Has anyone attempted flavoring their chocolates with beer?

I am currently experimenting with beer flavored chocolates with my husbands varying home brews. I am wondering if anyone has experienced making beer chocolates and whether you have found using the beer straight or as a reduction is better?
updated by @michelle-jo-garfield: 04/11/15 01:19:37PM

We've got a brewery who has been itching for us to do something with them but we haven't had the mental bandwidth to really do this. My fear is that a reduction will bring out way too many bitters--learned only from the few beer reduction sauces I've attempted over the years for savory dishes.Again talking without trying, I feel like to attempt this getting some pieces of the raw ingredients used might make for a better flavoring. The type of malt, hops, etc, used in some mild extractions to just pull some hints/essence out of it.Definitely let us know how your trials go.

Thanks Andy, that had crossed my mind too about the reduction...I will attempt it today and see how it goes.

Try the reduction, it works nicely making a beer brittle. The sugar offsets the bitterness.

Thanks Mark...I tried it and it tasted like fish sauce....maybe I need to use a fondant based chocolate instead or a caramel....I will try reducing it again and see how it goes.

There are a couple web sites that talk about beer and chocolate pairing. Use their recommendations, and since the beer is reduced, you don't need much. Add a little at a time until it is just above threshold levels with flavor. An alternative would be to make the fondant creme. Depending on the desired finished texture you would use the beer in the bob syrup to dilute and soften the fondant. Bob syrup recipe would determine if it would be extruded, cast, or deposited into shells. Just have fun with it and enjoy. Keep us posted as to how it works.

Hi Michelle, we make a couple of beer truffles...Reducing works well. We have our local brewery fill up a growler and bring it back to the shop...cook it down and use the syrup it makes. We make a Stout, a lighter wheat beer one, and we have even made Budweiser ones for a Bud Rep. who is in town...topped it with pretzel pieces...it was a huge hit! I enjoy experimenting with it...and customers LOVE them! Good luck and best wishes with your "new" home! Long ways from Nashville!

Thank you Wendy...Thats great info I will get cracking on it and see how it goes..

Thanks Mark..Will do!

Hi Michelle,

I just tried a beer truffle that was in a molded shell without reducing the beer, and unfortunately, I'm only getting a very slight taste of the beer (Guinness). How much of a reduction did you do to get the beer flavor coming through?

Coppeneur Germany produces a dark ganache filled chocolate bar made with beer brewed by the "Neuzelle Kloster" Brewery. It's a "Schwarzbier" or "Black Abbot" beer. The brewery is located on the grounds of a 12th century Catholic Monastery. Coppeneur has produced this bar for more than 6 years.

Click HERE for more information.

i tried to infuse hops into cocoa butter. It worked pretty well but it gave my chocolate too much of a bitter hoppy finish. I want the hops up front and tail off into chocolate sweetness.

I was toying with the idea of putting a thin layer of hop cocoa butter into my mold first, let it set, then try to pour chocolate over it. That way, the hoppy cb would melt first and let me finish with the aforementioned chocolate sweetness. The problem is that I think it will look horrible.

I haven't experimented with beer, but I make Grand Marnier truffles that are really potent and I get good feedback. I boil and cool a glucose mixture, add the liquor to that then fill and seal my truffle shells. I'm wondering if you can try the same technique with beer.