Bean to Barstool

David Nilsen
  • 4.8 (17)
  • Food
  • Updated Weekly

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

  1. 3d ago

    Bite Sized: Liang Wang of Kessho Chocolate

    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 talks about Kessho’s line of tea-infused chocolate bars. Enjoy! You can listen to the entire episode this clip is from here. You can learn more about Kessho Chocolate 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.

    7 min

  2. May 19

    Tyler Cagwin of Nostalgia Chocolates on Selling Cacao to Breweries

    In today's episode, Tyler Cagwin of Nostalgia Chocolates gives advice for craft chocolate makers on selling cacao nibs and other ingredients to craft breweries. Tyler has sold cacao to many breweries in upstate New York and now in North Carolina, and it's become a substantial part of his business at Nostalgia. Here he walks us through things to consider in advance, how to approach prospective brewery partners, what he presents when he meets with them, how he builds these relationships, and how he schedules cacao roasting for his brewery customers in his regular chocolate production schedule. This interview is filled with great advice for craft chocolate makers who would like to begin working with breweries.  At the end, we also talk about the newest edition of Nostalgia's Hop Aged bar. You can listen to my past episode with Tyler here. You can also read a blog post about his Hop Aged bar here, and his work with New York breweries here. Episode timeline (approximate): 1:00 - Introduction 3:10 - How Tyler got started selling to breweries 6:30 - The knowledge level of brewers in regards to cacao 13:55 - Consistent questions he expects 15:10 - Info he provides proactively 17:20 - Pricing and sticker shock 21:50 - Workflow for providing nibs 23:55 - Marketing and co-branding 28:45- Production schedule considerations 29:55 - Roasting profiles 31:45 - Impact on his own cacao bean orders 35:40 - Providing husks and other ingredients 39:25 - Final thoughts on selling to breweries 42:20 - Hop Aged bar 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.

    53 min

  3. May 15

    Redux: Beer Educator Em Sauter

    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, we talk with Em Sauter, creator of Pints & Panels and author of Hooray for Craft Beer. Em and I talk about the book, her creative process, why positivity is so important in the craft beer world, and she even tastes a few craft chocolate bars along the way. Enjoy! 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.

    35 min

  4. May 12

    Bonus: 5 Most Versatile Beer Styles for Pairing with Craft Chocolate

    In this bonus episode, host David Nilsen talks about the most versatile craft beer styles to have on hand for pairing with craft chocolate. He explains why each style is so versatile and recommends types of craft chocolate to pair with each, and provides some information on how to host a pairing at home. You can read David's blog post on this same topic here. You can learn more about how to host a successful beer and chocolate pairing at home in this bonus episode or this blog post. 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.

    10 min

  5. May 5

    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 21:05- Business advantage for the maker 22:50 - Developing the collab bar 26:20 - Collaborations between enthusiasts and makers 32:15 - Things she's do differently next time 36:10 - End of interview, closing thoughts on conversation 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 Elmer Pineda of Yojoa Chocolate in Honduras Front Porch Chocolate New Zealand Beer and Chocolate Writer Luke Owen Smith 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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
    190
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Bean to Barstool
  • Show Website
    Bean to Barstool

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