In my last post, I outlined a pairing session in which we tested out the full range of Lindemans Lambic beers with 6 different Cote d'Or chocolates. The goal of the pairing session was to develop 3 'perfect' pairings to present at the All Candy Expo in Chicago (which was last week). Below are the 3 pairings that I decided on, along with in-depth tasting notes and a summary of reactions from the hundreds of people who tried them at the expo. In general, I have tasters go from light, sweeter chocolate to darker, more intense chocolate:

Lindemans Pomme (Apple) Lambic with Cote d'Or Lait Intense: The Lait Intense features a layer of dark (54%) chocolate encased in milk chocolate. The bar has notes of warm caramel that come through quickly. The sweet, light cider-like apple lambic has it's own gentle caramel nuance. Together, the caramel notes in both elements connect for an explosive 'caramel apple' combined flavor. Milk chocolate has a lower melting point than darker chocolate, and therefore the chocolate begins to coat your palette immediately; it's flavor and sweetness come through really quickly - you don't have to wait for anything, it's really instant gratification. This pairing was an ideal one to start with because it was instantly convincing to the many tasters who came by who had never imagined that chocolate and beer could be a good pairing. Also note that this pairing is the least subtle of the 3 that were being presented.

Lindemans Pomme Lambic with Cote d'Or Noir Orange: With this one, I chose to pair the same lambic we had in the first pairing with a different chocolate to demonstrate that a different chocolate will change the taste of the beer altogether. That said, most people who tried this second pairing were extremely surprised that the beer was the same one that they had just tried. When a particular chocolate and a particular beer are paired, they combine, interact, and change each other and become a single flavor experience. So rather than connect with the caramel warmth as the Lait Intense did, the Noir Orange, which is a 64% bar with candied orange peel, interacted with the bitter notes of the lambic and highlighted its tartness. The pairing was light, tart, extremely crisp, and quite summery.

Lindemans Framboise (Raspberry) with Cote d'Or Brut 86%: The raspberry lambic has a heavier mouthfeel and fuller body than the apple. The dark berry flavor of this lambic also has more depth, and can stand alongside an extremely dark chocolate such as the 86%. The 86% has a much slower melting process than the Noir Orange and (certainly) the Lait Intense. It needs something that will last alongside it with a flavor that will measure up and not be easily overpowered. The raspberry lambic at once softens the bitter notes of the 86% without covering up the cacao flavor. It also brings out some of the very subtle dark berry nuances that are inherent in the 86%. This pairing was velvety and rich.

Reactions: People's overall response to the pairings was (1) surprise at the concept that beer and chocolate could be paired together, (2) surprise at how caramel-apple like the first pairing is, and how quickly and clearly the tastes come through, (3) surprise at how different the very same beer tastes with a different chocolate in the second pairing, (4) surprise at how gentle yet deep the cacao flavor of the 86% is in light of the softening effect of the raspberry lambic. Since the expo was for buyers and retailers, many people asked how they might hold such a chocolate and beer tasting at their respective boutiques. A lot of people also commented that all of the beers in the pairing were quite sweet, asking if that's why the combinations were so complementary. My response to this is that in addition to the sweet lambics, dark, rich, and/or malty beers that have notes of molasses, honey, and/or caramel have great potential to make beautiful pairings. The beers that won't go so well are the light, tart ones.

And people's favorite pairing was split pretty evenly between the 3 pairings. Each person identified with the flavor set that best matched his or her style and preferences. Personally, my favorite pairing is the 3rd one.