago now when I was first getting into the scene. With her Dame Cacao website and various podcasts over the years, she’s been a calm and knowledgeable voice within craft chocolate for nearly a decade now. She’s also incredibly well traveled, and has spent time at many cacao origins. Having Max on the podcast is long overdue, so I reached out to her recently to rectify that wrong. In our conversation, we discussed her journey within craft chocolate, the way going to origin can change our perspectives on chocolate, and what has to happen for the general public to come around to craft chocolate. We also spent some time discussing cacao liquors and other alcoholic beverages made by farmers in different regions. You can learn more about sponsors at their websites: Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 05 Dec 2023 | Adam Krantz of Monsoon Chocolate | 00:30:08 | |
Monsoon Chocolate is making bean to bar chocolate in the desert climate of Tucson, Arizona. It’s not a region we might think of as a hotspot for craft chocolate, but as founder Adam Krantz explains, the southwest has a strong historical claim to cacao, and he wanted to honor that heritage while also pushing the boundaries of flavor with unique regional ingredients like chiltepin chilis or mesquite. Listen in as we talk with Adam Krantz of Monsoon Chocolate. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 19 Dec 2023 | My Favorite Beers & Chocolates of 2023 | 00:42:04 | |
Today’s episode is a look back at my favorite beers and chocolates of 2023. You’ll also hear from several friends and colleagues in the beer and chocolate worlds who share their own favorites from the last year as well. Guests include: Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 05 Jan 2024 | All About Vanilla | 00:52:44 | |
Vanilla is a very familiar flavor for most of us. It’s so ubiquitous, in fact, that the word is used as a pejorative for anything that is commonplace and mundane. But that’s not being fair to this fascinating tropical spice, which can display a wide range of expressive aromas and flavors, and can be used in unique ways throughout world cuisine. We also talk with Sean Buchan, the founder and head brewer at Denver’s Cerebral Brewing. Sean works with a variety of single origin vanillas in his beers to highlight their variety. Here we talk about beers like Vanilla Rye Here Be Monsters and others that serve as liquid tributes to the amazing vanilla orchid. In this episode, Sean mentioned working with Ethereal to source cacao for some beers. We interviewed Michael Ervin and Marisa Allen from Ethereal back in Episode 08, which you can listen to it here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 16 Jan 2024 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Nicole Hewat of World Tree Chocolate | 00:06:27 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we hear from Nicole Hewat, the creative mind behind World Tree Chocolate. Nicole is an artist who has created a variety of artwork using cacao and coffee. She published a children’s book about chocolate illustrated with cacao butter-based paintings on glass, and also sells landscape paintings made with paint made from cacao husks and coffee. Listen in as Nicole explains her process for each. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 23 Jan 2024 | Learning/Unlearning—Sarah Bharath on Cacao Lavado, Teaching with Stories, & Unlearning What We Think We Know | 00:50:34 | |
I never come away from a conversation with cacao agronomist Sarah Bharath without learning something, and it's probably because Sarah never comes away from anything without learning. Her curiosity and excitement to learn drive the very important work she does working with cacao farmers to better understand the ecosystems of their cacao farms, how to work with the land and its resident microbes, and how to adapt fermentation practices to a changing environment and climate. For Sarah, learning and teaching form a symbiotic relationship, each thriving best in the other’s company. Sarah’s been on the show twice before, and you can listen to those episodes here: In this episode, Sarah and I start out talking about cacao lavado, or unfermented cacao. It’s a perfect example of how Sarah approaches topics: cacao Has to be fermented, right? Sure, except when it doesn’t, and how do we know when that is unless we break an accepted rule and experiment, right? Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 30 Jan 2024 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Chris Heier of Half Hitch Brewing | 00:06:44 | |
