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.

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.

Brett Smith at Branch & Bone Artisan Ales in Dayton, Ohio, uses cacao from bean to bar chocolate maker Violet Sky Cacao in South Bend, Indiana, for his chocolate Imperial Stouts. Here’s the story of how the partnership began.