David Nilsen - Podcast Details

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Bean to BarstoolYellow Bird Chocolate & Albion Malleable BrewingIn this episode, we talk with Jenny Risner-Wade, owner and chocolate maker at Yellow Bird Chocolate, and her husband, Ben Wade, co-founder and brewer at Albion Malleable Brewing Company, both in Albion, Michigan.When a chocolate maker and a brewer share a home and a life, ideas can flow back and forth and lead to unique collaborations. In this case, collaborations have included Unnecessary Evil, an Imperial Milk Stout brewed with cocoa powder, cacao husks, and cacao nibs, a chocolate bar made with nibs used in the beer, a number of beer-infused truffles, and an ice cream...2025-01-2138 min

Bean to BarstoolEvery Bean Has a Story: Monica Rogan of Goodnow FarmsFew 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. In this episode, Monica and host David Nilsen talk about those collaborations with distilleries and cideries, the compatibility of coffee...2024-09-2445 min

Bean to BarstoolBonus: How To Pair Standard-Strength Porters and Stouts with Craft ChocolateStandard-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 ha...2024-09-0309 min

Bean to BarstoolLooking Back, Looking Forward: 4 Years of Bean to BarstoolBean 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.Thanks to everyone who has listened so far. We're looking forward to what's ahead! Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up...2024-09-0326 min

Bean to BarstoolBonus: Pairing Fruited Sour Ales with Craft ChocolateSour 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.2024-08-2710 min

Bean to BarstoolThe Wonder of One Cacao Tree with Raven HannaRaven 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. In this episode, Raven and David discuss...2024-05-0746 min

Bean to BarstoolPairing Witbier & Hefeweizen with Craft Chocolate (Bonus)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.Despite the intriguing flavors of these beers, they are fairly light bodied and delicate, and they get bullied around by bolder chocolates. So what types of chocolate should you pair with them?Listen is an Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen, author of Pairing Beer & Chocolate, describes these styles and recommends craft chocolate bars to pair with them.You can order Pairing...2023-07-1806 min

Bean to BarstoolCoffee & CacaoWhile 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...2023-07-1159 min

Bean to BarstoolHow to Taste with Author Mandy NaglichMandy 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. Mandy is a fellow Advanced Cicerone, as well as a Certified Cider Professional, an Aroxa Certified Taster, a National Homebrew Competition gold medalist, holds a Level 1 WSET certification in Spirits. She tastes widely and adventurously, and shares h...2023-06-2748 min

Bean to BarstoolLeila Carvajal of Cocoa SupplyLeila 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.Listen in as Leila introduces us to CocoaSupply. We talk about thei...2023-06-1348 min

Bean to BarstoolBeer Basics (for Chocolate Lovers...and Everyone Else)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!Today we’re going to demystify beer by t...2023-05-3039 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: Emily Stone of Uncommon CacaoIn 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.Emily Stone is the Founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, a group of Transparent Trade cacao operations including Maya Mountain Cacao (Belize), Cacao Verapaz (Guatemala), and Uncommon offices in the...2023-05-2307 min

Bean to BarstoolArron Liu of Chocobien (Ep. 60)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. Arron talks about the ideas behind these bars, the partnerships and processes that went into their development, and the satisfaction this curious and creative maker finds in achieving the flavors he could only hold in his imagination at the start of each experiment.You can find out m...2023-05-1650 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Hazel Lee of Taste with ColourIn 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.You can follow Hazel on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.You can listen to my full conversation with Hazel here.Check out David's book Pairing Beer...2023-05-0905 min

Bean to BarstoolSarah Bharath on Cacao Fermentation (Ep. 59)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 farmer...2023-05-021h 02

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Natalie Suwanprakorn of XoconatIn 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...2023-04-2506 min

Bean to BarstoolEstelle Tracy on Pairing Wine & Chocolate (Ep. 58)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...2023-04-1857 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Final Gravity Zine & Patreon InfoIn 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 Cr...2023-04-1110 min

Bean to BarstoolHi-Wire Brewing's 10W-40 Chocolate Imperial Stouts (Ep. 57)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. We talk with Peter Batinski, head brewer at Hi-Wire’s South Slope location in Asheville, where he trials many of Hi-Wire’s beers and leads innovation, and Hank Marshall, head brewer at the Big Top, Hi-Wire’s production brewery near Biltmore Village in Asheville. Peter and Hank talk about developing new variants of 10W-40, the process of brewing the base beer, the dozens of 10W-40 variants, and th...2023-04-0427 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Artist Annabelle PopaIn 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.You can listen to a l...2023-03-2805 min

