In this post, David Nilsen talks about how to reach out to craft chocolate-specific media, and how to identify media outlets and journalists from outside craft chocolate that might seem, on the surface, to have nothing to do with our industry, but can be fantastic outlets for the right stories.

In this post, David Nilsen and Melinda Guerra talk about how to begin building a media list for outreach. They talk about different types of media, how to identify media outlets and members to add to your list, and the information about them you’ll need.

In this post we’re continuing our look at media relations for craft chocolate makers by talking about types of media coverage and how to identify the stories you can tell through them.

Journalist David Nilsen explains why a media strategy is so important no matter the size of your craft chocolate business.

In this post we learn from Estelle Tracy, a chocolate educator who collaborated with a craft chocolate maker on a special chocolate bar and educational event.

In this post we talk about how craft chocolate makers can pursue creative, outside-the-box collaborations with folks outside the craft chocolate industry.

In this post we talk about how craft chocolate makers can collaborate with each other on special release chocolate bars, and why they should!

Third Eye Brewing Double Astral chocolate imperial stout has won numerous awards over the years, but that doesn’t mean brewmaster Kelly Montgomery is done tinkering with it. He recently brewed a batch using Liberian cacao from Kemu Farms and Haitian PISA nibs, both roasted by Violet Sky Chocolate. Here’s how it came to be.

In this post we talk about how craft chocolate makers can collaborate with beverage alcohol producers on chocolate-based collabs using beer, whiskey, wine, or other alcoholic drinks.

David Nilsen explains how and why craft chocolate makers should collaborate with breweries, distilleries, and other beverage alcohol producers. He explains things to consider in these collabs, and offers ideas for what types of projects to pursue.

In the first entry in the Collaboration for Chocolate Makers series, writer David Nilsen talks about why craft chocolate makers should collaborate with other businesses, and what they should consider before they begin.

Atlanta beer writer Ale Sharpton and Creature Comforts are releasing the latest edition of Piano Keys, a chocolate vanilla Imperial Stout using Ecuadorian cacao nibs from Condor Chocolate and vanilla beans from Peru, Uganda, and the Cook Islands.

Jorge Torres shares the beer and chocolate tasting experiment he led as part of Professor Robyn Araiza’s Chemistry of Chocolate course at California State University San Marcos.

Let’s look at the most common Christmas beer styles and how to pair them with craft chocolate!

Great Lakes Brewing’s iconic Edmund Fitzgerald Porter is named for an ore freighter that sank on Lake Superior in 1975. Here’s the story of the legendary Midwest beer and the ship and sailors that inspired it.

How do Belgian Dark Strong Ales and Quadrupels pair with craft chocolate? Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen explains what’s unique about these beers and explains how to pair them with craft chocolate.

The second annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival will take place November 21-22, 2025, in the beautiful small town of Rushville, Indiana. I am privileged to be involved for the second straight year, and I want to share the vendors and exhibitors you can look forward to at this year’s festival, as well as what Bean to Barstool will have available at our booth and the presentations I’ll be giving.

How do Belgian Gueuzes and Wild Ales pair with craft chocolate? Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen walks through the various expressions of wild fermentations in beer and explains how to pair these esoteric beers with craft chocolate.

Naviluna’s Velvet Stout-Infused dark chocolate bar is made with Indian cacao nibs that steeped in stout before being reclaimed, dried, and turned into this fascinating flavor exploration. He’s how it was made.