Bean to Barstool Podcast | Cacao Pulp in Brewing with Leila Carvajal Erker & Sam Mosle

While brewers have long used cacao nibs for brewing chocolate beers, the pulp of the cacao fruit has been an unexplored resource due to its high perishability and cultural obscurity. Leila Carvajal Erker of Cocoa Supply wants to see that change. Her company is importing pasteurized cacao pulp from cacao farms in Ecuador and working with brewers to figure out how best it can be used in the brewing process.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Coffee & Cacao

In this episode of Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen talks with two gentleman who work with both coffee and cacao. Kyle Bellinger of Osito Coffee partners with Jose Jadir Losada in Colombia to import both coffee and cacao to North America and Europe. Through the lens of the Colombian supply chain, he has a keen understanding of the problems and opportunities facing both coffee and cacao farmers. Hans Westerink runs Violet Sky Chocolate and Cloud Walking Coffee in South Bend, Indiana, and has spent years working with both of these enigmatic beans to deepen his understanding of how to roast and process both to make amazing bean to bar chocolate and a perfect cup of coffee. Sitting at the consumer end of the supply chain, he recognizes the problems facing these industries from a public education standpoint.

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Bean to Barstool Podcast | Emily Stone of Uncommon Cacao

In this episode David Nilsen talks with Emily Stone, the founder and CEO of Uncommon Cacao, a group of Transparent Trade cacao operations with offices in the U.S. and Europe and operations at numerous cacao origins. Uncommon Cacao supplies cacao for hundreds of bean to bar chocolate makers and, indirectly through their bean to bar partners, quite a few craft breweries as well. Emily is passionate about the people and stories behind these cacao origins, and here we talk about those origins, what led Emily to start Uncommon, and the importance of full, two-way transparency in the cacao supply chain.

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Duck-Rabbit | Oh, No Let’s Go! Cacao Milk Stout

One of my earliest craft beer memories is drinking Duck-Rabbit’s Milk Stout. For a fledgling crafty, it was a great way to break into the scene and has stuck with me to this day. Which is perfect, because today we’re taking it up a notch with one of Duck Rabbit’s latest concoctions: Oh, No Let’s Go! Cacao Milk Stout. 

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Goodwood Brewing Co. | Shoot Your Eye Out Milk Stout

Goodwood Brewing Co., headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky — with an additional taproom and brewpub in Frankfort — has a solid reputation for releasing flavorful brews that are unique enough to stand out, yet approachable enough to not turn off less-adventurous beer drinkers. Their Shoot Your Eye Out Milk Stout is no exception.

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Saint Errant Brewing | Cauallier

It’s November in Chicago and stout season has arrived and it’s not just because Festival of Barrel-Aged Beers (FOBAB) brought a deluge of fabulous new barrel-aged beers. Rather, the 3-5 inches of snow and single-digit temperatures are really putting the city in the mood for a beer as dark as the sky at 4:45 p.m. (sigh)

Luckily, Saint Errant Brewing has an indulgent option for Chicagoans: Cauallier, an imperial stout brewed with cacao nibs and roasted peanuts. This brew starts with a dense black pour, visually preparing you for its richness. With a burnt but chocolatey aroma, the first sniff does its job of pulling you in with sweet, warm vanilla notes while still letting you know this imperial means business.

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5 Rabbit Cerveceria | CaCao Imperial Stout

ABV: 10.7% | IBU: 22

There are those days that just become overwhelming at a certain point. Where it seems that the daily grind keeps testing your boundaries with an … Read More

Wild Woods Brewery

As micro and nano breweries continue to open in the front range faster than dandelions in the spring time, so does my desire to discover them. Wild Woods Brewery is nestled in a small industrial-zoned area of Boulder that hosts large business powerhouses the likes of Ball Industries. While the brewery is off the beaten path and nearly impossible to find if it weren’t for their small garage sale sized ground sign with ‘Wild Woods Brewery’ and an arrow hand-drawn with a Marks-a-lot, it is exactly what owners Erin and Jake have dreamt about for the last five years.

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