Third Eye Brewing Company, with locations in Sharonville and Hamilton on the north side of Cincinnati, has won numerous awards at the Great American Beer Festival, World Beer Cup, and many other beer competitions. Led by brewmaster Kelly Montgomery, they’ve medaled in styles as diverse as Scotch Ale, Pumpkin Beer, and Milk Stout, but they’ve had particular success with chocolate beers. Their Double Astral Chocolate Imperial Milk Stout won gold as the best chocolate beer in the country at GABF in 2023.

In May 2025, Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen led an event with Kelly called Chocolate, Beer, & Chocolate Beer at Third Eye’s Hamilton location. They led attendees through a tasting of Double Astral and Dark Aura (a chocolate peanut butter Imperial Stout), and a pairing of two of Third Eye’s non-chocolate beers (details below) with two craft chocolates, before a tour of the brewery and the barrel cellar.

In this episode, Kelly and David talk about brewing with cacao, working with Maverick Chocolate and Violet Sky Chocolate, collaborating with River North Brewery in Denver, writing beer recipes with cacao or barrel-aging in mind, and pairing with craft chocolate. Listen in as one of the best brewers of adjunct stouts in the country shares his expertise!

You can learn more about Third Eye Brewing on their website, or follow them on Instagram.

Beers discussed in this episode

Double Astral—10.8% Imperial Stout brewed with Madagascar Bourbon vanilla, Violet Sky Haitian cacao nibs, an lactose.
Dark Aura—10.4% Imperial Stout brewed with Maverick Haitian cacao nibs and peanut butter.
Celestial Death—10.2% Black Barleywine brewed with TCHO Ghana cacao nibs, in collaboration with River North Brewery.

Pairings from the Chocolate, Beer, & Chocolate Beer event

First Pairing

Beer: Funky Fresh v.9—4% fruited sour with passionfruit, prickly pear, and pineapple.
Chocolate: Theo & Philo 65% Philippine Dark Chocolate with Green Mango and Salt.

Second Pairing

Beer: Jelly Brain v.1—7.2% Milkshake IPA with pineapple and toasted coconut.
Chocolate: Definite 75% Dominican Republic Finca Elvesia Dark Chocolate with Dominican Rum.

The music for this episode is by indie folk musician Anna ps. You can find out more about Anna’s music at annapsmusic.com, where you can also get in touch to book her to play at your brewery or other establishment.

Bean to Barstool is a podcast that looks at the intersections between craft beer and craft chocolate, using them as lenses for exploring the world of flavor. It is hosted by Advanced Cicerone® David Nilsen. Be sure to check out all the episodes here.

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