Bean to BarstoolArcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate (Ep. 56)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...2023-03-2150 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: Erica Gilmour of Hummingbird ChocolateIn 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...2023-03-1405 min

Bean to BarstoolTrinidad & Tobago Cacao in Beer & Chocolate (Ep. 55)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 me...2023-03-071h 04

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Exciting Announcements!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 Toget...2023-02-2805 min

Bean to BarstoolNicole Hewat of World Tree Chocolate (Ep. 54)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...2023-02-2134 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Sara Ratza of Ratza ChocolateIn 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 bot...2023-02-1405 min

Bean to BarstoolLust & Chocolate with Author Michele Hauf (Ep. 53)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 b...2023-02-0722 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Pairing Doppelbock with Craft ChocolateIn 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. The malt flavors of Doppelbocks work beautifully with a variety of dark chocolate styles, but there are things to keep in mind when you’re reaching for a bar to pair with these strong beers. Listen to this super quick episode as Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen explains how pair Doppelbock with chocolate.You can learn more about Paulaner Salvator—the f...2023-01-3105 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Scott Watson of Loon ChocolateIn 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 check out Loon Chocolate and purchase their bars here....2023-01-2407 min

Bean to BarstoolThe Chocolate Conspiracy's Beer-Infused Bars (Ep. 52)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...2023-01-1745 min

Bean to BarstoolBite Sized: 5 Minutes with Chocolate Educator Sanna ForslundIn 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.You can follow Sanna on Instagram here.Want to stay up to date on Bean to Barstool episodes...2023-01-1006 min

Bean to BarstoolFavorite Beers & Chocolates of 2022Join 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...2022-12-2048 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Sam Ratto of Videri ChocolateIn 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.You can listen to the full interview with Sam, including conversations with Lauren Woods Limbach of New Belgium and Sean Lilly Wilson of...2022-12-1304 min

Bean to BarstoolCurating Chocolate with Spencer Hyman of Cocoa Runners (Ep. 50)“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...2022-12-0644 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Harshit Gupta of Madhu ChocolateIn 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.You can listen to the full interview with Harshit here.Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.2022-11-2905 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Tyler Cagwin of Nostalgia ChocolateIn 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.You can listen to the full interview with Tyler as well as Chad Meigs at The Bineyard here.Check out...2022-11-1505 min

Bean to BarstoolSips + Sweets with French Broad Chocolates & Burial Beer (Ep. 49)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.Decadence on Display will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, at Burial's Forestry Camp location offering a deep dive into chocolate's role in crafting Pastry Stouts. This event is an indulgent tasting experience of Burial Imperial Stouts and French Broad Chocolate pastries. While we taste through a killer pairing lineup, Advanced Cicerone David Nilsen will lead a panel...2022-11-0835 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Kyle Spears of Carillon BrewingIn 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...2022-11-0106 min

Bean to BarstoolSleepy Hollow & a Hallow's Eve Beer (Ep. 48)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.The music for this episode was performed on clarinet by Yosi Nilsen, with some special effects added.Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow B...2022-10-2516 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Introducing the Pairing Beer & Chocolate ZineBean 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. This 70-page, full-color zine provides all the information you need to begin pairing craft beer and craft chocolate. The zine provides basic information on how beer and chocolate are made and how to taste them properly, then explains the process for pairing the two and how to plan and lead your own pairing at home. 54 pages of style-by-style guidelines and recommendations provide careful instructions...2022-10-1803 min

Bean to BarstoolFavorites from Denver's Great American Beer Festival 2022 (Ep. 47)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.In this unscripted episode, David shares his favorite beers and experiences of GABF week, with particular emphasis on the week's best chocolate beers.Breweries...2022-10-1129 min

Bean to BarstoolThe Glorious Horrors of Scarlet Lane Brewing (Ep. 46)“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 screenwr...2022-09-2038 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Dr. J. Nikol Jackson-BeckhamIn 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...2022-09-1308 min

Bean to BarstoolEmily Stone of Uncommon Cacao (Ep. 45)“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 Unco...2022-09-0635 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Marika Josephson of Scratch BrewingMarika 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, fe...2022-08-3006 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minute with Corina Gimenez of Xoco by CorinaCorina 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.You can listen to a...2022-08-2305 min