In this episode of Bean to Barstool Bite Sized we hear from Chris Heier, co-founder and head brewer at Half Hitch Brewing in Cochrane, Alberta, Canada. At the height of the pandemic when most people were learning to make sourdough bread, Chris was learning how to make bean to bar chocolate. He's one-fourth Trinidadian, and he sourced cacao from Trinidad & Tobago through Meridian Cacao and made chocolate from it. He also made a chocolate Porter with the same cacao, and in this quick episode, Chris tells us about developing that beer and what he learned along the way. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 06 Feb 2024 | Bonus: Rum, Whiskey, Wine, & Beer with Manoa Chocolate | 00:10:01 | |
Manoa Chocolate in Kailua, Hawaii, makes a variety of single origin bars with beans from farms all around Hawaii, and they also make a range of bars celebrating other crops popular on the islands, like coconut, mango, and passionfruit. Today though we’re going to talk about Manoa’s relationship with craft alcoholic drinks. Manoa makes popular bars made with both rum and whiskey made locally, and they run a wine bar that offers both casual pairing guidance and structured pairings. They’re even working with a local brewery to make a beer made with cacao and then chocolate made with those nibs. All of this, of course, is super interesting to me here on Bean to Barstool, so I sat down recently with founder Dylan Butterbaugh to talk about rum, whiskey, wine, and beer as they relate to Manoa Chocolate. I can’t wait to hear how that beer and chocolate turn out. If you’re near Kailua, check out Manoa’s wine bar, and please, order some beer. I promise it pairs beautifully with chocolate, and I’ve written an entire zine to prove it, which you can order on the bean to barstool shop. In the wake of the Maui wildfires in 2023, Manoa also created a special chocolate bar called Support for Maui to raise funds for relief efforts. That bar is still available, so be sure to check it out on manoachocolate.com. Thanks to Dylan for spending a few minutes with us today, and thanks to all of you for listening. I hope you enjoyed this bonus episode of Bean to Barstool. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 13 Feb 2024 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Michele Hauf, Author of Lust & Chocolate | 00:04:57 | |
Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac? Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 20 Feb 2024 | Guest Episode: Luke Owen Smith Interviews Phoebe Preuss of Living Koko | 00:32:15 | |
In our first ever guest episode of Bean to Barstool, New Zealand beer and chocolate journalist Luke Owen Smith interviews Phoebe Preuss of Living Koko. They talk about Living Koko's relationship with Samoan cacao farmers and Savai'i Koko. They also discuss Penina, Living Koko's non-alcoholic beer brewed brewed in collaboration with Brewicolo and made with cacao and hopped with Citra, Amarillo, and Ekuanot hops. You can learn more about Luke Owen Smith here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 27 Feb 2024 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with AJ Wentworth of Chocolate Conspiracy | 00:06:20 | |
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. In today's Bite Sized we hear from AJ Wentworth from Chocolate Conspiracy. AJ loves craft beer almost as much as he loves craft chocolate, and has collaborated with several breweries around the Salt Lake City area on beers and bars that blur the flavors lines between beer and chocolate, including bars made with Uinta Baba Black Lager, Level Crossing Soul Rex Doubla IPA, and Kiitos Coffee Cream Ale. We talk about his development process for those bars and working with the bold flavors of Double IPA. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 05 Mar 2024 | Mushrooms in Beer & Chocolate | 01:17:38 | |
Mushrooms aren't the first ingredient we usually think of for flavoring beer or chocolate, but many craft brewers and craft chocolate makers are using different species of mushrooms to create unique flavor experiences and, in some cases, provide unexpected health benefits. In today's episode, we talk all about using mushrooms in beer and chocolate. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 12 Mar 2024 | Bonus: All About Malt | 00:08:54 | |
Hops get a lot of buzz from beer lovers because of their expressive, fruity aromas and flavors, but malt is really the foundational ingredient of beer. You can technically brew beer without hops (though all commercial examples contain them), but you can’t brew it without malted grain, and the different malt varieties offer a dazzling rainbow of potential colors, aromas, flavors, and textures for building a new beer. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 19 Mar 2024 | Episode 77: Brad Kintzer of TCHO Chocolate | 00:52:29 | |
