Bean to Barstool
A podcast exploring the intersections of craft beer and craft chocolate.
Episodes
184 episodes
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 ta...
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 thi...
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 beh...
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 ...
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 Maste...
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 b...
Collaboration for Chocolate Makers, Part 2—Partnering with Beverage Alcohol Producers
This is the second 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.You can check out...
Mike King of Encore Coffee and Chocolate
Mike King at Encore Coffee and Chocolate in Kansas City is currently making some of the best coffee-infused craft chocolate bars on the market. I’ve had the chance to talk with Mike at the Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival the past couple years,...
Collaboration for Chocolate Makers Part 1: Why Do It, and General Considerations
Back in the first episode of 2026, I shares some things I think craft chocolate can learn from craft beer. One of those lessons (and, upon reflection, one of the on...
Brewing Pastry Stouts Thoughtfully with Wandering Monsters Brewing
Today we're talking with Jason Brewer and Zac Boehnke of Wandering Monsters Brewing in Cincinnati, Ohio. While they brew a wide variety of beers well, they're best known for excellent adjunct stouts like Viator Obscura: Triple Chocolate, which ...
Redux: Uncommon Cacao
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 thi...
Bite Sized: Pairing Beer and 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 looking back at one of the first deep dives I ever did on pairing beer and chocolate for B...
Global Black Chocolate Makers Month with London Coe
This month, London Coe of Peace on Fifth in Dayton, Ohio, will celebrate the tenth annual Global Black Chocolate Makers Month. It's an opportunity to promote the work of Black craft chocolate makers from outside the U.S., and introduce tasters ...
Bean to Barstool Redux: Omnom Chocolate
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 thi...
Bonus: Piano Keys Remix—Ale Sharpton's Chocolate Vanilla Imperial Stout with Creature Comforts
Ale Sharpton, a legendary beer writer from Atlanta celebrating his 30th year in the craft beer industry in 2026, is back with the latest version of his Piano Keys chocolate vanilla imperial stout collab, this time with Creature Comforts. The be...
Good Flavors Are Universal: Liang Wang of KESSHŌ Chocolate
"Language and food are the two vehicles that can help people understand each other better."That's Liang Wang, co-founder and chocolate maker at KESSHŌ Chocolate in Austin, Texas. KESSHŌ makes craft chocolate bars inspired by Asian...
Bonus: Red Rock Chocolate Festival
In this quick bonus episode, host David Nilsen talks with Jake Potter, founder and chocolate maker at Red Rock Chocolate in Utah. They talk about the upcoming inaugural Red Rock Region Chocolate and Fine Foods Festival in Hurricane, Utah, discu...
9 Things Craft Chocolate Can Learn From Craft Beer
In our first episode for 2026, we're looking at 9 lessons craft chocolate can learn from craft beer. Most of these, honestly, are lessons craft beer has learned (or, actually, is still learning) the hard way, and craft chocolate businesses and ...
Looking Back at 2025 (+ Favorite Beers & Chocolates)
Bean to Barstool host David Nilsen recaps 2025 by looking at what made this year difficult and what made it worth it, and also shares his favorite beer experiences and craft chocolates from the year.
Storytelling Through Beer Pairings with Joanne Mumbey of BeyLoved Pairings
In today's episode, We’re talking with Joanne Mumbey, a rising voice in beer education and beer and food pairing. Joanne is a Certified Cicerone and, newly as of this month, a certified pommelier, and she's the founder of
Bonus: Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival Recap
We just got back from the second annual Midwest Craft Chocolate Festival in Rushville, Indiana, where I gave several talks, Bean to Barstool had a table set up, we met a ton of great people, and of course came home with a bunch of great chocola...
The Chemistry of Chocolate with Professor Robyn Araiza & Jorge Torres
Today’s guest uses craft chocolate as a way to introduce people to a subject they might otherwise feel intimidated by: chemistry.Professor Robyn Araiza teaches at California State University San Marcos. She leads a class called the Chemi...
Bonus: Copa Cerveza, Judging, and the Madness of October
In this bonus episode of Bean to Barstool, I reflect back on my recent trip to Mexico to judge at Copa Cerveza Mx and the great beer and chocolate I had while I was there, and discuss what I love about beer judging and what you should and shoul...