The Chocolate Tease Before The Chocolate Tour

That scintillating scent of cocoa was in the air at my workplace today.  The Chocolate Tour will be happening tomorrow in downtown Excelsior Springs and The Elms Hotel and Spa will be just one of the hotspots featuring chocolate creations.  So, in the spirit of that upcoming event, chocolate was in abundance.  Our baker Tisha made these marvelous Peppermint Patty cupcakes for our employee birthday recognition gathering today.

She also made lemon drop cupcakes and they equally delightful.  A few of us then moved to the 88 lounge afterward to bear witness to our own opening ceremony: the unveiling and tapping of the first keg of coveted Boulevard Chocolate Ale.

This chocolate ale (pictured above in a photo by the KC Business Journal) is the Holy Grail to many local beer hounds.  Created by a partnership of KC's Boulevard Brewery and local celebrated chocolatier Christopher Elbow, the Chocolate Ale is sold only for a short period during the month of February.  2012 was their first year of release and their entire supply was sold out in three days.  Deciding they needed to work on the production process, they decided not to sell it in 2013 at all.  2014 is seeing the return of this craft beer sensation and even this release had a bit of drama...this week's deliveries were delayed due to the winter wallop we received.  Our shipment did indeed arrive and we got to sample it today.  Finally, I might add, as I had not yet managed to find any of this elusive ale before today.  Allow me to sum up the sip of my sample in one word: swoon-worthy.

The Elms will be offering a special chocolate creation in their Cafe for the Chocolate Tour, but the Boulevard Chocolate Ale will be available for sale at the bar in the 88 restaurant tomorrow.  The Chocolate Tour will feature many downtown businesses in addition to the Elms and they will all be showcasing their chocolate creations.  The Chocolate Tour is hosted by the Downtown Excelsior Partnership and is a fundraiser for this vital organization that does so much toward the revitalization the downtown district.

So, if this dreary weather has you down, go get ya some chocolate goodness and elevate your mood in the most indulgent way around.