This is the first in a series of beer and chocolate pairings that we have explored over the years. You can find more chocolate and beer pairings here.

Earlier I wrote about our in-house chocolate and beer pairings done in preparation for the Brewers Fest held last weekend in Burlington. In the end, five beers were paired with five chocolates and presented in a SRO tasting session at the Vermont Brewers Festival.  Each combination was specifically designed to bring out the best features of each and tasters were asked to first sample the chocolate and then follow with the beer. Since I know all of you are extremely curious to know what went with what, I will feature each different pairing in upcoming blogs. Armed with this info, perhaps you can host your own chocolate and beer pairing, maybe even find some new combinations.

Pairing #1 –
Vermont Pub & Brewery’s Forbidden Fruit (6.0% ABV) and our Dark Chocolate Honey Caramel (54% cocoa content)

VPB’s Forbidden Fruit features an incredible raspberry flavor in its profile. So incredible, in fact, you’d expect to find raspberry seeds. It’s a great combination of bitter, tangy and sweet which pairs perfectly with the Honey Caramel in 54% dark chocolate.

The sweetness of the Honey Caramel plays off the bitterness of the beer, setting up the tanginess of the raspberries to an even higher level of flavor. Once the beer is gone, the aftertaste you’re left with is a light combination of bitter from both the beer and the dark chocolate as well as the clean flavor of the chocolate itself. Some describe elements of our dark chocolate as having a “Baked brownie” taste (you know, the parts of the brownie around the edge of the pan that are well done) and that flavor is very apparent at the finish of this pairing. Truly delicious.

Looking for other beer and chocolate pairings? You can find more of our suggestions here.

File this under just another kooky thing we get to do here sometimes. OK. Friday was a company holiday for us (Thank you Jim!!) so Thursday was effectively Friday. Excellent. On my way out the door, Gary – our Retail Sales Director – asked if I had a second to help with something he was working on. Sure, I wanted to begin my three-day weekend and all but listen, he had a tray of chocolate and some beer in his hand. My curiosity was piqued.

So, we headed back to the break room where we often do some of our product tastings internally. There were a couple other people there already waiting to assist in this project. Apparently, Gary was looking for tasters and flavor panel people to help him with beer and chocolate pairings. Yup, you read correctly. Beer and chocolate. Move over wine, there’s a new player at the table looking to shack up with chocolate. My curiosity was now beyond piqued. I was totally bought in but a little scared as to how this was going to work.

Well, I shouldn’t tell you what brand of beer we were working with (Wolaver’s and Otter Creek this time around) or the exact flavors as it’s still a “work in progress” but I can tell you I was totally and pleasantly surprised. I never would have put beer and chocolate together in a million years but there were some really tasty pairings. Sure, you can put a chocolate-covered salty nut with nearly any beer but we didn’t stop there. We went to truffles, we went to chocolate-covered fruit. We even went to spicy chocolate. And it was wonderful.

Where are we going with this? That I don’t know just yet but Gary just stopped by my desk to ask for more assistance with the beer and chocolate. Am I in? You bet I’m in. Next time you’re sitting around with some chocolate on your coffee table and some beer in your fridge, why not give it a go?! What’s the worst that can happen?

Last night at the factory, we hosted a Chocolate and Wine pairing as a fundraiser for a local group, Queen City Police Foundation. At the event, 2 whites and 2 reds were paired specifically with an individual chocolate. Now, I know people are pairing wine with everything these days but I was still uncertain how the flavors were going to match up. I’ve only ever had solid dark chocolate with red wine.

Our local wine experts worked with our chocolate truffles and nuts to find the perfect match and here is what we had –

Prosecco with Milk Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
Riesling with Grande Valencia Truffles
Monastrell with White Raspberry Truffles
Cabernet Sauvignon with 70% Dark Chocolate Truffles

Each wine and chocolate on it’s own was delightful, as one would expect. However, paired together, they were truly delicious. Who knew these flavors would work so well in tandem? So, here’s a tip. Next time you have a special gathering to host – bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, girls night, workplace social – why not try something new like a chocolate and wine pairing. Simply offering one or two of these to your guests will move your event from just another party to something memorable. But watch out, your guests will come to expect it!