Today we’re talking with Brad Kintzer, the chocolate maker for TCHO Chocolate in Berkeley, California. In our conversation, we discuss TCHO's corporate ownership and how they source their cacao. We also talk about the flavor labs TCHO has established in many cacao growing regions to work with growers on a mutually-informed flavor lexicon for chocolate, and to improve quality. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 26 Mar 2024 | Bite Sized: Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate | 00:06:20 | |
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. In today's Bite Sized we hear from Arcelia Gallardo from Mission Chocolate in Sao Paulo, Brazil. When Arcelia first moved to Brazil and began making bean to bar chocolate, the quality of the Brazilian cacao that was available at the time was not great, but she was committed to working with it. After her friend at Chocolate Maya in Santa Barbara tasted one of Arcelia’s two ingredient bars and suggested the cacao wasn’t quite ready for that challenge, Arcelia decided to set her chocolate apart by using the natural bounty of Brazil, employing fruits and nuts that were unique to the new culture she found herself in. Here’s Arcelia to talk about the steps that led to working with ingredients like cupuacu and baru nut. You can find out more about Mission Chocolate here order their bars through Bar & Cocoa here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 02 Apr 2024 | Nick Davis of One One Cacao | 00:45:55 | |
Nick Davis makes bean to bar chocolate at One One Cacao on the northeast coast of Jamaica. The cacao trade on the island has been tainted by a colonial past of slavery and oppression, but is now being reclaimed as farmers and makers take back agency. Nick shares his thoughts on the good and bad of inclusions, the challenges and opportunities in Jamaican cacao and chocolate, the historical and modern impacts of colonialism on both, and how making chocolate has allowed him to reclaim some of his family’s story and power that had been taken by that colonial harm. I’m so grateful to Nick for his time and his insights, and I think you’re going to enjoy this conversation as well. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 09 Apr 2024 | Bonus: All About Hops | 00:07:52 | |
Hops are the primary seasoning in beer, but what actually Are hops, and how are these used? In this quick bonus episode, we look at what hops are, how they're used, when they're added during the brewing process, and how they impact beer flavor. Enjoy this quick primer on hops! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 16 Apr 2024 | Somerville Chocolate & Aeronaut Brewing | 00:53:38 | |
Today we're looking at a fascinating collaboration between a craft chocolate maker and a craft brewery. Eric Parkes at Somerville Chocolate is a tenant in Aeronaut's building, so he makes chocolate just a short distance from where brewmaster Mark Bowers and Director of Brewing Operations Filipe Garcia are brewing beer. This has allowed for an ongoing creative exchange between these worlds, yielding unique beers made with cacao and unique chocolate bars made with beer, brewing ingredients, and cacao and other ingredients that have been first used to make beer. The relationship has allowed for creative experimentation and mutual education. In this interview, Eric, Mark, Filipe, and I discuss the benefits of this arrangement and look in detail at the beers and chocolate bars that have come from it. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 23 Apr 2024 | Bonus: All About Beer Fermentation | 00:07:27 | |
Beer is fermented (usually) by one of two closely related species of yeast. In this quick bonus episode, we look at what how beer fermentation works, the differences between ale and lager, and how yeast and fermentation impact beer flavor. Enjoy this quick primer on beer fermentation! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 07 May 2024 | The Wonder of One Cacao Tree with Raven Hanna | 00:45:10 | |
Raven Hanna lives on the big island of Hawai'i, and her backyard is a picture of what most of us see when we hear the phrase tropical paradise. She has a PhD in molecular biophysics and biochemistry, and she loves science, but she also loves her senses, and the opportunity to immerse herself in the natural world. Her book One Cacao Tree: Backyard Cocoa, Tiny Fermentations, and Chocolate Making in the Tropics is an accessible, tangible guide to every step of cacao's journey, from growing to fermenting, grinding to tempering. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 21 May 2024 | Bonus: Beer Tarot for World Tarot Day with Courtney Iseman | 00:09:49 | |
