“Food of the gods” is one interpretation of the Latin botanical name for cocoa, and at the Great American Beer Festival this weekend, I’ll be sampling chocolate recipes from the new cookbook. There will also be a surprise - chile vanilla truffles from a small chocolatier, kakao of St. Louis, MO. These sumptuous and spicy tidbits are handmade by kakao’s owner, Heather Wessels, and topped with real cocoa nibs. You can learn more at kakaochocolate.com.

Here are a few tips from a recent interview with Jeff Bearer of Craft Beer Radio - and if you have 30 minutes, you can listen to the entire podcast here.

Start with a beer in good condition, one that you’d enjoy drinking solo. If you like the taste of it in a glass, chances are you’ll enjoy the flavors in the finished dish.

Treat craft beer with respect - if you boil it vigorously, the flavors will change as the beer reduces, growing more intensely bitter. Use very hoppy ales in marinades and vinaigrettes which are left uncooked, for the truest flavor to the original. Otherwise, add alternative sweeteners, such as barley malt extract.

Since beer is really a “liquid flavor” when cooking with it, consider using thickeners to convey the tastes. Chef Nathan Berg of Native Bay uses unflavored gelatin to make a savory jelly with craft ales - I tasted the Central Waters Elder Weiss made into a jelly presented with candied hickory nuts - it melted in the mouth with a delicate tang of hops and made the nuts taste all the sweeter.

Though I don’t think it’s necessary to cook every dish served in a beer dinner with beer as an ingredient, I do think it is a good example of a classic pairing technique called “bridging.” A bridge is a garnish or ingredient or other flavor elements that meld together from the food, to the drink, to the palate. You can use the flavors of beer as a bridge or you can use foodstuffs. For example, to bring out the nuttiness in a brown ale, you could present a pilaf topped with toasted pecans, or to highlight Chinook hops, you could garnish a salad with slivers of fresh grapefruit. It’s a simple but effective tool in creating pairings with harmonious flavors.

The Brickskeller turns 50 this year, and to celebrate, we’re serving tastes of Diane’s excellent Carrot Ginger Curry Soup at the Great American Beer Festival’s food booth. I’ll be there to sign copies of the new book (which features the recipe) and will visit R.F.D in DC on Thursday, November 15. Sign up for my free recipe e-letter for more news about events and book signings.

KROC - the Keg Ran Out Club - has invited me to speak at their Thursday evening meeting on October 11, and I’m bringing beer and chocolate to taste. But not just any beer or confection will do. Thanks to New Holland Brewing Co., we’ll be tasting The Poet Oatmeal Stout with its Raven logo that befits the “Spooky Brew” theme, along with special dark chocolate truffles by pastry chef David Bacco, air-shipped from Cocoliquot, a wonderful restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin.
Seating is limited, so RSVP to WBF@kroc.org.