We invite you to a little trip in the history of Belgian beers and chocolate traditions. Today we will tell you about the warm relationship between beer and chocolate and the splendid beers of Belgian beer Leffe & Hoegaarden with Belgian chocolate.
Cocoa pleasure from the hands of Belgian masters
When looking for quality chocolate experiences, we often think of Belgian chocolate. Few of us know the Belgian tradition of making chocolate, but what we know is that when we try a chocolate candy or a block of Belgian chocolate, we get a lot more than cocoa melting in the palate.Belgium has long-standing traditions in chocolate production since the 17th century. Since the end of the 19th century, a law and a standard have come into force that Belgian chocolate should have at least 30% pure cocoa mass.Today, more than 2000 small and large Belgian chocolate makers enjoy our senses with a variety of recipes and a lot of imagination for divine enjoyment.Belgian chocolate is made only in Belgium and is mostly handmade.
Beer delights from the Belgian abbey.
Beer making in Belgium dates back to the 12th-13th century. The first beer masters are monks in the abbey of the then French and Flemish territories.
The monks made different beer types and tastes, which they traded in order to raise funds for their cloister.
The beer name of the same name, which exists today, is due to the initiative and inspiration of the monks from the Notre Dame de Leffe Abbey in Namur, South Africa, on the banks of the Maas River.
- -Leffe Brune – authentic abbey beer with deep dark color and full taste, due to dark-baked malt, with 6.5% alcohol degree and ideal temperature for consumption between 5 ° and 6 °.
- -Leffe Blonde – a highly fermented beer with a bright golden color and a sweet, even slightly fruity taste that gradually develops to leave a surprising and strong aftertaste, with 6.6% alcohol degree and ideal temperature for consumption between 5 ° and 6 °.
- On the centuries-old Belgian tradition of making beer from the 15th century we owe the unforgettable taste of the white wheat beer Hoegaarden.
- The first quantities were cooked in the brewery of the Belgian abbey in 1445, presenting the local, already experienced skulls, a new taste of barley malt and wheat mixed with coriander and orange peel from the distant – and then – today, Curacao colony.
- With a 4.9% alcohol degree and a special ritual for drinking in a hexagonal cup, as the story requires.
Beer and Chocolate – Great Looks for Compatibility
It is known that people who live on the same land have similar perceptions, sensations and emotional attitudes. So an experienced Belgian chocolate maker will make the most delicious and cute chocolate senses, and the Belgian monk will have the vision to create an unforgettable beer recipe that will endure the test of the ages.
They will both resemble – not just because they are creators but because they have similar tastes to life, food, delight. And their works will look like this memorable local footprint.
So the idea of thinking about Belgian chocolate and Belgian beer as a couple that might have a beautiful future on our palate is actually very meaningful. Not only we, but also many chocolate and brewery experts, have already convinced us of the quality of this logically good union between two culinary Belgian masterpieces.
Combine beer with chocolate – in the language of the expert
In order to make an exquisite taste mix between beer and chocolate, the properties of the ingredients of the two products – their behavior on the sensory feelings that they leave separately – must be known. Then, the imagination and experimentation of different combinations takes effect in order to determine the best possible effects on the taste buds. For example, dark and rich malt beers, especially matured in barrels, imbued with caramel or fruit flavors, are a wonderful compliment to dark chocolates with a pronounced cocoa flavor. The rich taste of cocoa butter melts on the palate at body temperature and envelops it to help him take on his specific nerve receptors the jolly snappy gas bubbles of the beer. Fruit compliments in beer complement fruity accompaniments to chocolate, a higher alcoholic degree stands well against the taste of cocoa butter, and the malt sweetness of the beer plays great with the sweetness of chocolate. This creates a complete and complete sense of pleasant taste and aroma and an unforgettable culinary experience. Experts do not highly recommend combining pilsner beers with chocolate, but why do we think of it when we have the authentic tastes of Leffe Brune and Leffe Blonde, as well as the white princess Hoegaarden who breathes coriander and exotic orange?
The best combinations:
# 1 Hoegaarden + Dark Coinreau Chocolate
This Belgian white beer contains a citrus touch, so it combines wonderfully with the black chocolate Cointreau – a combination of an aperitif of the Cointro, turned into a cream and a rich dark Belgian chocolate that envelops it on all sides.
# 2 Leffe Brune + Marijke Chocolate
The darkness and density of Abbey Leffe Brune is brilliantly complemented by the vanilla and coffee flavor of Marijke chocolate – made from a fluffy hazelnut cream mixed with coffee in a basket of dark Belgian chocolate.
# 3 Leffe Blond + Bellina White Chocolate
The soft light, sweetness and vanilla note of Leffe Blond courtesy the beautifully white Bellina chocolate, which keeps an air hazelnut cream under the creamy white whites of white Belgian chocolate.
On these and other combinations you can enjoy stand # 13 at the Grand Chocolate Festival, which will be held on 26-27 March in Sofia, Hotel Balkan (the former Sheraton Hotel).
Of course, you can unleash your own imagination and make your own unique combination. But the most important thing, no matter which option you choose, is to indulge your pleasure and let your senses fully enjoy. Cheers!
