Beer? Good. Chocolate? Great. Beer and chocolate? Awesome!

Samuel Adams and San Francisco-based chocolate maker TCHO have teamed up to introduce the Samuel Adams Beer Lover's Chocolate Box.  

The brewers at Samuel Adams worked closely with TCHO's Chief Chocolate Maker Brad Kintzer to design the gift box so that each premium chocolate pairs with a Samuel Adams brew from the Samuel Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack.

Chocolate lovers and craft beer connoisseurs alike are sure to enjoy the surprising flavor combinations. The malty sweetness and rich flavors of craft beer enhance, and are enriched by, the flavors of rich premium chocolate. Meanwhile, the carbonation of the beer also cleanses the palate from the heavy finish of the chocolate — after a sip, the palate is ready for another taste.

"As both a veteran chocolate maker and novice homebrewer, I'm amazed by the flavor complexity found in beer — and by the similarities in the chocolate making process and how complementary the resulting flavors can be. Great beer — like great chocolate — is the result of a careful fermentation that yields an array of flavor possibilities," says Brad Kintzer, TCHO Chief Chocolate Maker.

He adds that many of the flavors found in cocoa and chocolate can be found in beer, and you can taste the synergy when they’re paired.

“Many food and drink combinations come off as a bit forced as 'pairings;' they just don't seem to work together flavor-wise,” Kintzer explains. “In developing the Beer Lover's Chocolate Box, it was surprisingly natural to pair Samuel Adams brews with our TCHO chocolates."

While the idea of pairing beer and food has been around for centuries, many people are just now starting to explore the idea, says Jennifer Glanville, Brewery Manager at the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery.

"We're looking forward to hearing drinkers' responses to the Samuel Adams Beer Lover's Chocolate Box,” she says. “So many people think of wine as the quintessential chocolate pairing, but we think this pairing will certainly change some minds."

The Samuel Adams Beer Lover's Chocolate Box includes 12 8-g. chocolates, and the first 150 orders will also include two Samuel Adams Perfect Pint Glasses. The chocolate box is available nationwide for $16.95 at TCHO.com/SamuelAdams; limited quantities will also be available at the Samuel Adams Boston Brewery gift shop. Samuel Adams Winter Classics Variety Pack is available through December for a suggested retail price of $13.99.

To find the brews near you, visit http://www.samueladams.com/find-a-sam.aspx.

TCHO is a craft chocolate maker in San Francisco, supplying bars of dark and milk chocolate, chocolate drenched treats, and drinking chocolate to consumers and professional chefs nationwide.  In addition to their store and website, TCHO products can be found in over 850 gourmet specialty and natural food retail accounts nationwide, including Whole Foods, Fairways, Gelsons, Bristol Farms, etc. Look for TCHO as an ingredient on dessert menus at your favorite restaurants, too.

Read Managing Editor Crystal Lindell's notes on the recent beer and chocoalte tasting at the Fine Chocolate Show in Chicago!