When it comes to my two favourite palate sensations, say no more than craft beer and artisinal chocolate!
While working at a brewery provides me with countless opportunities to stay up-to-date on Ontario’s finest craft brews, my friends at Chocosol have been keeping my chocolate cravings under control with cookies, cocao nibs and other goodies.
Now, I’m not just talking about ANY chocolate. Chocosol practices “horizontal trade” meaning they fairly and directly purchase cocao beans from Mexican farmers and create delicious chocolate using traditional techniques. They’re an Ontarian foodie favourite and can be found at countless farmers’ markets or other locavore events across the province.
On November 3rd I joined forces with my good friend Chrystal of Chocosol, to throw a party fit for a STAR. STAR Company that is.
STAR. or the “Society of Technicians for Administrative Removal” provides business support for creative people. And on the eve of their Birthday, 100 musicians, artists, actors and the like sipped and savoured a craft beer and chocolate pairing that got their creative juices flowing:
- Amsterdam 416 Wheat Beer paired with ‘Lemon Chevre Lollipop’ – A creamy goat cheese swirled with lemon enrolled in darkness
- Spearhead Hawaiian Style IPA paired with ‘Chili Chocolate Brownie Bites’- 5 different kinds of chills tossed into chewy chocolate brownies
- Black Oak Nut Brown paired with ‘Pumpkin Seed Bark’- Salted cacao butter combined with pumpkin seeds and sprinkled upon dark chocolate
- Black Creek Porter *mixed with* Vanilla Liquid Chocolate’ (this Beer-Chocolate Float speaks for its self!)
A special thanks to Amsterdam, Spearhead, Black Oak and Junction Brewing Company for your generous donation. You definitely have a few new converts in Toronto’s artistic community!
To book a guided Ontario craft beer and Chocosol pairing for your next event, please get in touch!
Ontario is a cornucopia! An abundant diversity of tasty produce is inspiring food artisans and craft beer producers to provide curious eaters with new food experiences. That’s why we’re partnering with the World Crop Project to bring you a unique culinary event: East meets West, Bringing Ontario Craft Beer, Indian Cuisine and locally-grown World Crops together!
Many foods enjoyed by the diverse population of the GTA can be grown right here in Ontario’s Greenbelt! The World Crops project seeks to promote the taste, nutrition and environmental benefits of growing foods from around the world (such as okra, yard long beans, Asian eggplant and Indian red carrot) right here in Ontario. We’re inviting you to discover how good these local foods taste, particularly with Ontario Craft Beer.
Join us on Thursday October 13th from 7 to 9 pm at The Stop’s Green Barn, 601 Christie Street, Barn 4 for an evening of diverse innovation. We will be featuring several vegetables from the World Crop Project in four unique tastings of Indian food. The dishes will be paired with an Ontario Craft Beer, sure to make your taste buds dance!
Tickets cost $65 and spaces are limited. To register, please visit Arvinda’s website to RSVP, and hurry – spots will go fast….
The Stop Community Food Center, The World Crops project, Arvinda’s Artisanal Indian Spice Blends and Experience Craft Beer bring this event to you.
Yes, craft beer is in the air. From the Canadian Brewery Awards hosted by TAPS Magazine, to the wide-variety of Oktoberfest festivities in the works, there is no better time to be a craft beer drinker in our fair city!
And Toronto’s premier craft beer event is right around the corner – The 2nd annual Toronto Beer Week! From September 16th to the 24th the city will come alive with brews to end those post-summer blues.
The festivities begin with a kick off event at Amsterdam Brewery on Friday night, followed by a week-long celebration of craft beer – the people who brew it and the establishments that serve it. Many of Toronto’s great craft beer bars including The Only Cafe, Betty’s, The Victory, The Cloak and Dagger, WVRST, The Beer Bistro, Bar Volo and others will be hosting special pairing and tasting events.
How will you celebrate? I wanna know!
Six ways to host a party your friends will KEEP talkin’ about…
Do you want to host a party that sparks your guests’ interests, keeps them laughing and is easy for you to plan? Put that wine bottle back in the cellar and host a guided Ontario craft beer tasting in the comfort of your own living room.
After doing several guided tastings with friends, I’ve got a few suggestions on how we can make your exploration of Ontario craft beer an evening they’ll keep talkin’ about.
- Invite friends you’ve always wanted to introduce to one another - Do you have friends who you think will “click” but haven’t had the perfect moment to introduce them to one another? Or are you just too dang busy to throw a party for every group of friends in your little black book? Well, hosting a guided craft beer tasting is the perfect opportunity to bring different people together over a beverage that everyone loves! They may just leave being the very best o’ craft beer drinking buddies.
- Encourage your guests to share their favorite beer stories - Everyone in your tasting has a special place in their memory reserved for a beer experience. Perhaps it was accidentally reaching for their dad’s lawn-mower lager when they were five. Or, maybe they were a closet home-brewer in university. Maybe they’ve even admittedly been a wine drinker their entire life. What ever their story, chances are you want to hear it.
- Pair your craft beer with artisanal cheese or chocolate - One thing you’ll learn at your tasting is that everybody has a different palate – some may get notes of fruit from their ale, while others coffee. Well, everyone experiences food and beer pairing differently too! But, here’s a hint: try pairing beer with rich finger-food like chocolate or cheese, the carbonation of the beer will scrubs your tongue, making it easier to decipher the delicate or robust flavours. You’ll also be surprised to note that some beers compliment food, while others bring new flavours out of the beer.
- Make a night out of it - In today’s Toronto, you are a busy bee! And, since you don’t get to see your friends that often, why not make a night out of your guided craft beer tasting? Invite your friends to stay for dinner and wash it down with their favourite craft beer of the evening. I suggest keeping it simple, throw some locally-made sausages on the BBQ or make a vegetable ratatouille in your crock pot. Either way, your friends will certainly be happy they stayed.
- Don’t want to cook, why not cater - Okay, fair enough. You’ve been cooking all week and want to make your guided beer tasting as stress-free as possible. There are excellent caterers available in Toronto, but here are a few that are sourcing from Certified Local Sustainable farmers (drink craft beer + eat local food = mmmm!): Cafe Belong, Chez Vous Catering, Enville Catering, Hearty Catering, Magic Oven, Morrell Catering, Sequel Catering and Vert Catering.
- Start a craft beer club Nows your chance… Let this guided beer tasting be the start of your adventures in craft beer! Make a date with your buddies to visit a local brewery, host your own beer and chocolate pairing, or try your hand at home brewing. Once you enter the world of craft beer you never go back.