Some time in late January, I received my monthly "Nat Decants" newsletter from wine scribe, multi-James Beard Award winner and fellow Canadian, Natalie MacLean. In it, no doubt conscious of the impending nature of Valentine's Day, Natalie turns her attention to the partnership of wine and chocolate, opining that:

Wine is liquid sensuality: Its heady bouquet stimulates the appetite and its velvet caress soothes that desire. What other drink is described as both 'voluptuous' and 'muscular'? And when you pair wine with the mouth-coating luxury of chocolate, the combination is impossible to resist.

     Oh, Natalie, Natalie, Natalie. You're trying too hard, my friend. Yes, I understand that you're on the wine beat and thus feel compelled to factor your fermented grape juice into pretty much every occasion, but wine and chocolate? Impossible to resist?

     Why, one might think you're writing about beer and chocolate. Because that, Natalie, that really is a combination that's impossible to resist.

     Don't get me wrong, I've tried wine and chocolate on many occasions, making matches that include many of your Top Ten faves, like dark chocolate and Banyuls, bittersweet chocolate and Amarone, and nutty chocolate with tawny port. Some are quite nice. But do you honestly think any of them are a match for the best of the myriad possibilities beer brings to the chocolate table?

     I don't. Not by a long shot.

     I have my own beer and chocolate favourites, of course, but to be fair about things, I thought I'd address your Top Ten and offer a beer that really works in partnership with each of your chosen chocolates. Note that these are not simple approximations of acceptable food and beverage pairings, but rather, partnerships that soar into the gastronomic stratosphere, creating rhapsodic flavour experiences that are superior, even, to the sum of their individual parts. To wit:

     1. Dark Chocolate and a strong Belgian or Belgian-style dubbel - Magic!

     2. Chocolate-Covered Biscotti and coffee-flavoured porter - A natural, surely

     3. Chocolate-Orange Cake and weizenbock - Chocolate and fruit meets chocolate and fruit and spice

     4. Chocolate with Nuts and vintage English-style old ale - Love the nuttiness of those English hops, especially when they've mellowed a bit over the years

     5. Milk Chocolate and Flemish-style brown ale - A bit of sourness, a bit of sweetness, a bunch of fruitiness and a whole lot of character

     6. Bittersweet Chocolate and American-style barleywine - A fine place for hoppy bitterness and alcoholic warmth, preferably enjoyed in front of a roaring fire

     7. Chocolate-Dipped Fruit and sweetened framboise lambic - I don't ordinarily have much use for these beers, I'll admit, but in this partnership they positively sing

     8. Chocolate Ganache Truffles and Imperial stout - It's times like this that I believe Imperial stout was invented to pair with chocolate

     9. Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and abbey-style quadruppel - I know, quad is a style of only borderline legitimacy, but in this instance it's my way of saying anything big and sweet and chocolaty and strong

     10. Chocolate Hearts with Cream Filling and Scotch ale - To be honest, I'm not quite sure what this chocolate creation is, but Scotch ales go with almost anything chocolate, so I'm figuring this is a safe bet

     There you go, Natalie, try a few of those out. Or better still, drop me a line the next time you're through Toronto and I'll pour a few for you myself. Just be sure to bring along some Banyuls and port…for afterwards.

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