Chocolates can be paired with wine and whisky, but what about beer? Tokyo-based Filipina chocolatier Rose Hudson made a memorable impression at last year’s Cebu Food and Wine Festival with her innovative bonbons. Her creations, such as the Turon bonbon with banana filling and crispy sugary lumpia base, and the Cebu Puto Maya with gingery rice filling, encapsulated traditional Filipino desserts in a chocolatey bite.
This year, Hudson returned with a new bonbon and a collaboration with Cebu-based craft brewery Bisaya Brew as part of the Grand Tasting at the festival. At Galo Bar and Grill, she showcased her latest bonbon, inspired by the Philippine flag, featuring mango ganache and pineapple compote for Visayas and Mindanao, with a coconut crisp base representing Luzon. During the event, Hudson and Bisaya Brew brewmaster Benoit Chenier demonstrated how to enjoy the bonbons with beer, recommending a sip of beer followed by a nibble of the bonbon to appreciate the distinct flavors before savoring them together.
Chenier emphasized the importance of balance in the pairings, ensuring that neither the beer nor the chocolate overpowered the other. The pairings began with a pilsner paired with a sans rival-inspired Cashew Meringue bonbon, where the sweetness complemented the pilsner’s hoppy notes.
The next pairings featured the dry and crisp Bisaya Brew lager. Hudson’s second pairing, the Apple Pie bonbon, highlighted the green apple brightness that enlivened the malty lager. The following pairing with the Caramel Chocolate bonbon also showcased the lager’s lively maltiness. Chenier expressed pride in their sake-like light lager made with Japanese rice, which he described as a “chameleon” that pairs well with various flavors, including the delicately fruity Mango Tango bonbon.
The fourth pairing, featuring the dark chocolate-forward Bulawan bonbon, catered to fans of bold flavors, combining the bitterness of the beer with the chocolate. The final pairing introduced the syrupy muscovado notes of the Galactic Latik bonbon, paired with a creamy Belgian Wheat Ale.
Hudson and Chenier concluded the session with a surprise: their new Chocolate Beer. Chenier explained the challenges of brewing with cacao, noting that soaking it too long can lead to undesirable oil extraction, affecting the beer’s quality. Uniquely, this new beer is a clear lager rather than a stout, offering a pleasant milk chocolate aroma and crispness, making it an ideal dessert beer.
Hudson dreams of sustainably sourcing single-origin chocolate from her home province, Bohol, where she operates the Bohol Chocolate Farm. The farm offers agri-tourism visits, allowing guests to explore the cacao and chocolate value chain, from nurseries to chocolate bar creation.
Hudson plans to visit Manila in August and hopes to repeat the chocolate pairing event during her stay.