Beer and chocolate- an unlikely marriage.
By Mark Tichenor and Bruce Lish

Brewers have been experimenting with alternative beer flavors since the dawn of history. In fact, the tastes we today regard as “beery” were themselves an exploration of nontraditional flavor.  And while it’s amazing that brewers can coax so many different flavors out of so few basic ingredients, it’s also great that beer leaves so much room to continue to experiment with nontraditional ingredients to create combinations that sound intriguing, delicious, or just plain weird; combinations like beer and chocolate.

We’re not talking chocolatey yet conventional beers like Brooklyn Black Chocolate stout, which use chocolate malt (which is just malted barley that’s been roasted until dark, rich and nutty). No this is about beers that use honest-to-gosh chocolate in the brewing process. And as brewers continue to search for alternative flavors, for both the joy of experimentation and out of practical consideration considering the hop shortage, a growing number of chocolate beers are appearing on shelves.

A couple of them hail from Upstate New York. Brewery Ommegang, in Cooperstown, produces Chocolate Indulgence. As you ‘d probably expect, this is a mineshaft-dark, full-bodied brew, which would be substantial and sweet without the chocolate.

You can tell that Ommegang showed restraint with the cocoa. The taste of chocolate is super-distinctive, and the brewery skillfully balanced the good parts of that flavor with the inherent character of the beer, without allowing any of the bitterness that can come with the territory. Drinking a Chocolate indulgence is like pairing a sweet stout with a brownie. The two flavors combine nicely on the palate while still maintaining their separation.

With it’s limited-release Choklat, Lakewood, New York’s Southern Tier Brewing Company gets a bit more audacious, and the result is one of the finest beers we’ve encountered.

“It’s like chocolate in a glass,” marvels Tap and Mallet owner Joe McBane. “It even leaves your lips sticky.”

There’s no better way to characterize this extremely strong dark brew made with fine Belgian chocolate. It is a dessert in itself. The base beer is transparent to the flavors of the chocolate, resulting in an effervescent sweet cocoa flavor that’s complimented by a warming alcohol glow.  The beer also benefits from a heavy, substantial body that props up all that flavor.

McBane adds that, in his opinion, were Southern Tier to release Choklat year-round, it would be a nationally known and talked about beer.

Jason Fox, Head Brewer for Custom Brewcrafters, might not necessarily agree. “With flavored beers, people are split. They love them or hate them,” he says, pointing out that this is the reason most brewers release such specialties on a limited-time basis.

Fox has a point; it’s difficult to consider chocolate beer as a daily drinker or “go-to” beer, and it’s certainly not something you’re going to down a pitcher of with the softball team, but a slice of ganache isn’t something you eat after every meal, either.

But isn’t it something you crave from time to time?

In other beers:
Custom Brewcrafters is taking the populist approach for their new house-brand IPA. For six nights, they’re taking a test batch of the beer to various establishments in order to gather and gauge public reaction. They’ll be using the data to tailor the recipe to the tastes of the community.

Tastings will be (or have already been) held at The Boulevard Grill, The New York Wine and Culinary Center, The Tap & Mallet, The Old Toad And Acme Pizzeria.

Bruce is a certified beer judge and commercial brewer. Mark owns a laptop and likes beer. For more on beer, check out the beercraft blog, updated regularly, at http:://www.beercraftsite.com. Send your questions, suggestions, or comments to beercraft@rochester.rr.com.