Cacao fermentation is what turns raw cacao beans into something that can actually become chocolate. Most makers ferment with water and wild yeast. BAR fermented this batch with Maka di honey ale — a craft beer from Goa — and the difference shows up in the base notes of the finished bar.
It doesn't taste like beer. That's not what's happening here. Fermentation shapes the underlying character of the cacao, and using a honey ale instead of water introduces a faint malt quality that sits beneath the 60% chocolate. The cacao nibs mixed into the bar add crunch and keep the bitterness honest.
This bar launched at the Indian Cacao and Craft Chocolate Festival in Bangalore — reportedly the first beer-fermented craft chocolate made in India. The collaboration is between BAR, who sources and makes the chocolate from Mangalorean cacao, and Maka di, a Goa-based brewery.
No alcohol remains in the finished bar. It burns off during production. Safe for all ages and suitable for those who avoid alcohol.
Weight: 80g
Cacao: 60%
Chocolate type: Dark chocolate with cacao nibs
Origin: Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Collaboration: BAR x Maka di Brewery (Goa)
Fermented with: Maka di Honey Ale
Alcohol content: None (burns off during production)
