Photo courtesy Vue Weekly

The current Vue Weekly is their Chocolate Issue, examining a variety of aspects of chocolate. It also happened to be a scheduled To The Pint beer column week. So, my editor asked me to write a column about chocolate and beer.

I could have gone a few ways with it – chocolate and beer pairings, beer made with chocolate, chocolate made with beer (yes, that occurs). In the end I decided to simplify (I gotta keep some topics for future chocolate issues). I decided to highlight beer that tastes like chocolate without any chocolate added (you can read it here).

I thought that topic would not only attract chocolate lovers to beer but also educate readers about beer’s versatility and just how many flavours you can create from barley. Chocolate really is one of those flavours that I am constantly amazed can be imparted in beer simply through the use of appropriate malts. Roast, sure. Caramel or toast, of course. But chocolate? That seems a bit unlikely and even after 23 years of homebrewing I still stand in awe when I produce a beer with a silky chocolate flavour.

The article mostly picks some readily available beer that accent chocolate. As beer some of them are not particular stand-outs, but I picked them because they really do jump out at you with chocolate – and that was the whole point of the column.

So, from the obvious Young’s Double Chocolate Stout to the intense and complex Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, I offer some suggestions for getting that chocolate satisfaction while tipping a pint. I even toss in a local candidate in Amber’s Chocolate Stout (now made by Hog’s Head).

For readers of this website, I suspect that chocolate flavour in beer is hardly a revelation. However, I suspect that for the bulk of the population it can be quite a surprise that chocolate can work so well in beer. Next year I might turn my attention to beer that actually adds chocolate.