Bean to BarstoolTasting with Colour with Hazel Lee (Ep. 44)“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...2022-08-1646 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Chocolate Lover Shay PalShay 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.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings...2022-08-0904 min

Bean to BarstoolCrown of Horns Fit for a [goat] Queen (Ep. 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...2022-08-0226 min

Bean to BarstoolBean to Barstool Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Brett Smith of Branch & BoneBrett 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.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterest 2022-07-2606 min

Bean to BarstoolIndianapolis Beer with Amy Beers (Ep. 42)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...2022-07-1925 min

Bean to BarstoolEbony & Ivory: Ale Sharpton on Piano Keys Stout“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 conversatio...2022-06-2127 min

Bean to BarstoolA Wine Sommelier Tastes Beer & Chocolate: Lauren Gay of Tender Mercy (Ep. 40)“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 cho...2022-06-0758 min

Bean to BarstoolEverybody Is Welcome: Celebrating Beer with Em Sauter of Pints & Panels“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...2022-05-2441 min

Bean to BarstoolTrust Your Dopeness: Hannah Ferguson of DOPE Cider House & Winery“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 h...2022-05-1042 min

Bean to BarstoolNew Zealand Beer & Chocolate Writer Luke Owen Smith (Ep. 37)“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...2022-04-1945 min

Bean to BarstoolPainting Flavor with Artist Katie Clark Gabbard (Ep. 36)“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 sh...2022-04-0548 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Asheville Beer & ChocolateDespite 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 e...2022-03-2909 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Recent New Belgium Chocolate BeersNew 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 incl...2022-03-0105 min

Bean to BarstoolBeer & Chocolate Collaborations (Ep.35)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 Nonexi...2022-02-1520 min

Bean to BarstoolCleveland Chocolate with Noble Beast Brewing (Ep. 34)"I think each chocolate can say something different in each of its own settings. I think it’s more of what you’re looking for it to say to you. You can sit on your couch and essentially travel around the world with chocolate."Rebecca Hess is the founder and chocolate maker at Cleveland Chocolate Company in Cleveland, Ohio. Rebecca was a classically trained fine dining chef who fell in love with bean to bar chocolate and changed her career to make chocolate her life. Cleveland Chocolate produces classic single origin bars that let their caca...2022-02-0128 min

Bean to BarstoolOmnom Chocolate (Ep. 33)“Chocolate should be fun. It should be a fun experience to eat it. We grow up eating it as candy, and what we produce is for adults, for the kid inside all of us.”Kjartan Gíslason is the founder of Omnom Chocolate in Reykjavik, Iceland. Omnom is known not only for their delicious and creative bean to bar chocolate, but for the colorful packaging and marketing that presents the spirit of Omnom to consumers. In today’s episode we’ll talk with Kjartan about that spirit behind Omnom, as well as th...2022-01-1841 min

Bean to BarstoolFavorite Beers & Chocolates of 2021Join me for a look back at my favorite beers and chocolates of 2021, with some pairings along the way. After you’ve listened to the show, I’d love to hear your own favorites from this bizarre trip around the sun.In the episode, you’ll also hear favorites from some of my friends in the beer and chocolate worlds. You’ll hear from:Ruvani de Silva is a prolific and talented beer journalist living in Austin, Texas. She writes for Good Beer Hunting, The Burum Collective, and numerous other publications, and brings energy and insight...2022-01-0443 min

Bean to Barstool10 Years of Videri Chocolate (Ep. 31)“From the first moment I touched a bag of beans, roasted them, and winnowed them, I was absolutely hooked.”Sam Ratto is the founder of Videri Chocolate in Raleigh, North Carolina. Videri is celebrating its 10th anniversary on December 15, and makes a full line of single origin and inclusion bars, as well as bonbons and other confections, and they also provide cacao in various forms for numerous breweries in the craft beer hotbed of North Carolina. In this episode we hear Sam talk about his ongoing delight in chocolate and his p...2021-12-0750 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Hooray for Hazel with Ratza ChocolateSara Ratza at Ratza Chocolate in Tarpon Springs, Florida, loves craft beer almost as much as she loves chocolate, so working with neighboring breweries was always part of her plan. She recently provided cacao to Brighter Days Brewing, just a 5 minute walk from her shop, for a beer called Hooray for Hazel, a bourbon barrel-aged Imperial Stout brewed with hazelnuts, lactose, and cacao.In this quick bonus episode, Sara and I discuss Hooray for Hazel, the cacao used in the beer, and her future plans for beer and chocolate partnerships.You can hear...2021-11-1605 min

