Past Newsletters
Vol 4 No 6

In Pursuit of Chocolate

Wicked Ale, Cocoa Pete's What's Next?!

Summer brings about a welcome season of change and what better way to start it off than with an exciting tasting adventure brought to you by In Pursuit of Chocolate. This month’s tantalizing piece de’ resistance has been meticulously crafted by Pete Slosberg, maverick entrepreneur and originator of Pete's Wicked Ale http://www.peteswicked.com. You know - that little microbrew that made a name for itself selling nearly one billion bottles of beer, and helping to pave the way for microbrews in an industry historically dominated by three big commercial brewers.

Pete, the man behind one of the most recognized craft beers in America, is now on a mission to captivate a new audience! “I exceeded my goals in beer, one of the 5 major food groups, said Pete Slosberg. “I felt compelled to accomplish similar things in one of the remaining four, and I picked chocolate! (The best of other major food groups can be found at www.monthlyclubs.com for your tasting enjoyment.) His recent launch, Cocoa Pete's Chocolate Adventures, is a premium chocolate company with a whole new world of chocolate flavor. After you taste Pete's chocolates, we think you’ll agree that Slosberg has used his creative genius and well educated taste buds to create yet another world-class winner. And judging from his graphics and the kitschy names he invented for his chocolates, Pete is having a blast while doing it. Sounds like our kind of guy!

You might be wondering how do you get from microbrews to chocolate? Well, when you are the proprietor of a microbrewery that becomes so popular that it is acquired by Gambrinus (importer of Corona, Grupo Modelo and Moosehead, and owner of Spoetzl Brewery and Bridgeport Brewing Co.), it’s safe to say that you would be spending a lot of time traveling to places like Belgium to perfect your craft, and to stay in the know about some of the greatest beers on Earth. (Of course there is no need for you to travel great distances to enjoy outstanding microbrews.)

It was fate that led Pete to discover that in Belgium, everyday chocolates were on a par with the finest quality of American chocolates. As Pete says, “Everyone European, from a prince to a plumber, has access to really great chocolate. All I want is the same for every American. So after he sold Wicked Ale, Pete was determined to prove to the folks at home that there was more to chocolate than Mars and Hershey's.

Pete went back to school, The Culinary Institute of America in NY, and also back to Europe for more ideas. His new found love of fine chocolate, has led him to focus all of that creative energy on raising the bar in America. With the development of proprietary recipes for his dark and milk chocolates, he has not only raised the bar, Pete literally shattered the mold by introducing unique 3-piece bars that are available in four moan-inducing flavors. (Caution: these babies are addictive you may want to hide at least one of your bars to enjoy later.) Pete was drawn into the beer world by its enticing array of flavors, and its flavors that again fuel Cocoa Pete's obsession with chocolate

Nuts So Serious

We begin with a morsel that as you open it, you just can’t help but grinning. Smooth velvety milk chocolate combined with roasted pistachio nuts, hazelnut paste, and creamy cocoa butter - we guarantee you will beg for more. This delectable tidbit was inspired by Pete's studies at The Culinary Institute of America in NY. Based solely on a recipe he discovered in a fifty-year-old cookbook, Nuts So Serious is a lost treasure reclaimed!

Berry Berry Dangerous

These beauties are totally irresistible. Pete's has always held a special place in his heart for strawberries dipped in dark chocolate and has managed to seize that hypnotic taste here. Rich, dark chocolate dovetails with a chewy, dried strawberry infusion to make that ripe strawberry taste even more intense. Explosive streams of berry ignite to make your taste buds swoon. Need we say more?

Hallowed Grounds

This gem uses lavish, dark and luscious chocolate to hold back rivers of flowing caramel and an awe-inspiring secret - Italian roast coffee. You have the best of both worlds with this plethora of tastes. Inspired by the simple yet mesmerizing concoctions from a street vendor in Seattle, Cocoa Pete's combines chocolate, caramel and coffee in this very interesting ménage a trois!

Maltimus Maximus

Since Pete was a youngster he had a distinct craving for chocolate malt balls. Maltimus Maximus, a blast from his beer-soaked past, blends real brewers’ malt and Cocoa Pete's luscious milk chocolate. This treat begins with a crisp crunch, and then descends into a warm, soft, slow melt. Serenading your whole being once again, Pete manages to render the concept of malt balls practically obsolete.

Meet A Classic American Entrepreneur

This real life Willy Wonka founded Pete's Brewing Company in 1979 after creating the great American Wicked Ale in his own kitchen. The goal was to make a world-class brew and have some fun doing it. It is obvious that work is fun to this energized purveyor of rewarding tastes. His company was incorporated in 1986, and when Pete sold it in 1998, his entrepreneurial spirit took hold again. Slosberg spent months in research, going through pound after pound of chocolate samples, and hunting down just the right ingredients. Sounds like a painstaking task indeed! This due diligence paid off handsomely as Cocoa Pete's Chocolate Adventures was born.

