In this episode of Bean to Barstool, we explore the differences in the descriptive language used for beer and chocolate, and look at ways these worlds could be bridged. Host David Nilsen talks with beer writer Randy Mosher, Burial Beer co-founder and CEO Jess Reiser, chocolate writer Megan Giller, French Broad Chocolates co-founder Jael Skeffington (Jael Rattigan at the time), and chocolate retailer and educator London Coe about beer and chocolate language and why it matters.

The chocolate world is drenched in evocative and fanciful language, pulling in unlikely analogies, summoning emotion and memory and imagination, and unapologetically playing on whimsy and romance. It seems like chocolate is constantly asking folks to close their eyes and go on a voyage, and chocolate people are constantly saying Yes.

Craft beer, on the other hand, focuses primarily on concrete flavor description, and there is often resistance within the beer world to employing a more holistic or whimsical approach.

Why is the chocolate world seemingly more willing than the beer world to use evocative or fanciful language in description? Can craft beer grow in its willingness to move beyond purely concrete description, and does it want to?

Bean to Barstool is a podcast that looks at the intersections between craft beer and craft chocolate, using them as lenses for exploring the world of flavor and the way flavor interacts with our memories, emotions, imaginations and even our identities to teach us more about who we are. It is hosted by Advanced Cicerone® David Nilsen. Bean to Barstool recently joined the PorchDrinking podcast network, so be sure to check out all their episodes here.

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