{"id":16118,"date":"2012-12-03T11:58:01","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T18:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/foodembrace.com\/?p=16118"},"modified":"2012-12-03T11:58:01","modified_gmt":"2012-12-03T18:58:01","slug":"green-and-blacks-organic-chocolate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/2012\/12\/green-and-blacks-organic-chocolate\/","title":{"rendered":"Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a> I was contacted by Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate<\/a> asking if I would like to review and discuss their chocolate bars.<\/p>\n

I love chocolate and very happily accepted the challenge.<\/p>\n

Green and Black’s chocolate<\/a> is not only certified organic but it is also fair trade chocolate. \u00a0Goodness all around!<\/p>\n

I was sent several bars to test out and instead of doing a standard post about the chocolate and their flavors, I wanted to do something different.<\/p>\n

Since we moved this year to beautiful and beer friendly, Colorado<\/a>, I decided to pair the Green and Black’s Chocolates with beers.<\/p>\n

Oh yes I did!<\/p>\n

Below are the flavors I recieved and the beers that I paired with them.<\/p>\n

Milk<\/a>\u00a0and a Milk Stout (two choices):<\/p>\n

Normally, I’m not a milk chocolate fan, preferring the darker chocolates. \u00a0However this milk chocolate was creamy, slightly sweet, and very smooth. \u00a0I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet and it quickly became a favorite.<\/p>\n

Plenty of milk stouts to choose from! \u00a0Left Hand makes a solid milk stout<\/a> that works well this bar. \u00a0But if you want to go super\u00a0decadent, Founder’s Breakfast Stout<\/a> and this chocolate are a match made in heaven.<\/p>\n

Almond<\/a> and Tommyknocker’s Imperial Nut Brown Ale<\/a><\/p>\n

The almond bar is made with Green and Black’s milk chocolate and contains whole roasted almonds. \u00a0It was delicious and the almonds provided a great crunch and nutty background to the milk chocolate. \u00a0Breaking up the sweetness just a touch.<\/p>\n

Paired with Tommyknocker’s Imperial Nut Brown Ale<\/a>, the sharpness of the brown ale helps cut the sweetness of the chocolate while the nut finish compliments the roasted almonds in the chocolate.<\/p>\n

If you can’t find Tommyknocker where you live, look for another brown ale or nut brown ale local to you for the pairing.<\/p>\n

Cherry<\/a> with New Belgium’s La Folie, Lips of Faith Series<\/a><\/p>\n

I’m not a huge fan of tart cherries and admittedly I was a little nervous trying this chocolate out, thinking I wouldn’t like it. \u00a0I was completely wrong. \u00a0The cherries are tart and pair wonderfully with the dark chocolate. \u00a0They aren’t overpowering at all but provide a nice little kick to the chocolate. \u00a0Just enough tartness to wake you up but not knock you over.<\/p>\n

I paired this chocolate with New Belgium’s<\/a> La Folie which is a sour brown ale. \u00a0La Folie isn’t a strong sour but a more lighter and friendly sour. \u00a0It goes well with the cherries and the dark chocolate.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately since this was a Lips of Faith beer, that means it was a limited release so you probably cannot find any. This is terribly sad news. \u00a0However I would still suggest pairing this chocolate with a sour beer but one that isn’t a very strong sour. \u00a0A lighter sour beer works well with this bar.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Expresso<\/a>\u00a0and Epic’s Big Bad Baptist<\/a>:<\/p>\n

The expresso bar surprised me with how integrated the expresso beans were! \u00a0They are ground up and provide a crunchy texture throughout the whole bar. \u00a0It was so lovely and enjoyable! \u00a0Most bars have larger chunks of expresso beans in them which for me isn’t as pleasing\u00a0texturally. \u00a0This bar almost has like a cookie crunch quality to it giving it a unique quality.<\/p>\n

You can pair this bar with just about any stout but I picked Epic’s Big Bad Baptist<\/a> because it’s a stout with a kick coming in at 11% ABV. \u00a0It is also brewed with cocoa nibs and coffee which brings out the expresso flavor of the bar.<\/p>\n

Dark 70%<\/a> and New Belgium’s Cocoa Mole Lips of Faith Series<\/a><\/p>\n

Oh dark chocolate I love you. \u00a0It’s not too sweet and is full of chocolatey goodness. \u00a0Green and Black’s dark chocolate is velvety and delicious. \u00a0Since this was straight up dark chocolate with no accents, I decided to provide the accent through the beer.<\/p>\n

That’s why I paired the 70% Dark Chocolate Bar with New Belgium’s Cocoa Mole Ale<\/a> from their Lips of Faith Series. \u00a0This is by far one of my all time favorite beers. \u00a0It’s chocolatey AND spicy. \u00a0It’s knock-your-socks-off amazing. \u00a0It gave a nice little heat kick to the dark chocolate bar.<\/p>\n

Again, since this is a limited release beer, it’s possible that you can’t find any more. \u00a0If you do see a bottle, grab it quick! \u00a0If not, look for another cocoa mole stout to go with the chocolate. \u00a0I’ve seen a few different versions out there so should be able to find one in your neck of the woods.<\/p>\n

Or pair with a new Lips of Faith brew, Imperial Chocolate Stout<\/a>! Either type of brew will work with this dark chocolate.<\/p>\n

Maya Gold<\/a>\u00a0and a spiced Belgian style brew:<\/p>\n

I will be completely honest and say that I didn’t care for this bar. \u00a0I’m not a fan of orange and chocolate pairing. \u00a0I know it’s a classic combination but for some reason this doesn’t go over well with me.<\/p>\n

If you like spiced chocolate, then definitely give this bar a try though. \u00a0It’s got orange, cinnamon, and nutmeg all throughout the chocolate.<\/p>\n

Orange can be tricky to pair with beer but I think since this bar is a little on the heavier side, a lighter beer would make a better pairing. \u00a0Something in the Belgian style works here. \u00a0Perhaps \u00a0a spiced Quad or even a spiced Saison would work. \u00a0It would compliment the complexity of this bar and make for a great post dinner nibble!<\/p>\n

Since I didn’t eat much of this bar, I didn’t get a chance to pair it with beer. The above suggestion is merely that, a suggestion.<\/p>\n

I love chocolate and beer so I had a great time pairing the two and seeing what worked and what did not. \u00a0If you love chocolate and beer, try testing some combos out to find what you enjoy!<\/p>\n

Big Thanks go Green and Black’s<\/a> for sending me some chocolate to pair with some awesome beers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Disclaimer: Green and Black’s sent me the chocolate to review. My opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this article.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I was contacted by Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate asking if I would like to review and discuss their chocolate bars. I love chocolate and very happily accepted the challenge. Green and Black’s chocolate is not only certified organic but it is also fair trade chocolate. \u00a0Goodness all around! I was sent several bars to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[32,63],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4KYWa-4bY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16118"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16118\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodembrace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}