In the opening post of this series I mentioned that there are three categories of beer that pair well with chocolates.

The third group of beers include pale, bitter beers, such as India Pale Ales.  These also tend to do well when paired with chocolate…

India Pale Ale was created in the 1820’s for the voyages between England and India.  The three month voyage would have to cross the equator twice.  So not only was the journey long, but it was also quite warm.  Since time and high temperatures are bad for beer preservation, typical beers sent to India arrived in very poor condition.

The Pale Ales however were brewed to last up to a couple years.  First, the beers are higher in alcohol, a natural preservative.  The higher the alcohol content, the longer beer will survive.  So the beer is made with a lot of barley malt so the increased starches become sugars and then ferment into alcohol.

Second, more hops are used.  Hops, the flowering cone on the hop plant, are also a natural preservative.  They make the beer bitter and impart a floral aroma.  The more hops you use, the longer the beer will survive, but it will also become more bitter.

With these two factors combined, the beer could better survive the long, warm voyages.  Strong, malty, alcoholic and bitter are ways to describe this style.  Such beers tend to pair well with malt-flavor truffles, gourmet malt balls, and even a variety of chocolate and nut combinations.  The malty flavors pair well together even though the bitterness of the beer and sweetness of the malt are opposites.  This creates a contrast that works quite nice.

Pairing chocolate and beer is easier than pairing chocolate and wine, and the outcomes of the pairings are more predictable with beer than they are with wine.  Try it for yourself!

This post is the final of four posts. Here are links to the introduction and previous posts:

• Chocolate and Beer Pairing - Introduction
• Chocolate and Beer Pairing - Stouts
• Chocolate and Beer Pairing - Belgian Ales

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Sue Langstaff

Owner at Applied Sensory, LLC

Sue Langstaff, a member of the Primal Chocolate Club, has contributed this series about chocolate and beer pairing. Her company, Applied Sensory LLC, offers analytical sensory services for the wine, brewing, and food industries.

Latest posts by Sue Langstaff (see all)

• Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Pale Ales - August 1, 2010
• Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Belgian Ales - July 25, 2010
• Chocolate and Beer Pairing – Stouts - July 9, 2010