In the same fashion that Pete turned his home-brewing hobby into a highly acclaimed brewing company; he’s now brought his own “home-spun approach to professional chocolate-making and created an American chocolate product brimming over with world-class flavor. Beer and chocolate, does it get any better than this? Cocoa Pete's is the result of new approaches to old standards, and forgotten treasures resurrected.

From the first taste of dark chocolate covered whipped cream that Pete experienced in a tiny village in Belgium, to his experience at The Culinary Institute of America in New York, Pete developed a devotee-like passion for chocolate-making. This passion is matched only by his zeal to spread the word that great chocolate needn’t be seen as a privilege. Just indulge your senses and bite into one of these chocolate gems and you’ll find yourself rushing back for more.

Who Invented Father’s Day?

June marks the celebration of fatherhood all over the world and what better gift than one of our gourmet monthly clubs to wipe away some of those unforgettable memories Dad may still have of you as a combative teenager! If you’re grappling with ideas for your father, remember he probably doesn’t need any more “stuff, but we can guarantee that he will look forward to receiving gourmet tasting experiences for the next few months. Please visit www.monthlyclubs.com. With a couple of easy online ordering steps, you can treat your Dad to a bit of admiration and love more than just once!

Father’s Day came about in 1909, when a young woman named Sonora Dodd was listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in Washington State. She began thinking about the sacrifices her father, William Smart had made for their family. Sadly, Ms. Dodd’s mother had passed away while giving birth to their sixth child, and Mr. Smart took the responsibility and commitment of rearing all six children by himself.

Sonora’s remembered her father’s courage, selflessness, and love, and now that she was mature, she really understood how blessed she was to have such a Dad. Her father’s birthday was in June, and Sonora was determined celebrate what his life had meant to her, as well as his birth day. So the first ever Father’s Day celebration took place on the 19th of June in 1910.

Dr. Robert Webb is also recognized for acknowledging Fathers by conducting a Father’s Day service at the Central Church in Fairmont, West Virginia. Sonora, however, was the catalyst in the national observance and development of this great day of recognition. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of creating a national Father’s Day. And in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a declaration proclaiming the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day from all of us at In Pursuit of Chocolate!

Earn the Rank of a Bon Vivant

To secure the distinction of a gourmand, you must exercise your palate, and learning to pair Chocolate with Microbrews is one of the courses you will want to pursue. Fine chocolate has a stalwart, resolute, and unmistakable taste which usually coats your palate, so not just any beer will complement chocolate. Dark, resonant, full bodied beers make the best mates. Don’t waste your tasting adventure on typical pale and watery beers associated with American megabrews, and imported beers in green or clear bottles.

In general, we recommend that you seek out malty lagers like Oktoberfest beers, bock beers, and dark, roasted ales - particularly porters and stouts – to complement dark bittersweet chocolate. We ardently endorse passionate barley wines, Trappist beers, fruit-infused microbrews like Lambics, and of course, many of Pete's Wicked beers. These beers run from amber to ebony color, and they fare well with anything from milk chocolate to chocolate-covered caramels. If you have an interest in learning more about microbrews and chocolate visit our websites at www.chocolatemonthclub.com.

We did a little research and then asked the experts at Malt of the Earth, the Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club, for their suggestions. So be brave, open your mind, close your eyes, and then open your mouth for one of your most exceptional epicurean discoveries. Eric, Please add and /or substitute some of our microbrews.

• The dark roasted grain and coffee-like flavors of Anchor Porter (US) make a sumptuous combo when paired with Pete's Hallowed Grounds, as well as other dark or fruit-flavored chocolates.
• Eggenberg Bock (Austria) is richly malted and full-bodied. It’s a natural with Maltimus Maximus! Try it with other milk chocolates and caramel-filled chocolates. The bold malt flavor and background fruitiness of Trois Pistoles Strong Ale (Canada) is another great choice.
• The effusive cherry nose and generously fruited sweet and sour palate of New Glarus Belgian Red (US) is also a fine choice with fruit-flavored or milk chocolates. We think you will be proud to serve it with Nuts So Serious.
• Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (UK) has warm, inviting dark grain flavors are sure to please your palate when you introduce it to dark (65% cocoa or more) chocolates. We like it with Pete's Berry Berry Dangerous and Nuts So Serious.
• Rogue Ale Shakespeare Stout (U.S.) is also a wonderful complement for dark or bittersweet chocolates because of its dark-grain complexity and bitterness. Berry Berry Dangerous is perfect!
• Xingu Black Beer (Brazil) is mildly sweet with a slightly bitter, mocha tinge. It’s an obvious mate for Hallowed Grounds and other coffee-flavored chocolates.

Triple Bock Truffles
3/4 cup Samuel Adams Triple Bock Replace with one of our beers
1 pound bittersweet chocolate - chopped
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Coatings - your choice, see below for suggestions
Melt chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Gradually stir in cream. Gradually add Triple Bock, stirring gently to blend. Cover and chill overnight. Shape mixture into 3/4 inch balls, using 1 level tablespoon of mixture. Roll in desired coating.

Coating suggestions: chopped toasted almonds, walnuts or pecans; cocoa; fancy raw sugars.