Saturday, May 25, is World Tarot Day, and this is the perfect time to learn more about what beer and Tarot have in common. Beer writer Courtney Iseman's zine Beer Tarot: Pulling Cards, Pouring Beer, and Discovering Self is a fantastic way to learn more about both, whether you're a beer fan who's curious about Tarot or vice versa. Listen to this quick interview Courtney to learn 3 things Tarot folks might be surprised to learn about craft beer, and 3 things beer lovers might be surprised to learn about the world of Tarot. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 28 May 2024 | How to Host a Beer and Chocolate Pairing! | 00:29:57 | |
My new book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together is out now, and you can get it from Bean to Barstool or Amazon! In honor of the release, we’re talking today about how to host a beer and chocolate pairing at home. How do you plan it, how do you guide the event itself, and how do you give your friends a memorable evening with beer and chocolate? I’ve got you covered. Listen to this episode for all the information you need, and reach out if you have any questions! You can find recommendations for specific pairings to incorporate here. Want to hire me to run a pairing for you remotely? Get in touch. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 25 Jun 2024 | Moksa Brewing's Pastry Stouts with Head Brewer Cory Meyer | 00:30:45 | |
Moksa Brewing in Rocklin, California (just outside Sacramento), is one of the country's most prolific and best producers of Pastry Stouts. These usually high alcohol and high gravity Stouts use ingredients like cacao, coffee, vanilla, and others to recreate the flavors of beloved desserts or create whole new flavor concepts. Moksa's Pastry Stouts are indulgent but precise. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 02 Jul 2024 | Judging, Pairing, and the Definition of Craft with Clay Gordon | 01:19:36 | |
There might not be a more loaded term in beer and chocolate than “craft.” What does it mean, who gets to use it, and who gets to decide who does or doesn’t fall under its umbrella? Is craft about size and ownership? Is it about processes and ingredients? Is it some other ineffable quality? There is no perfect answer, and the parameters and stakes are different for both beer and chocolate, but it’s a fascinating topic for discussion. In this episode I’m talking with Clay Gordon, one of the most respected names in the world of craft chocolate, to discuss the meaning of craft, how the term’s usage and meaning differ in the beer and chocolate worlds, how tasting and judging have influenced beer and chocolate differently, and, toward the end, how we both approach chocolate pairings with beer and other beverages. You can learn more about Clay and his work at his website The Chocolate Life. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 16 Jul 2024 | Bonus: How To Pair IPAs with Craft Chocolate | 00:14:21 | |
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. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 23 Jul 2024 | Pairing Spirits and Chocolate with Shay Pal | 00:37:45 | |
While I mostly pair craft chocolate with craft beer here at Bean to Barstool, there's a world of great beverages out there for pairing with great chocolate. My good friend Shay Pal seems to have paired bars with most of them through her adventurous tasting and traveling. In this episode, Shay and I discuss how she approaches pairing with craft chocolate, how she avoids getting overwhelmed by the choices in front of her, and how she selects which spirit, wine, coffee, or cocktail to pair with any given bar. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 30 Jul 2024 | Bite Sized: Hi-Wire Brewing 10W-40 | 00:05:54 | |
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. Today we hear from Hank Marshall and Peter Batinski at Hi-Wire Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina. Hi-Wire brews an Imperial Stout line called 10W-40, made with French Broad Chocolate cacao, Dynamite coffee, and Ugandan vanilla, as well as a range of other flavor ingredients to evoke specific flavor concepts like Vietnamese coffee, blueberry crumble, or chocolate taco. Listen in as Hank and Peter talk about the base beer for 10w-40 and how they work with coffee, cacao, and vanilla. You can find out more about Hi-Wire Brewing here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 06 Aug 2024 | Coffee, Chocolate, & Beer in Panama with Franz Zeimetz of Lost Origin Coffee Lab & Casa Bruja and Jaime Pérez of Bocao | 00:57:42 | |
