Bean to Barstool

David Nilsen
  • 4.8 (17)
  • FOOD
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.

  1. 1D AGO

    Collaboration Case Study: Estelle Tracy on Educators Partnering with Craft Chocolate Makers

    We recently wrapped up our four-episode series called Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, which looked at different collaboration ideas for craft chocolate companies. Today, we’re looking at a case study of a specific kind of creative collaboration within the industry to pick apart how it worked, and how you can apply it at your own chocolate operation. Estelle Tracy of 37 Chocolates is a chocolate educator whose has been a guest on Bean to Barstool numerous times (you can find links to those episodes below). She reached out to me a few weeks back to let me know about a unique collaboration she was involved in in 2025.  Estelle worked with Castronovo, a popular craft chocolate maker, to release a limited chocolate bar, and then led a virtual event to tell the story of the bar. In our conversation today, Estelle talks about how she approached the pairing, how it worked, what the advantages were on both sides, and what you need to know if you want to pursue a similar collab as either a craft chocolate maker or an educator or enthusiast. Episode timeline: 1:00 - Narrated introduction 3:35 - Beginning of interview 6:50 - Summary of Estelle's collab with Castronovo 12:05 - How she pitched the collab idea 14:10 - Exclusivity of collab bar 19:55- Business advantage for the maker 21:35 - Developing the collab bar 25:00 - Collaborations between enthusiasts and makers 25:55 - Unique things to consider with collabs of this type 30:55 - Things she's do differently next time 35:35 - End of interview, closing thoughts on conversation 39:35 - Recent beer and chocolate news 48:30 - End of episode Mentioned in this episode: Moka Origins Amazon Conservation Team J.Street Chocolate World Beer Cup 2026 winners Craft Chocolat Challenge 2026 winners Rhyme & Reason Chocolate Indulgence Chocolatiers Beato Chocolates DC Chocolate Society's Ultimate Chocolate Festival Survival Guide Lucid Chocolatier Past episodes mentioned: Brewing Pastry Stouts Thoughtfully with Wandering Monsters Brewing Hi Wire Brewing's 10W-40 Chocolate Imperial Stouts Wolves, Sons, and Ethereal Confections Brad Kintzer of TCHO Chocolate Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    49 min

  2. APR 28

    Bite Sized: 5 Minutes with Wandering Monsters Brewing

    Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes on a specific topic in craft beer, craft chocolate, or artisan drinks. Today we're talking with Jason Brewer and Zac Boehnke of Wandering Monsters Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jason and Zac share the most important thing they've learned when working with cacao and other flavor ingredients, and the storytelling that's possible with these beers. Enjoy! You can listen to the entire episode this clip is from here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    6 min

  3. APR 21

    Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, Part 4: Creative Collaborations To Consider

    This is the fourth and final part in a series called Collaboration for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. In this episode, we talk about ideas for creative, outside-the-box collaborations—Partnerships with businesses or community entities that you might not think about as options but can really lead to some cool storytelling and visibility. I fully expect I’ve missed more ideas than I’ve come up with here, so please share others as you think of them! Collaboration for Chocolate Makers series: Podcast Episodes Why Do It, and General Considerations Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers Creative Collaborations to Consider (you're listening to it!) Blog Posts Why It’s Worth It, and Things To Consider Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers, and Drinks-Based Collabs Chocolate-Based Collabs with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    22 min

  4. APR 17

    Redux: Chocolate Educator Sanna Forslund

    Bean to Barstool Redux: Vintage but still relevant conversations from the archives without all the extra narration. Just classic interviews from really cool people in craft chocolate, craft beer, and other food and beverage fields. In this edition, is a chocolate educator who uses chocolate as a way to travel the world, recalling places she’s been and imagining ones she hasn’t, and helping others to do the same. All that’s required is an open and curious mind and a piece of chocolate. Join us for a conversation with Sanna Forslund about traveling through our senses, tasting chocolate with a sense of wonder, and how the natural world and the people around us can help us grow in our ability to do both. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    37 min

  5. APR 14

    Bite Sized: Liang Wang of Kessho Chocolate on Branding & Art

    Welcome to Bean to Barstool Bite Sized, where we spend about 5 minutes on a specific topic in craft beer, craft chocolate, or artisan drinks. Today we're talking with Liang Wang of Kessho Chocolate in Austin, Texas. Liang shares the meaning behind the name Kessho, as well as the thought that goes into their wrapper artwork and mold design. Enjoy! You can listen to the entire episode this clip is from here. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    5 min

  6. APR 7

    Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, part 3: Working with Other Craft Chocolate Makers

