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A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.
181 Episodes
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This is the third in a four-part bonus series called Collaborations for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we'll walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. Today we’re going to talk about an opportunity for collaboration that I think is wildly underutilized in craft chocolate: Craft chocolate makers collaborating on products with other craft chocolate makers. In this episode, we talk about the untapped potential of collabor...
My friends Scott Fielder & Chris Crowe have spent the past few years publicly documenting their quest to pass the Master Cicerone exam. In late 2025, Scott Fielder became just the 29th Master Cicerone in the world. Chris, his best friend and partner in this process, came close to doing the same, and is more determined than ever to pass the exam in 2026. I sat down with Scott and Chris recently to talk about how their pursuit of knowledge through these certifications has impacted the...
Elmer Pineda and his family grow cacao and make tree to bar chocolate in the mountains of Honduras. Taking their company name from the Volcanic crater lake where their chocolate factory is located, Yojoa Chocolate makes classic two-ingredient bars, as well as a range of inclusion bars that celebrate the agricultural bounty of their corner of the world. When I connected with Elmer over Zoom recently, a tropical rain storm was drenching his property, and you might even be able to hear it in our...
This is the second in a four-part bonus series called Collaborations for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we'll walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. You can check out the first episode in the series here, or read it in blog form here. In this second episode, we're talking all about craft chocolate collaborations with breweries, distilleries, wineries, and other beverages alcohol producers. We discuss the benefits of the c...
Mike King at Encore Coffee and Chocolate in Kansas City is currently making some of the best coffee-infused craft chocolate bars on the market. I’ve had the chance to talk with Mike at the Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival the past couple years, and we were finally able to connect for a conversation for Bean to Barstool a couple weeks ago. We talk all about the overlap between these worlds, what he’s learned about each from the other, how sourcing and roasting and flavor formulation diff...
Back in the first episode of 2026, I shares some things I think craft chocolate can learn from craft beer. One of those lessons (and, upon reflection, one of the only positive ones) was to collaborate expansively. While craft chocolate makers periodically partner with breweries and coffee roasters, the avenues for collaboration in the industry remain pretty limited. That's a shame, because collaboration offers amazing opportunity to growing your chocolate business. This is the first in a four...
Today we're talking with Jason Brewer and Zac Boehnke of Wandering Monsters Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. While they brew a wide variety of beers well, they're best known for excellent adjunct stouts like Viator Obscura: Triple Chocolate, which has medaled at both Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. In this episode, Jason and Zac talk about how they approach brewing with cacao nibs, vanilla, and other ingredients, how their high concept adjunct stouts come together, where they sou...
Bean to Barstool Redux: Vintage but still relevant conversations from the archives without all the extra narration. Just classic interviews from really cool people in craft chocolate, craft beer, and other food and beverage fields. In this edition, we hear from Emily Stone, founder of Uncommon Cacao, who supplies cacao for hundreds of bean to bar chocolate makers and, indirectly through their bean to bar partners, quite a few craft breweries as well. We talk with Emily about those origi...
Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes on a specific topic in craft beer, craft chocolate, or artisan drinks. Today we're looking back at one of the first deep dives I ever did on pairing beer and chocolate for Bean to Barstool. Enjoy! You can listen to the entire episode this clip is from here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social medi...
This month, London Coe of Peace on Fifth in Dayton, Ohio, will celebrate the tenth annual Global Black Chocolate Makers Month. It's an opportunity to promote the work of Black craft chocolate makers from outside the U.S., and introduce tasters here to makers and, in some case, ingredients they might not be familiar with. In this episode of Bean to Barstool, David Nilsen and London discuss the importance of Global Black Chocolate Makers Month, what we gain when we have tasting experiences that...
Bean to Barstool Redux: Vintage but still relevant conversations from the archives without all the extra narration. Just classic interviews from really cool people in craft chocolate, craft beer, and other food and beverage fields. In this edition, we hear from Kjartan Gíslason, a co-founder of Omnom Chocolate in Reykjavik, Iceland. Omnom is known not only for their delicious and creative bean to bar chocolate, but for the colorful packaging and marketing that presents the spirit of Omnom to ...
Ale Sharpton, a legendary beer writer from Atlanta celebrating his 30th year in the craft beer industry in 2026, is back with the latest version of his Piano Keys chocolate vanilla imperial stout collab, this time with Creature Comforts. The beer celebrates diversity in the brewing industry, both in terms of flavors and the people brewing and enjoying them. The beer uses Ecuadorian cacao nibs from Condor Chocolate, three different types of vanilla, and fonio, an African grain that's been gett...
"Language and food are the two vehicles that can help people understand each other better." That's Liang Wang, co-founder and chocolate maker at KESSHŌ Chocolate in Austin, Texas. KESSHŌ makes craft chocolate bars inspired by Asian cuisine and ingredients. These bars open up worlds to the curious taster that might otherwise have remained closed. I met Liang in person for the first time at the Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival in November, and was pleased sit down with her recently to talk abou...
In this quick bonus episode, host David Nilsen talks with Jake Potter, founder and chocolate maker at Red Rock Chocolate in Utah. They talk about the upcoming inaugural Red Rock Region Chocolate and Fine Foods Festival in Hurricane, Utah, discussing vendors, classes, and other things to expect at the fest. You can get all the details about the festival here, and follow the festival on Instagram here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft...
In our first episode for 2026, we're looking at 9 lessons craft chocolate can learn from craft beer. Most of these, honestly, are lessons craft beer has learned (or, actually, is still learning) the hard way, and craft chocolate businesses and the industry as a whole can learn from beer's mistakes and missteps. I also discuss my stance on the use of AI in craft chocolate. Episode timeline (approximate): 1:00 - Introduction 2:30 - Main topic 4:30 - Industry Code of Conduct 11:25 - Diversity, E...
Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen recaps 2025 by looking at what made this year difficult and what made it worth it, and also shares his favorite beer experiences and craft chocolates from the year. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barst...
In today's episode, We’re talking with Joanne Mumbey, a rising voice in beer education and beer and food pairing. Joanne is a Certified Cicerone and, newly as of this month, a certified pommelier, and she's the founder of BeyLoved Pairings, through which she leads curated beer and food pairings that go beyond the European cuisines that are typically found at beer dinners to incorporate food traditions from around the world, including Moroccan, Viet-Cajun, and various traditions from around th...
We just got back from the second annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival in Rushville, Indiana, where I gave several talks, Bean to Barstool had a table set up, we met a ton of great people, and of course came home with a bunch of great chocolate. Listen in as David recaps the festival, shares what makes it special, and talks about the bars he grabbed at the fest. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. ...
Today’s guest uses craft chocolate as a way to introduce people to a subject they might otherwise feel intimidated by: chemistry. Professor Robyn Araiza teaches at California State University San Marcos. She leads a class called the Chemistry of Chocolate, which was first created by her colleague Dr. Jackie Trischman about a decade ago. The important thing about this class is that it’s not really intended for chemistry students. It’s a GE course for non-STEM majors. I met Robyn through our mu...
In this bonus episode of Bean to Barstool, I reflect back on my recent trip to Mexico to judge at Copa Cerveza Mx and the great beer and chocolate I had while I was there, and discuss what I love about beer judging and what you should and shouldn't take away from beer award results. The Copa Cerveza Mx awards list can be found here. I also briefly talked about the upcoming Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival. You can listen to my full preview of the festival here. Check out David's ...
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