Hopping Onto Demochoco’s First Ever Chocolate & Beer Pairing

Demochoco presents their first ever Chocolate and Beer pairing session at Draft and Craft. Pictured here is the Yuzu Miso Truffles with Citrusy Wit.

If you love that soft, melt-in-your-mouth Nama Choco that has taken Japan by storm, then local chocolatier, Demochoco is going to be your new best friend. Founder Lim JiaLiang is always experimenting with new flavours, coming up with decadent umami profiles such as Yuzu Miso, or toying with classics such as matcha and coffee to bring them to new heights. And, he finally combines his love for chocolates and craft beers in a never-before pairing session, featuring the world-class imperial stout Prairie Bomb, the limited Sur Simcoe and so on.

One of my favourite truffle was the Yuzu Miso. Strangely, as a fan of dark chocolate, I found myself drawn to this truffle. The Ivoire (35%) Chocolate pushes the limits of sugar in white chocolate, which is further downplayed by the savoury white Miso (from Honda Miso). With a touch of citrus from the yuzu and crunch of fresh shredded coconut, the Yuzu Miso truffle was definitely the stand out that night.

As for the pairing, the vibrant, fruit-forward Citrusy Wit from Stone Brewing did decently well. It is light and lively, giving contrast to the buttery truffle. While I am not a fan of the abrupt finish, it got my palette ready for the next decadent treat.

Demochoco presents their first ever Chocolate and Beer pairing session at Draft and Craft. Pictured here is the Marco Polo Truffles and Vaniljcider.

The famous Mariage Frères tea also makes an appearance. Infused into the Marco Polo Truffles, each mouthful explodes into a bouquet of Tibetian flowers and strawberries. A lovely treat, which, sadly, deserved a better beer or cider counterpart.

Demochoco presents their first ever Chocolate and Beer pairing session at Draft and Craft. Pictured here is the Basil Truffles and Proteus IPA.

Heavy and heavy is not a concept that works well, but with the Basil Truffles and Siren’s Proteus IPA, it sure did. The strong pine and fruity aroma of the IPA works very well with herbs and spices; hence, the basil. While I am not a fan of the dry bitter finish that placed an abrupt end to my luscious chocolate experience, it sure perked me up from the Vaniljcider.

And, it only gets better. As a coffee addict, this next pairing was the ultimate homage to all things caffeine. The Sitio Tanque Truffles is made with Nylon Coffee Roaster’s beans from Fazenda São Judas Tadeu, Brazil, and is paired with Stone Brewing’s Mocha IPA. The IPA does well interplaying the flavours of chocolate and coffee, though I feel that the coffee flavours play a more supporting role here.  It is one of the more decent coffee-based beers out there, and the Sitio Tanque Truffles could not have asked for a better pairing.

Actually, before I move on, I’d like to go into the truffle a little more. Jialiang went OCD with it, and I want to thank him for it. Instead of going for the usual method of an espresso powder, he extracted the flavours by cold brew – in low air conditions. Why? To get all that glorious floral, caramel profile that would otherwise be lost when over-extracted. It is a stunning flavour compared to what we usually brand as mocha.

Another amazing, and crazy, combination is – wait for it – the Hae Bee Hiam bars. We all know dark chocolate and sea salt is a match made in heaven, so why not turn it up and get a little local with it? And, there we have it, the fragrant, sweet yet salty Hae Bee Hiam a.k.a. Nyonya Spicy Dried Shrimp Sambal on a chocolate bar. To note, it is not just some run of the mill Hae Bee Hiam either. It was specially made by JiaLiang’s grandma, who, by the way, still refuses to give him the recipe. Since these Hae Bee Hiam bars may be rarer than an aerodactyl on Pokemon Go, I savoured every bite – made better by the best drink that night, the Prairie Bomb imperial stout.

That dark ruby hue, the pleasant spice from the ancho pepper and the lasting finish of vanilla, milk chocolate and a hint of espresso. It’s a 5 out of 5 for me on everything from its aroma, taste to feel. Such an excellent beer it was, that I found myself clamouring for another glass in minutes. Which, in hindsight, was a dangerous notion, as it carried a whooping 13.0% ABV. A boozy fact that was nicely disguised by the interplay of flavours and the richness of the hae bee hiam bars. I adored this combination (if it wasn’t obvious enough)!

All in all, the pairing brought to the table way more than I expected. Sure, whisky and wine pairings, we have had tons of those. Each has varied flavour profiles, which can be paired with everything from savouries to sweets. What’s to say, beer a.k.a. probably the oldest alcoholic beverage can’t do the same? The only gripe I have is that one or two of the pairings brought an abrupt stop to the experience. This was, however, quickly redeemed with the Mocha IPA and, of course, the Prairie Bomb. Ultimately, we have a beautiful equation of Demochoco’s divine creations and a mad variety of craft beers to play with. So, definitely say  yes to the next time Demochoco holds another session (particularly when Jialiang gets another batch of his Grandma’s glorious Hae Bee Hiam)!