By Renee M. Tavera, Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Some combinations are legendary. Peanut butter and chocolate. Raspberries and chocolate. But lately, chocolate is hanging out with an unlikely companion, namely beer.

A local group, Hops, Barley and Alers Homebrew Club of Boulder County, likes to spend its time finding partners for brew. Belvedere Belgian Chocolate Shop was happy to sign on.

"Beer is finally coming into its own because it hits on combinations people love," said Chris Toomey, co-owner of the chocolate shop in downtown Boulder.

At the club's monthly beer tasting, Toomey chose the local brews with chocolate in mind. It's the first time the club has tried the combination.

"The (beers) we find have to have a smooth, rich and roasted taste," said Toomey. "There is a lot that goes into the subtitles of taste."

About 70 beer-loving club members showed up for the tasting. The group's beer preferences are by no means identical.

"We all share the common love of beer here, but more people enjoy the diversity in their beer," said member Dave Welker.

Different brewing processes determine a beer's taste. All the participating breweries — Lefthand, Mountain Sun, Avery, Twisted Pine and BJ's Brewery — suggested beers that they believed would have an affinity with chocolate.

So how do you properly sample chocolate and beer?

You can take the club's approach and sit neatly in rows, passing around bottles and pitchers of different beers and boxes of chocolate. Then, nibble the chocolate and slightly sip the beer until each is equally represented in your mouth.

Or you can gobble the chocolate and take a swig of the beer. Technique aside, the group liked some pairings better than others. A particular favorite was Avery's Samael's with Belvedere's Eggnog top white chocolate. Both had a sweet and creamy taste. Other contenders: the rich taste of Royal dark chocolate with Russian Imperial Stout, and Mountain Sun's Irish Stout with Solid Dark chocolate. Creado's buttery chocolate also paired nicely with Coconut Cream Stout. Milk Chocolate Mocha Derby paired deliciously with Lefthand's Milk Stout.

Whatever pairing works best for you, one thing is obvious, the two go well together.

"To me, alcohol and chocolate are two schools of thought that will amplify food," Toomey said.

E.W. Scripps Co.
© 2006 Daily Camera and Boulder Publishing, LLC.