Who would think of munching on Hersheys kisses while quaffing an ice-cold brew? Then again, was it just a coincidence that the Pabst brewery in Milwaukee was only a short walk from the Ambrosia Chocolate Company?
Food of the Gods
By definition, chocolate is a preparation of the seeds of cacao tree, a small evergreen sterculiaceous tree (Theobroma Cacao- theobroma meaning "food of the gods"). These are grown primarily in tropical America, and are cultivated for their seeds which are the source of cocoa. The indigenous Indians used cocoa to make a pungent, bitter drink they called “chocolatl”.
Cocoa was first seen on the European continent when the explorer Cortez introduced Spain to a similar beverage made more palatable with the addition of sugar. It was the English who were first to add milk to the concoction, thereby making it softer in texture and less expensive to produce.
The manufacture of chocolate and cocoa is identical up to the moment when the chocolate "liquor" is extracted from the hulled cacao beans, and molded into solid cakes. At that point, some of the cocoa "butter" is removed from some of the cakes, which become cocoa, and is added to other cakes, which become the bitter chocolate used for baking (with inferior grades of chocolate, a portion of the cocoa butter is often replaced by other fats). This "preparation" is often sweetened and flavored depending on its intended use. The best sweet chocolate is made by combining the melted bitter cake with additional cocoa butter, finely milled sugar, and ingredients such as vanilla and milk- depending on the type of chocolate desired.
Chocolate Choices
Armed with this knowledge, it’s not difficult to imagine which type of chocolates might best complement beer. Be aware that chocolate flavoring is not limited to candy bars but also to a wide variety of confections, from syrups to cakes to ice cream, and some of their textural differences can’t be overlooked.
With flavors and textures in mind, consider anything from chocolate covered peanuts to cherry flavored chocolates, the obligatory milk and dark chocolate bars, chocolate frosted brownies, and even chocolate fudge.
Brew Do's and Don'ts
As for the beers best for pairing with chocolate, they would have to be big, bountiful, malt-driven beers rather than light-bodied, pale and hoppy beers. Chocolate, in most any form, has a creamy and chewy consistency that coats the tongue and teeth. It is also very rich and flavorful, which means that you need a fairly big-bodied beer with an equivalent malty richness and creamy mouthfeel to stand up to it. Thin and bitter beers just won't cut the muster.
Following are some suggested beer styles that provide a fairly good range of color and flavor and while maintaining sufficient body and mouthfeel to stand up to the chocolate Oktoberfest, Bock (or doppelbock), and Belgian Dubbels and Tripels are on the sweeter side, while Porter and Stout are on the drier side –unless you choose a Baltic Porter or a Cream Stout (sweetened with lactose sugar). For something altogether different, seek out one of the unusual sweet-sour Belgian Fruit Lambic beers that are flavored with macerated fruit; Kriek (cherry) and Framboise (raspberry) pair wondrously with milk chocolates.
Well, folks, there you have it. With the proliferation of high quality, hand-crafted beer in the marketplace, and in a profusion of styles, beer can complement chocolate quite splendidly. A little taste-testing is called for. Life just gets better.