In this episode we talk with Franz Zeimetz of Lost Origin Coffee Lab and Casa Bruja brewery and Jaime Pérez of Bocao chocolate, all from Panama. We discuss the state of craft chocolate, craft beer, and coffee in Panama, and a series of experiments and collaborations they've pursued between these three worlds. Franz has used raw cacao fruit from Jaime in a mixed-fermentation Saison, and is experimenting with various cacao and coffee fermentations. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 13 Aug 2024 | Bite Sized: Brian Simpson of Riverbend Malt | 00:05:55 | |
Hey, everyone. Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. Today we hear from Brian Simpson of Riverbend Malt in Asheville, North Carolina. I spoke with Brian all the way back in 2020 for this podcast, but we met up recently for a beer when he was passing through Dayton, and I want to reshare some of his thoughts from that older episode here. Brian shares his thoughts on the meaning of local in craft beer. We prize beers that are brewed locally, but where are the ingredients from? Can a beer be local if it isn’t grown locally? Take a few minutes this morning to hear from Brian on what local or regional malt can do for beer. You can find out more about Riverbend Malt here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 27 Aug 2024 | Bonus: Pairing Fruited Sour Ales with Craft Chocolate | 00:10:34 | |
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. You can order my book Pairing Beer & Chocolate on the Bean to Barstool shop or on Amazon. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | Looking Back, Looking Forward: 4 Years of Bean to Barstool | 00:26:35 | |
Bean to Barstool celebrated its 4th birthday in August, and today host David Nilsen looks back at the initial idea behind the site and podcast, what's changed over the years, and what the plans are for continuing to grow Bean to Barstool. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 10 Sep 2024 | Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Raven Hanna | 00:05:15 | |
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. Today we hear from Raven Hanna, a molecular biochemist and biophysicist and the author of the book One Cacao Tree: Backyard Cocoa, Tiny Fermentations, and Chocolate Making in the Tropics. In this clip, Raven talks about tasting everything we can to expand our flavor vocabularies, and about how creating stories around tasting experiences can help us remember those flavors. Enjoy! You can learn more about Raven here, and purchase her book here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 24 Sep 2024 | Every Bean Has a Story: Monica Rogan of Goodnow Farms | 00:45:03 | |
Few names in craft chocolate carry as much esteem as Goodnow Farms. Tom and Monica Rogan founded the company in Sudbury, Massachusetts, in 2015, and they cover pretty much the full spectrum of what bean to bar chocolate is all about in their portfolio of chocolate bars, including elegant single origin bars, classic inclusion bars with coffee, nuts, or fruit, unusual inclusions like caramelized onions or green Sichuan peppers, and bars made in collaboration with craft alcohol producers. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 03 Sep 2024 | Bonus: How To Pair Standard-Strength Porters and Stouts with Craft Chocolate | 00:09:11 | |
Standard-strength Porter and Stout styles such as American Porter, English Porter, Oatmeal Stout, Milk Stout, Irish Stout, and some American Stouts feature roasty flavors and aromas from the presence of roasted malts. These grains are roasted similar to how coffee beans and cacao beans get roasted, and take on many of the same flavor notes—coffee and chocolate are two common flavor descriptors for these beer styles. Beers in these styles tend to cast a wide net when paired with chocolate and can work solidly with a wide range of chocolates, making them good to have on hand for impromptu pairings. The trick here is transcending the good pairings to find the great ones. The versatility of beers in these Porter and Stout styles make them good choices if you’re hosting friends for an in-home beer and chocolate pairing. If you don’t have specific courses planned, one of these styles will work with a number of different bars and allow your guests to find some easy combinations. You can order my book Pairing Beer & Chocolate on the Bean to Barstool shop or on Amazon. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 08 Oct 2024 | Coffee, Cacao, Cocktails, and Curiosity with Charlene Cabioch | 00:44:14 | |
