June 14th: Zotter Organic Beer

Kcal ??? Fat ??? Fat(sats) ??? Carbs ???

The brand Zotter has really been making waves with ChocolateMission readers lately, as no sooner does one review get published, I received vasts amounts of requests asking me to check out some of the other crazy flavours from their range. Following my review of the Muscat Wine & Grape Hand-Scooped bar (See HERE), one of the most commonly mentioned bars was this Zotter's Organic Beer offering. Sad though it may seem, a large proportion of my alcohol consumption nowadays seems to come from Zotter chocolates. Indeed, that may be a bit of an overstatement, but when you consider the last three products I have reviewed from Zotter have included wine, whisky and now beer, you do start to wonder whether Mr Zotter is a tad partial to the odd drink.

This Hand-Scooped (still don't get what that means!) bar came in a 2.47 Oz size (I thought I would try something different than my usual 70.0g sentence haha!), which I ate across the course of two sittings. The on-pack artistry was as always lovely looking on the eye, though again I wasn't too sure about the relevance of a stripey shirted fellow on a bike - regardless it looked classy as ever anyway! Something some readers have started mentioning on previous reviews is how many of Zotter's chocolates look the same, and I have to agree that I am starting to see what they mean. Aesthetically I don't think I would have been able to tell this bar apart from the likes of the Scotch Whisky etc, it looked finely crafted in form but there was nothing that differentiated it from many others in the range.

Although the bar wasn't particularly striking visually, the smells that emanated from the chocolate suggested the taste was going to nothing short of compelling. The actual aromas weren't the most enticing ever, but there were interesting hints of booze and toasted bread, which nicely set expectations of the remarkable experience that was to follow. Speaking firstly of the chocolate, the base constituent of the bar was Zotter's 70% dark chocolate recipe, and it as ever provided a perfectly balanced taste that was full or rich, tasting cocoa flavours, yet still allowed expression of the enhancing beer element. The Organic Beer influence itself came to the party as the chocolate progressed from it's solid to liquid state during the melt, and it brought a wonderfully unique set of flavours. Indeed, notes of malt, wheat, and caramel, all became detectable and made for a taste that was terrifically variable and very progressive. One minor area of disappointment was the slightly bitter alcohol aftertaste left in the mouth, though even that to a degree added to the 'beer' flavour experience.

Overall chocolate and beer are not two things I would immediately think of pairing together, but Zotter somehow crafted yet another fine tasting dark chocolate combination. Now I think about it, I would never even contemplate of eating chocolate with beer, as previous experiences have told me that they two just don't mix. Somehow, and I'm not quite sure how!? Mr Zotter and co have managed to craft a bar that combines both these fantastic ingredients superbly. The progression of the taste from the rich dark chocolate, to the beer flavours generated by the soft centre was nothing short of delicious and totally unique. Looking at the ingredients list, the organic beer used is one called 'Lava Rossa'. I think it would be great experiment to try the actual beer to see how well the taste has been translated through to the chocolate - any excuse eh? :D. I don't think this is a chocolate that would be enjoyed by everyone, but for beer lovers this is one you should try first-hand to appreciate the beer and chocolate synergy Zotter have created.

8.1 out of 10