    This is the third in a four-part bonus series called Collaborations for Chocolate Makers. In the series, we'll walk through different types of possible collaborations and how craft chocolate makers should go about them. Today we’re going to talk about an opportunity for collaboration that I think is wildly underutilized in craft chocolate: Craft chocolate makers collaborating on products with other craft chocolate makers.  In this episode, we talk about the untapped potential of collaborations within craft chocolate. We discuss the unique advantages of these collabs, examples of how these chocolate collaborations can work, how to approach them, occasions for collabs, and particular things to consider before embarking on one. Collaboration for Chocolate Makers series: Podcast Episodes Why Do It, and General Considerations Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers (you're listening to it) Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Blog Posts Why It’s Worth It, and Things To Consider Collaborating with Beverage Alcohol Producers, and Drinks-Based Collabs Chocolate-Based Collabs with Beverage Alcohol Producers Collaborating with Other Craft Chocolate Makers (coming soon) Creative Collaborations to Consider (coming soon) Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    20 min

  7. MAR 31

    Beer Learning and Language with Scott Fielder and Chris Crowe

    My friends Scott Fielder & Chris Crowe have spent the past few years publicly documenting their quest to pass the Master Cicerone exam. In late 2025, Scott Fielder became just the 29th Master Cicerone in the world. Chris, his best friend and partner in this process, came close to doing the same, and is more determined than ever to pass the exam in 2026.  I sat down with Scott and Chris recently to talk about how their pursuit of knowledge through these certifications has impacted their experience and enjoyment of beer. We also talk about the vulnerability of sharing their exam preparation as publicly as they have, and how we can provide consumers with useful information without gatekeeping and using exclusionary descriptive language.  You can follow Scott & Chris here: Scott's Instagram At Your Service's Instagram Chris's Instagram The Beer Enthusiasts Instagram The Beer Enthusiasts Youtube channel Here you can find the past episodes mentioned in today's conversation: Episode 1: Personal Flavor Vocabularies Episode 16: Cultural Beer Language with Dr. J Episode 39: Everybody Is Welcome—Celebrating Beer with Em Sauter Guests: Scott Fielder hails from Long Beach, CA. He is the Quality and Education Lead at The Bruery in Placentia, CA, a beer educator with The Beer Scholar, Certified BJCP Judge, GABF judge, and a Master Cicerone. He is also a partner in the Beer pop up concept At Your Service with Advanced Cicerones Chris Crowe and Charlie Perez, as well as the co-host of The Beer Enthusiasts YouTube channel.  Chris Crowe is an Advanced Cicerone®, Director of Sales at the award-winning Radiant Beer Co., and resident beer nerd at the world-renowned Windsor Homebrew Supply. Chris co-hosts The Beer Enthusiasts with Master Cicerone® Scott Fielder, where they have published over 75 episodes of educational beer content between Instagram Live and YouTube. Chris founded At Your Service, a series of service-forward pop-ups focused on historical, cultural, and reimagined methods of serving beer with Scott and Advanced Cicerone® Charlie Perez. Chris wants to encourage you to #drinkmoredoppelbock and assures you that there is little to no resistance to doing so. Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    1h 22m

  8. MAR 17

    Elmer Pineda of Yojoa Chocolate in Honduras

    Elmer Pineda and his family grow cacao and make tree to bar chocolate in the mountains of Honduras. Taking their company name from the Volcanic crater lake where their chocolate factory is located, Yojoa Chocolate makes classic two-ingredient bars, as well as a range of inclusion bars that celebrate the agricultural bounty of their corner of the world. When I connected with Elmer over Zoom recently, a tropical rain storm was drenching his property, and you might even be able to hear it in our conversation.  In this interview we talk about the background of Yojoa Chocolate and their cacao farm, the natural landscape that provides so much flavor and inspiration to Yojoa’s bars, the importance of not only fermentation but carefully controlled drying in flavor formation, and some of Yojoa’s unique inclusion bars, like Espresso and Anis Avocado.  You can learn more about Yojoa on their website or their Instagram. Episode timeline (approximate): 2:00 - Introduction 3:30 - Yojoa summary and background 10:10 - Local microclimate 13:50 - The power of tree to bar 18:05 - Fermentation and drying 25:40 - Espresso bar 29:05 - Anis Avocado bar 33:30 - Whisky Barrel bar 39:25 - Packaging and artwork 40:40 - The story Yojoa is telling Check out David's book Pairing Beer & Chocolate: A Guide to Bringing the Flavors of Craft Beer and Craft Chocolate Together. Follow Bean to Barstool on social media! Instagram Facebook Pinterest Sign up for host David Nilsen's beer newsletter for regular beer musings, and the Bean to Barstool newsletter for pairings, collaborations, and maker profiles.

    48 min
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4.8
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.

Information

  • Creator
    David Nilsen
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    186
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bean to Barstool
  • Show Website
    Bean to Barstool