Bean to BarstoolNostalgia Chocolate (Ep. 30)“I use [chocolate tasting] as a bit of a yogic moment to find some peace and quiet and sit back and enjoy what I’m eating.” - Tyler Cagwin, Nostalgia ChocolateWhen I talk to chocolate makers or other chocolate professionals about the tasting experience, what drew them to chocolate, and what happens when they close their eyes with a piece of chocolate on their tongues, nostalgia is the word that comes from their lips more often than any other. So if a chocolate maker is going to use that word in their company name, they better know w...2021-11-0255 min

Bean to BarstoolThe Imaginative Founders of Rabid Brewing (Ep. 29)“The satyr is the fun-bringer, and that is really what we wanted the spirit of this place to be. A poetic hub of fun.” - Tobias Cichon, Rabid Brewing co-founderThe large, hand-painted mural above the Rabid Brewing taproom in Homewood, Illinois, depicts a mythical origin story for beer in which fantastical creatures pour the golden elixir out for the denizens of this imaginary world. Fantasy and mythology drive much of what husband and wife team Tobias Cichon and Raiye Rosado do at Rabid Brewing. As the brewery celebrates their 4th anniversary, I sat down with...2021-10-1939 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Natalya Watson on Becoming a Better Beer TasterHow do we become better beer tasters and get better at describing the flavors in our beer?Natalya Watson is a Beer Sommelier and Advanced Cicerone® passionate about sharing her knowledge of beer with others because she believes that beer is simply too delicious to remain undiscovered. She’s the founder of Virtual Beer School, host of the ‘Beer with Nat’ podcast, and author of Beer: Taste the Evolution in 50 Styles.In this quick interview, I talked with Nat about how we develop a better tasting vocabulary and ability to describe beer, and she...2021-10-1209 min

Bean to BarstoolChocolate and Witch Trials with Megan Giller (Ep. 28)“Chocolate acted as a central vehicle of women’s ritual power, and was a flashpoint for women’s disorderly behavior in public settings.” - Martha Few in her article “Chocolate, Sex, and Disorderly Women in Late 17th and Early 18th Century Guatemala” as quoted by Megan GillerChocolate is a plant-based food or drink in which the main ingredient—the seed of a tropical tree—is ground and melted and mixed into something wholly new. Sometimes spices or botanicals are added, and in the past this was all done by hand. This sounds almost like making a potion, right? T...2021-10-0525 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Beer Tasting Party ThemesNeed the perfect theme for your at-home beer tasting party with friends?I just published a full guide to hosting your own beer tasting at home on the Bean to Barstool blog, but the one thing I didn’t include was possible themes for your tasting. Listen to this super quick bonus episode for some great ideas to help you choose beer styles for your tasting event, and then read that full guide to help you plan your party!You can also check out my brand new guide to hosting your own beer an...2021-09-2804 min

Bean to BarstoolWitches, Alewives, and Beer History with Dr. Christina Wade (Ep. 27)It’s exciting for people to learn this history about women in brewing in Medieval Europe and feel like they’re part of a story, but I think it’s important that we’re telling the right story and the story that’s based on primary-source information.In recent years, associations have been made between depictions of Medieval alewives and our modern day image of witches, from pointy hats to cauldrons, and black cats to broom sticks. The story gets passed around by barstool historians claiming modern iconography of witches comes from these Medieval alewives...2021-09-2134 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: WeldWerks Double Chocolate Medianoche Imperial Stout with Cultura ChocolateThis decadent Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout was brewed with Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico cacao from a beloved bean to bar chocolate maker.Weldwerks Brewing in Greeley, Colorado, recently partnered with Denver bean to bar chocolate maker Cultura Chocolate on a variant of their legendary Medianoche Imperial Stout that’s all about the chocolate.Double Chocolate Medianoche was aged for 24 months in 5-6 year-old MGP high rye bourbon barrels, and the brewers felt the resulting batch of Medianoche expressed such a rich, complex chocolate character that it deserved even more real chocolate. They conditioned th...2021-09-1404 min

