Beer and Chocolate Pairing at Equal Exchange and a Giveaway

Hubby and I hopped on the train last week on a rainy afternoon and headed down to North Station. We were chatting along the way about what a beer and chocolate tasting would be like. Would it really be just beer and chocolate? Seemed too much like a wine and chocolate pairing, only weirder…

Equal Exchange Cafe, Boston, MA

After getting off the train, we headed over to Equal Exchange Cafe to see what this beer and chocolate pairing was all about. The cafe was a cute little space that we agreed Hubby should check out some time when he needs a coffee in the North Station area. He usually grabs a DD coffee in North Station when he takes the train home, but it would be worth the one block detour to try some of their free trade coffees.

Equal Exchange Cafe, Boston, MA

Once we arrived, we met a variety of people from Harpoon Brewery, Equal Exchange, and chatted with a handful of other bloggers. We had the whole cafe to ourselves for the evening and to kick things off, we were encouraged to grab a beer.

Chocolate and Beer Pairing Guide

Once everyone arrived, they encouraged us to grab a seat so we could begin the tasting. For each beer and chocolate pairing we first tasted the chocolate, then the beer, then the chocolate and beer together. I’ve done chocolate tastings in the past and it’s similar to tasting wine. First you smell the chocolate. It’s recommended to smell it in a bowl so that any residual smells from you hands won’t interfere with the smell of the chocolate. After noticing the aroma of the chocolate, you take a small bite and chew it a few times. Then allow the chocolate to melt on your tongue. Be sure to take note how the taste of the chocolate changes as it melts.

Harpoon UFO White and Dark Chocolate with Almonds

The beer tasting was similar. We were instructed to swirl the beer around in our cup with our hand over the top to capture all of the aroma in the cup. Then smell the beer prior to tasting it.

Harpoon 100 Barrel Series Catamount Maple Wheat and Milk Chocolate

Lastly, we would taste some chocolate and once it started melting on your tongue, take a drink of the beer. It was interesting to see how the flavors danced around in your mouth. Some started with a strong taste of the beer and others finished that way. It was also interesting to see how the two together had such different flavors than each component on it’s own.

Harpoon Dark and Caramel Crunch with Sea Salt

I am NOT a fan of IPAs and we tasted a Rye IPE that I could not drink on it’s own. However when the chocolate was added to the mix, it tasted like a completely different beer. This was a really unique experience that I’m glad I got to try out.

The aftermath of the tasting

And now on to the giveaway! They gave us goodie bags on the way out the door and I’ve decided to pass my goodies along to you. I can’t ship beer, so I’ll be keeping the bottle of beer they gave me (sorry guys).

Package contains:
– One Harpoon Brewery bottle opener
– Two Harpoon Brewery beer coozies
– Two Equal Exchange coffee mugs
– Three bars of Equal Exchange organic, fair trade chocolate
– One Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate Pairing wheel

Giveaway Package

Giveaway rules:
– Winner will be chosen using Random.org
– US shipping addresses only
– Giveaway is open until 12:00 PM (noon) EST on Thursday, May 17th
– Mandatory first entry: answer the following question: What is your favorite kind of beer or chocolate? Have you ever paired them together?
– For an additional (optional) entry, Tweet the following “RT @beantownbaker Beer and Chocolate?!? Who knew they could be so great together! @EEcafe @harpoon_brewery”

AND, Equal Exchange is also doing a giveaway on their Facebook page. Be sure to check it out here where you can download a pairing guide and enter to win their giveaway. The grand prize is a tasting event for 20 people at Harpoon Brewery!

This event was provided free of charge, but the opinions are 100% my own. Special thanks to Terry from Antler for inviting me to the event!

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27 Responses to “Chocolate Goat Cheese Mousse Tart”

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    Eva @ Eva Bakes — June 7, 2013 at 8:27 am

    What an awesome way to feature goat cheese in a dessert! I never thought of turning it into a chocolate mousse – sounds like I need to try this soon. 🙂

    • beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:51 am

      You definitely should. I know goat cheese isn’t for everyone, but we really enjoyed the subtle flavor in the mousse.

