Scott Watson on the Sensory Moments of Brewing Beer & Making Chocolate
Scott Watson brewed craft beer before becoming a craft chocolate maker with Loon Chocolate, a bean to bar chocolate company. He sees a lot of overlap between the industries, especially on the sensory side.
Confusion→Knowledge→Confusion: Growing as a Taster & Student of Beer & Chocolate
Learning about bean to bar chocolate origins or craft beer styles can be confusing, and rigid definitions and guidelines can be helpful. They can also limit our understanding of nuance and variation. How can we use them without being bound by them?
Violet Sky & Cloud Walking Coffee Chocolate
Coffee and chocolate have a lot in common. Hans Westerink at Cloud Walking Coffee & Violet Sky Chocolate in South Bend, Indiana, is one of several makers working with both ingredients and bringing them together in creative ways.
9 Things Craft Beer Fans Are Surprised to Learn About Craft Chocolate
Craft beer and craft chocolate have a lot in common. Here are 10 things craft beer fans are often surprised to learn about bean to bar chocolate.
Mission Chocolate’s Two Rivers Bar Tells a Story of Coming Together
Mission Chocolate’s Two Rivers dark chocolate bar is a bean to bar chocolate made by Brazilian craft chocolate maker Arcelia Gallardo. It tells the story of the Meeting of the Waters, the birth of the Amazon River, and the meeting of cultures at Mission Chocolate.
Mission Chocolate Celebrates Brazilian Ingredients
Arcelia Gallardo of Mission Chocolate in Brazil was instrumental in launching the Brazilian bean to bar chocolate movement, but first she had to help Brazilian cacao farmers improve their crop. Now she celebrates Brazilian ingredients in her excellent chocolate bars.
A Starry Night in the Land of Trees: Map Chocolate’s Starry Night Bar
Mackenzie Rivers at Map Chocolate used to spend her winters in Idaho, skiing through the snowy forest at night. Her Starry Night bar with pine bud syrup, Douglas fir tips, and Norwegian sea salt evokes the western woods blanketed in snow. Here’s the story behind the bar.
The Chocolate Conspiracy’s Beer-Infused Chocolate Bars
The Chocolate Conspiracy is a bean to bar chocolate maker in Salt Lake City, Utah, and they’re making some excellent dark chocolate bars using local craft beers, from IPAs to Coffee Beers to Lagers. Founder AJ Wentworth shares how he infuses the flavors of beer into his bars.
Loon Chocolate Founder Has a Background in Craft Beer
Scott Watson was a professional craft brewer before founding Loon Chocolate. He sees many similarities between these two artisan worlds.
Sara Ratza Loves Plants
At Ratza Chocolate, Sara is infusing a lifetime of herbal knowledge and a world of botanical flavors into her bean to bar chocolate.