Bean to BarstoolTraveling Through Chocolate with Sanna Forslund (Ep. 26)“As long as I have my mind and memories and a chocolate, I can go wherever I want.” - Chocolate educator Sanna ForslundOur senses are made of magic (driven by really cool science) and engaging our senses by tasting chocolate can transport us to other places and times, summon memories, evoke emotions, and provoke imagination. Today’s guest is a chocolate educator who uses chocolate as a way to travel the world, recalling places she’s been and imagining ones she hasn’t, and helping others to do the same. All that’s required is an open an...2021-09-0743 min

Bean to BarstoolPairing Beer & Chocolate (Ep. 25)When you’re pairing beer and chocolate, you aren’t pairing a meal; you’re pairing a moment. So how do you make that moment the best it can be? There are some special considerations when it comes to pairing craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and in this episode I walk some of through those, offering tips on how to pair chocolate and beer. I also share some of my favorite beer and chocolate pairings from the past year.Episode timeline::01 - Intro & welcome2:25 - Thoughts on pairing beer & chocola...2021-08-1736 min

Bean to BarstoolConduits of Wonder—Tasting Beer & Chocolate with Our Hearts, Minds, & Senses (Ep. 24)Our senses can be conduits of wonder, transporting us to places we’ve been before and places we’ve only dreamed of, connecting us to past versions of ourselves and to the other people around us.In this episode we talk about tasting good beer and good chocolate with all of our senses, a process that engages our memories, emotions, and imaginations as well. We discuss the process of tasting craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and discuss how doing that with other people can help us understand their personal stories better.In the epis...2021-08-0348 min

Bean to BarstoolFrench Broad Chocolates & Burial Beer Bonbons (Ep. 23)What could be better for Father Day’s than bean to bar chocolate bonbon bars made with amazing craft beer? French Broad Chocolates in Asheville, North Carolina, has once again partnered with Asheville’s Burial Beer on a series of four “bean to bonbon” bars, and they’re as complex, elegant, and indulgent as the beers they’re made with.In today’s episode we talk about and taste through French Broad’s bonbon bars made with beers from Burial Beer. The bonbon bars discussed include:French Broad IPA Caramel, Nougat, & Peanut bonbon bar made with Burial Rati...2021-06-1412 min

Bean to BarstoolLoon Chocolate (Ep. 22)There are countless similarities between the worlds of craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and few people know that as well as Scott Watson. Scott was a professional craft brewer in the 1990s when craft beer was just beginning to gain national attention. After leaving the craft beer world, he eventually discovered bean to bar chocolate and founded Loon Chocolate. In today’s episode Scott shares his memories of brewing craft beer, what makes him love chocolate making, and numerous ways in which these two artisan industries remind him of...2021-06-0144 min

Bean to BarstoolHoney in Brewing Beer and Making ChocolateHoney bees are so cool. A honey bee worker lives for just 5 or 6 weeks during the summer, but in that time she’ll fly about 500 miles visiting 20,000 individual flowers. She’ll fly until her wings literally start to fail and fall off, and by the end of her life she’ll have made about a 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. There were several beverages in antiquity that were fermented from honey, many of which have survived today. Mead is fermented entirely from honey, while braggot is basically a hybrid of beer and mead. In recent history, Belgian brewers...2021-05-181h 10

Bean to BarstoolMaple (Ep. 20)Maple is intimately tied to life in eastern North America, and in today’s episode, you’ll hear from Canadian and American bean to bar chocolate makers and American craft brewers who use maple sap, sugar, and syrup local to their areas in thoughtful, nuanced chocolates and beers. All of them had memories that tied the flavor of maple into the stories of their lives, and in this episode you’ll hear how evocative the smells and flavors of maple can be. I encourage you to seek out one of these chocolates or beers and follow along with those memori...2021-05-0454 min

Bean to BarstoolWood, Beer, and Chocolate (Ep. 19)In this episode we explore the flavor of wood and other tree ingredients in bean to bar chocolate and craft beer. So many evocative flavors and aromas come from trees without us really thinking about them that way. Cinnamon is a tree bark. Maple syrup comes from tree sap. In the adult beverage world, the quinine that gives bitterness to tonic water and the angostura that flavors the eponymous bitters are both from trees. And of course there are endless variations in smoke aromas, including in beer and chocolate. Join us as we talk with an a...2021-04-191h 17