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    Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic — June 7, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Jen, I love everything about this tart – from the chocolate crust to the mousse and the pretty strawberries on top. Yum! Enjoy your birthday month 🙂

    • beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 8:52 am

      Thanks for humoring me on the whole birthday month thing 🙂

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    Krystal R. — June 7, 2013 at 1:24 pm

    Ohhh lalalalala, I totally dig this dessert even more because it has goat cheese and strawberries…some of my fave foods!! Happy Birthday month…you better party and eat like it’s your birthday!!

    • beantownbaker — June 7th, 2013 @ 1:52 pm

      Oh I’m definitely going to party like it’s my birthday! All month long 🙂

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    Shannon — June 10, 2013 at 10:24 am

    oh yes to the goat cheese in this tart! fabulous. happy birthday month 🙂 you might need to make this a few more times to celebrate?!

    • beantownbaker — June 10th, 2013 @ 12:09 pm

      Oh I have been baking plenty of deliciousness this month to celebrate 🙂 You know how hard it is to repeat recipes…

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    Karen — June 10, 2013 at 11:50 pm

    Love the idea of incorporating goat cheese in a dessert- I have never seen it down with chocolate before. I will definitely be trying this soon as I have some goat cheese in my fridge waiting to be used 🙂

    • beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 7:20 am

      Oh yea, goat cheese and chocolate go really well together.

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    Carolyn — June 11, 2013 at 8:26 am

    Oh my, the use of goat cheese in this is phenomenal! I would love to try it!

    • beantownbaker — June 11th, 2013 @ 8:46 am

      Definitely do! And you could top it with any fruit you like. I think raspberries would be good too.

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    Consuelo @ Honey & Figs — June 11, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Chocolate must work great with goat cheese since they’re both utterly delicious!! This recipe looks magnificent omg I think I would be able to eat the whole tart by myself *-*

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    Justine @ Cooking and Beer — June 11, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients to use in desserts, and your tart looks soooo delicious! Thanks for sharing =) Definitely a must try this summer.

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    Nutmeg Nanny — June 12, 2013 at 10:33 am

    Oh wow this is gorgeous! I love this recipe, I bet it tastes heavenly!

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    Beth — June 25, 2013 at 5:13 pm

    I just finished making my second one for this week…we love it…it is so smooth and rich and well D E L I C I O U S!!!…my grandson requested the second one but truth be told I was gonna make it anyway…the bittersweet chocolate and the cocoa in the crust are what make it….if anyone out there hasn’t tried it do so you will be in love….

    • beantownbaker — June 25th, 2013 @ 5:38 pm

      So glad you’ve enjoyed it! I definitely need to make this again. I have already made it with raspberries but want to try blackberries next.

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    Beth — July 1, 2013 at 6:10 am

    you wont believe it but I made this AGAIN yesterday…I did a play on bananas foster on the top…it was a hit with my company…and good recipes for sweets for the 4th?..lol….

    • beantownbaker — July 3rd, 2013 @ 5:02 pm

      Wow – bananas foster on top. I would never have thought of that! I am making this tart and this strawberry shortcake for the 4th.

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    Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com — July 15, 2013 at 11:48 am

    So sinful and delicious looking 🙂

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    NaturesComplete — July 17, 2013 at 1:27 pm

    Holy yumminess. I never thought of putting goat cheese in. My mouth is watering at the thought. Strawberries are my absolute favorite berry of all time. I will have to for sure try this recipe, Got it saved to my personal file. thank you.

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    Laura — August 3, 2013 at 12:07 am

    I love chocolate mousse and I love goat cheese, so clearly I need to make this!

    Also, there is strawberry picking (not sure it is organic though if that matters) up here near Oxford. I can get you the info for next year if driving up here is not a problem (I imagine it depends on what side of Cinci you live 🙂 ).

    • beantownbaker — August 4th, 2013 @ 6:44 pm

      I definitely don’t mind driving for freshly picked strawberries!!

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    Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste — September 20, 2013 at 6:17 am

    I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this recipe! It’s hard to beat mixing tangy goat cheese with chocolate and berries. What a unique recipe!

    • beantownbaker — September 25th, 2013 @ 4:11 pm

      It tastes as good as it sounds! I hope you try it.

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    Lauren — June 1, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    WOW! What a wonderful recipe! Definitely one of my new favorites! Happy birthday month!

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    April — March 1, 2016 at 5:29 pm

    Does this go in the fridge covered or uncovered and how long does it last? Thanks!

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