Beer & Chocolate!

I don’t normally spend Sunday afternoon drinking beer unless its football season. Admittedly, making an exception to this rule didn’t require too much agonizing deliberation, roughly 30 seconds. I received an invitation to a beer and chocolate pairing called Dionicess IV. Reasonably assured they knew what they were doing because there had been three Dionicesses previously, and that it is relatively impossible to ruin beer and/or chocolate, I confidently RSVP’d for two.

Whereas you might find this an uncomfortable matching of two clashing flavors, I’ve washed down enough chocolate bars with beer to know it can be one of the most richly satisfying moments in life. Snickers bars and Reece’s Peanut Butter cups have the effect of leaving me with an almost unquenchable thirst, something only a frigid Tecate can address.

Yet, while the mundane act of eating chocolate and beer is not uncommon, the deliberate act of pairing two disparate items and concentrating on the flavors is a more engrossing and rare experience. In the past few years, beer advocates have launched tastings and pairings to provide a more approachable alternative to wine events, and, of course, sell more beer.

It took place at The Side Bar, a demure, narrow space decorated with Middle Eastern influences, amber studded tea lights, pillows, and a long bench stretching the length of the room. It was surprisingly comfortable.



The sponsor beer was Stone Brewing, and I am familiar with most of their brews. They tend to run bold and dark, all with their own complexities. Stone produces drinkable, deeply flavorful beer…best appreciated in moderation due to moderately higher alcohol content than other beers, and they come in larger bottles.

Our host and organizer was Gev Kazanchyan (pronounced “Kazanchyan”). He was energetic and passionate not just about beer, but also the proceeds would be going to a charitable cause, Real Medicine Foundation. Once everyone was seated, he gave a brief introduction and a brief history and influences of Mignon Chocolate and what they had made for us.



The specific ingredients were kept on a mystery card so we could try to guess the individual flavors on our own, with or without the beer. The procession went in order of increasing intensity of flavor. Similar to a wine tasting, the lighter, less combative flavors go first, the bolder aggressive ones tromp in later.

All the selections were ales, starting with a Red Ale, moving to an India Pale Ale, Imperial Ale, the ubiquitous Arrogant Bastard Ale, Oaked Arrogant Bastard, and finally a smoked porter – my favorite of the group. I guess that one wasn't an ale, so I retract the claim that they "all" were.



The chocolates were as rich and complex as Richard Branson. They were also fairly consistent in their eclecticism. While each successive beer had a stronger flavor and potentially more alcohol, the chocolates were each individually bold with their particular flavors. For example, our first pairing was the red ale, having a crisp, round and acrid fruity afterbite, paired with a dark chocolate enveloped candied orange peel. While each had a bite on their own, together they blended nicely to create an almost muted texture, so that each offset the other. That was probably the biggest surprise of the tasting, as two sharps usually make a sharper, not generally complimentary.



Some of the more creative fillings in the chocolate were Limoncello Ganache with lime sea salt, a bold lavender ganache that threw everyone off but me, since I had made lavender ice cream a week earlier, orange peel and saffron, and caramel-espresso sea salt. In this context, little crackles of salt lend a buttery feel to the chocolate, not an offsetting bite of sodium.

Rather than break down each impression of the pairings, I would encourage you to try experimenting yourselves with different flavors and textures combined with beer. Porters, Scottish and English Ales, Belgian Ales and hefeweizen all have sweet undertones and complexities that can’t be found in lighter color lagers. IPAs and similar ales have a characteristic bite of hops. Stouts run smoky and coffee influenced.

Then, go crazy. Stick to premium chocolates, although they don’t even have to be as complex as the one’s we tasted. The pairing alone with unlock hidden flavors just by interaction. If you, however, have access to more complex varieties, by all means, knock yourself out. You really can’t go wrong, but you can go very right if you hit the right combination.



As a member of the food press, I was offered a seating gratis, but regular enthusiasts paid $29 and up per person. All proceeds were donated to the Real Medicine Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that sets up medical services and clinics in impoverished communities, and areas that have been devastated by disasters, man-made or natural. It was refreshing to see an event created to fulfill multiple purposes, and in this case everybody benefited.