A pairing of beer and artisanal chocolate revolutionized the palate during an event held at the brewery of Icono. Yahir Fuentes, the local chocolate maker, presented his product and confirmed Mexicali's advanced gastronomy.
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On Tuesday, August 20, a tasting-pairing of craft beer and chocolate was carried out in the beer house of Mexicali, Icono, located within the facilities of the former Cervecería Mexicali . The guest chocolate company was Theobromus Chocolate Artesanal, with the chocolate maker Yahir Fuentes, in charge of an interesting talk and demonstration about this Mexican product.

During the event, this pairing between three types of chocolate and three styles of beer made in Icono was shown. The guests were taken to taste cocoa and liquid malt, thing that provoked whole new sensations on their palates.

Yahir Fuentes, founder of Theobromus Chocolate Artisanal, shared during the event the importance of the chocolate in the history of Mexico, starting from Mesoamerica where the Cocoa was taken as a currency. He presented three types of chocolate: 50% cocoa, 75% cocoa and the strongest 80% cocoa.

On the other hand, the host brewer, Alfredo Rodríguez, talked about the process of brewing, presenting during the event three styles for pairings. The Blonde stylenamed Altiva , the Hazy IPA style - awarded during a Specialty festival in Ensenada - and the Porter style named Cuervo.

The surprise to the public came at the time when Yahir entered the kitchen and began to describe the tempering process, stage in which cocoa passed from grain to liquid and that it then gets cooled on a granite table to enter a mold, and that then it is finally packaged for the market.

The event had resonance in a city where the gastronomic movement seems pretty low in comparison to Tijuana and Ensenada. However, there are a good number of projects from craft brewers - considered among the best in Mexico - as well as a new generation of chefs who are revolutionizing the local restaurants with products from Valle de Mexicali and San Felipe, and they promise to surprise anyone with their extravagant products.

vrenne.rodriguez@gmail.com