With over 60 recognized styles of beer, pairing beer with chocolate can present as many intriguing possibilities as with wine. And that’s just styles of beer! Add to that the regional variations in recipe, the skills and personalities of the brewers, local climates, adjuncts, spices, herbs… It’s endless! Aren’t food and drink and flavors fun?
At Intrigue Chocolates, we’ve just begun to tap this whole new range of pairing delights. We thought we’d really get the barrel rolling with a seasonal tribute to our Irish heritage (No, really, it’s true!). Our new Stout Truffle is crafted with a great big Imperial Stout beer, full of its own roasted chocolaty flavors. You can still taste the cool lift of the alcohol and feel the dense foam as the chocolate melts on your tongue.
So, go ahead and try your favorite chocolates with beer. I recommend starting off easy, with beers that are only lightly hopped and have a slight sweetness. Let me know how it goes!
Jamaican Hot Chocolate Truffle – Always a good warmer-upper! Aaron’s signature truffle includes: nutmeg, rum, vanilla, honey, and habanero chilis, just to remind your taste buds who’s boss!
NEW! Basmati Truffle – This one ROCKS! An epiphany to our chocolatier, inspired as he sipped from his muse (a glass of fine Viognier), this combination of dry-roasted brown basmati rice and fresh lime zest is unforgettable.
NEW! Irish Coffee Truffle – Face it, there is still a chill in the air…best battled with a little Jameson Irish Whiskey and a dollop of honey in your coffee!
NEW! Stout Truffle – What did you call me? Nah, this kind of stout is a good, dark beer, a beautiful pairing with a good, dark chocolate.
Honey-Ginger Truffle – Emblematic of the liquid-gold sun of Spring and our faith in warmer days right around the corner. A large dose of sweet honey mellows the mouth-warming ginger perfectly.
Saint Basil Truffle – Ever fresh, ever organic, the basil in this truffle breaks through to give you a burst of green that brightens in your mouth and makes you smile.