While the bean in Bean to Barstool primarily refers to cacao for chocolate, and the barstool to craft beer, we have also covered craft coffee and spirits on this podcast periodically, and we’re looking at doing that more often going forward. Today’s guest brings both of those worlds together, giving new meaning to the name Bean to Barstool. Charlene Cabioch is a barista and mixologist from France who has a deep knowledge of both specialties, and has professional awards to prove it. She was a winner at the Aeropress World Championship in 2019, and the Coffee in Good Spirits Championship for coffee-infused cocktails in 2021 and 2023. In our conversation today, Charlene talks about what happens during a coffee or cocktail competition, how her love for coffee developed, and how curiosity drives her passion to learn more about her favorite foods, beverages, and the processes and ingredients behind both. Charlene also works with cacao in her cocktails, and we talk about that as well. Charlene is an enthusiastic and energetic personality, and I loved getting to learn from her during our conversation, so listen in as we talk coffee, cacao, cocktails, and curiosity with Charlene Cabioch. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 29 Oct 2024 | Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival: Cacao, Farming, & Flavor in the Heartland | 00:44:03 | |
The inaugural Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival will take place Friday-Saturday, November 22-23 in the small town of Rushville, Indiana. This is a really unique event in the world of craft chocolate. Most of our festivals are in big cities on the coasts—New York, Seattle, San Francisco—but craft chocolate is all about cacao, the farms where it’s grown, and the farmers and farm workers who grow it, so where better to hold a celebration of chocolate than a farming community in America’s heartland? Rushville is a small town about an hour southeast of Indianapolis, and the town leaders are eager to introduce their downtown to the world and vice versa. During their annual Christmas on Main event on the weekend before Thanksgiving, the town will welcome a craft chocolate festival that will bring bean to bar makers, chocolatiers, cacao farmers, and educators together to celebrate all things craft chocolate. This festival is the brainchild of Dustin Cornett, the chocolate maker who owns Chocolat Cafe. He’s also the creator of the Craft Chocolat Challenge, an internationally-recognized competition for bean to bar chocolate makers. The event is being hosted and supported by the great folks at Heart of Rushville. In today's episode we talk with Barb Genuario, whom many of us know on Instagram as @chocochaser. Barb is an educator and writer and the co-founder of the D.C. Chocolate Society. For many years, she was an assistant chocolate maker at Harper McCaw before they closed, and she is one of the most enthusiastic cheerleaders for craft chocolate. Barb is one of the organizers of the Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival, and I talked with her recently to get the details for the event and learn the unique vision behind this festival. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 12 Nov 2024 | Zadkiela Rios on Pairing Beer, Chocolate, and Other Indulgences | 00:40:26 | |
Zadkiela Rios is a chemical engineer by training and a brewing professional by trade. Zadky isfrom Venezuela originally and is currently working in Australia, and she's best known to beer, beverage, and chocolate fans on Instagram as @Zadky_Beer_to_Bar. She and I have followed each other for years, and it’s been fun to not only follow her interest in pairing beer and craft chocolate—a niche interest not too many other people have put an emphasis on—but also her polyglot fluency in a range of indulgences, including spirits, wine, and cigars as well. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||
| 19 Nov 2024 | Bite Sized: Nick Davis of One One Cacao | 00:06:17 | |
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes with some of our favorite people from craft beer and craft chocolate. Today we hear from Nick Davis, the founder and chocolate maker at One One Cacao in Jamaica. In this clip, Nick talks about some of the challenges facing cacao farmers and laborers in Jamaica, what needs to change give craft chocolate more visibility, and how making chocolate can help Nick’s family and other Jamaican families reclaim their heritage. Enjoy! You can learn more about One One Cacao here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. | |||