Stone Brewery

Chocolate and Beer Pairing
Monday, July 9th, 2007

Last Monday I attended the Chocolate and Beer Pairing event at Stone Brewery. I have been meaning to get up there for some time, to tour the brewery. It took a night of chocolate to actually get me to act on that thought...!

None the less, the event was fantastic. Each "pair" was introduced by the representatives of Stone and Chuao.

The CEO of Stone Brewery is well-spoken, clearly excited about beer and thoroughly knoweldgeable (he better be!). Not to mention, he's pretty darn cute!

The woman representing Chuao was a little less confident in her public speaking skills, and it showed. She didn't speak clearly about the qualities of the chocolates, instead ending all the choco-introductions with one-liners.

Here are the pairings we tried:

Stone Pale Ale with Melao salt butter caramel in milk chocolate.
Stone Smoked Porter with Candela macadamia praline in dark chocolate.
Stone IPA with Cinco de Mayo lemon tequila ganache in dark chocolate.
Arrogant Bastard Ale with Caracas dark bar with nuts.
Stone Ruination IPA with Picante spicy caramel.
Stone Vertical Epic Ale with Cardamon ganache dark chocolate.

The Picante Pair was my favorite (and it won by loudness of applause), and the Melao was my second fave (though by applause I think it was Cinco de Mayo, which was also a very good pair).

Interestingly, the pairings were created primarily for similarities in flavors, which surprised me. I would have guessed a more balancing approach, with the yin-yang thing going on. For example, the Stone IPA was very citrus-y, and they paired it with a very lemony caramel chocolate. They referred to this effect as "the flavor lock." I guess they know what they're doing because they really did go well together.

I am looking forward to many more adventures in beer in the future.

A-List at the Athenaeum

The Athenaeum is a historical music and arts library located in the heart of La Jolla on the corner of Wall Street and Girard. They host concerts during the lunch hour and in the evenings. These concerts focus on the traditional and academic forms of music, like classical, jazz, and even opera.

However, the Athenaeum has started a new program for young adults, the A-List. This new take on art and music offers evening parties every three months, with up and coming artists on exhibit and up and coming musicians to set the mood. The most recent event hosted electronica with a DJ mixing in the sounds of saxaphone and flute into the house beats. A pair of “His and Hers” neon nooses was on display along with photography from Tijuana and installation art that questions “Who is it good for?” on the back of bus stop bench.

This fresh take on art costs $10 for non-members, though members get in free with a guest. Once inside you never know what to expect. In addition to the art and music the Athenaeum chooses a theme for each A-List event, and mixes up cocktails to match, like the “Yellow Cab” – a mix of vodka, lemonade, and lime juice.

If you think the party stops there, you are wrong. There is free beer from local breweries like Karl Strauss, Stone, or Rock Bottom; there are door prizes from local restaurants, boutiques, and artists. Not to mention the crowd is full of artistic folks who can have interesting conversations about the art on the wall just as easily as they can debate which IPA is best or what mixed drink they recommend.

So next time someone asks you, “Are you on the list?” you can answer, “I’m about to be.”

Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
1008 Wall Street (@ Girard)
La Jolla, CA 92037
858 454 5872
http://www.ljathenaeum.org/A%20List.htm