Bean to Barstool3 Beans, a Beer, and a Chocolate Bar (Ep. 18)In this episode, we talk with Xoco by Corina, a Norwegian bean to bar maker who is partnering with Lervig Beer, a prominent Norwegian craft brewery, to create 3 Bean Stout Chocolate, a 70% dark chocolate bar that is perhaps more evocative of the Amazon than the Arctic, but nonetheless demonstrates the tapestry of influences that make beer and chocolate so exciting. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterest...2021-04-0642 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 17: Maverick Chocolate + Sam Adams CincyIn the Cincinnati neighborhood of Over the Rhine—an enclave that housed much of the city’s German population in the 19th century and served as the de facto brewery district—Maverick Chocolate is working with breweries in the city’s thriving craft beer scene to provide cacao for a range of beers.The most recent example is Black Forest Gateau, a strong and elegant Imperial Stout brewed at the Sam Adams taproom in Over the Rhine. Brewed with cherry and cacao and aged in bourbon barrels, the beer was released for Valentine’s Day as a package wi...2021-03-1641 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 16: Cultural Beer Language with Dr. J.Every aroma or flavor we identify in beer or chocolate or some other food or drink is something we learned at some point, and that personal vocabulary is based upon where we grew up, our cultural background, and a host of other influences. As craft beer works to be more inclusive, the language we use to describe beer needs to be examined and opened up to new influences. In this episode I talk with Dr. J Nikol Jackson-Beckham about where cultural biases are found in beer language and how we can learn to use descriptive sensory language to welcome...2021-03-0241 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Springdale Taza Brig Mocha StoutSpringdale Beer in Framingham, Massachusetts, recently partnered with Taza Chocolate in Somerville, Massachusetts, for a special variant of their Brig Mocha Stout brewed with Öko Caribe cacao from the Dominican Republic and Red Barn coffee. Listen to this quick bonus episode to learn more about the beer!Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer m...2021-02-2304 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 15: Ratza ChocolateSara Ratza loves plants. She got into chocolate making after getting into herbal medicine, and she brings that plant wisdom and love for green, growing things to the art of chocolate making at Ratza Chocolate. Sara incorporates a variety of botanicals into her bars, including hops. Listen in as she talks about her philosophy behind using these botanical ingredients. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterest 2021-02-1631 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 14: Orpheus + SomervilleThe use of chocolate in beer and vice versa goes beyond adding cacao nibs to a Porter or Stout or infusing a dark chocolate with the same styles. Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta aged a sour beer on cacao fruit pulp and seeds, then turned those seeds into chocolate. Somerville Chocolate in Massachusetts steeped their nibs in fermenting beer and then dried them out to make bars. There are a host of creative crossover opportunities between brewing and chocolate making. In this episode we talk with the founders of both companies to talk about their processes and what other...2021-02-0246 min

Bean to BarstoolQuick Bonus Episode: Smoked ChocolateSmoke is one of the most evocative smells and flavors in the world. But it's more than just one aromas or flavor. Smoke is a diverse array of different flavors. I recently tried a few smoked chocolates and wanted to share those flavors with you in this bonus episode.Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer...2021-01-2605 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 13: CoffeeCoffee is used extensively in the worlds of craft beer and bean to bar chocolate, and today we explore the world of coffee beer and coffee chocolate. In this episode we talk with craft brewers, bean to bar chocolate makers, and artisan coffee roasters about the synergy between these products, as well as how coffee and cacao intersect at origin over topics of ecology and ethics. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to...2021-01-191h 12

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 12: Favorite 2020 Beer & ChocolateJoin me for a look back at my favorite beers and chocolates of 2020, with some pairings along the way. After you’ve listened to the show, I’d love to hear your own favorites from this bizarre trip around the sun. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool news...2021-01-0541 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 11: Flavor as Icon & RitualAs I fell in love with craft beer in my twenties and eventually bean to bar chocolate in my thirties, and as I grew in my proficiency as a home cook, I noticed something curious happening: the role faith had once played in my young life of pushing me to explore my identity and experiences, contemplate my world, and experience wonder and connection to something bigger than myself was now transferring more and more to my senses. The quest for the eternal had become a celebration of the ephemeral. Check out David's book Pairing Beer...2020-12-151h 03

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 10: Branch & Bone Against a Violet SkyWhen highly creative brewers and chocolate makers come together for collaborations, the results can be magical. In this episode we’ll talk with Hans Westerink of Violet Sky Chocolate in South Bend, Indiana, who creates fantastic single origin and inclusion chocolate bars and frequently collaborates with craft brewers. We’ll also talk with Brett Smith of Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio, who produces a wide variety of excellent and unique beers, including some using cacao. Both discuss their own inspirations and the unlikely scena...2020-12-0145 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 09: A [Malty] Bend in the RiverMalt is the foundational ingredient of beer, but it’s an afterthought for most craft beer fans. A new group of small, artisan malt houses are returning character to brewing malt, and that malt is popping up in unexpected places—including bean to bar chocolate bars.In this episode we talk with Riverbend Malt House, French Broad Chocolates, & Carillon Brewing Company. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFace...2020-11-1759 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 08: Wolves, Sons, & Ethereal ConfectionsMany brewers who use cacao in a beer have no idea where that cacao is coming from, or any of its more nuanced flavor notes. They see chocolate as one abstract flavor, so the details don’t matter. More and more brewers are recognizing the flavor diversity of good chocolate and the benefits of working with a bean to bar chocolate company to source ethical, quality cacao.In this episode we’ll talk with Chris Davison of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing and Colin Vent of Seventh Son Brewing, both in Columbus, Ohio, who use qualit...2020-11-031h 00

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 07: Pairing Smoke & SpiceBeers and chocolates featuring smoke or spice flavors require graceful dance partners that can both set them free and keep them on beat. Find some great examples in this episode. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.2020-10-2030 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 06: Madhu Chocolate + Casa Humilde CerveceriaIn previous episodes, we've talked about the ways in which our individual backgrounds affect our personal sensory vocabularies. When we taste beer or chocolate with someone who has had different experiences, we each recognize different flavors and aromas.Many brewers and chocolate makers infuse their creations with ingredients and flavors from their own cultural backgrounds. In this episode, we talk with Harshit Gupta of Madhu Chocolate in Austin, Texas, and Jose Lopez of Casa Humilde Cerveceria Artesanal in Chicago, Illinois. Both share insights into using flavor ingredients familiar to their cultures' culinary traditions, and share how this...2020-10-061h 13

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 05: SmokeSmoke is one of the most evocative smells in the world, awakening a primal human recognition within us. It can be alarming or reassuring, acrid or appetizing, but it’s always impossible to ignore.Smoke can be found in abundance in the world of craft beer, and it’s making its way into more and more bean to bar chocolate as well. There is a colorful world of these aromas and flavors out there, and brewers and chocolate makers are using that palette to paint beautiful culinary pictures in smoke.In t...2020-09-1558 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 04: Beer & Chocolate Pairing BasicsCraft beer and bean to bar chocolate offer separate diverse worlds of flavor, and when those worlds are brought together, the possible pairing combinations are endless.There are specific considerations to take into account however when pairing beer and chocolate, and in this episode we discuss the steps for officiating a beautiful union between these celebrants. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!Instagram 2020-09-0131 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 02: Beer & Chocolate LanguageWhile craft beer and bean to bar chocolate are both artisan products savored by connoisseurs, the language and freedom of expression used to describe each are often very different. In this episode we explore what leads to these differences in description, what craft beer and bean to bar chocolate can learn from each other to provide helpful and evocative descriptions for consumers, and talk with numerous experts. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!...2020-08-2137 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 03: French Broad Chocolates + Burial BeerCraft breweries and bean to bar chocolate makers often collaborate to make beers infused with chocolate or vice versa. French Broad Chocolates and Burial Beer, both woman-owned businesses in Asheville, North Carolina, are constantly partnering on exciting creations that bring these worlds together. In this episode, we talk with Jael Rattigan of French Broad and Jess Reiser of Burial about their creative partnership and taste some of the recent results. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on s...2020-08-2147 min

Bean to BarstoolEpisode 01: Personal Beer & Chocolate VocabularyThe first episode of Bean to Barstool focuses on our personal sensory vocabularies, how they have been shaped by geographical, cultural, and other details of our backgrounds, and how they impact the flavors and aromas we recognize in craft beer and bean to bar chocolate. The episode includes interviews with Master Cicerone Brian Reed and Chocolate educator London Coe. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together.Follow Bean to Barstool on social media!InstagramFacebookPinterestSign u...2020-08-2135 min